Some Of The Reasons Being An Adult SUCKS
Crash Reynolds
https://www.instagram.com/indeliblecrash/
https://utopiabycrash.wixsite.com/hello

Some Of The Reasons Being An Adult SUCKS is a full colour A7 mini-zine about, well, some of the reasons being an adult sucks.

I do try to read zines in some sort of order resembling that which they arrived in, but sometimes a zine just speaks to what I’m dealing with in life, and I simply have to read it.

Some Of The Reasons Being An Adult SUCKS has a self-explanatory title. Inside you find small snippet reasons pasted onto alternating backgrounds. Listing reasons from your standard ‘doing dishes’ to more complex ones involving expectations, Crash really hits things right on in their usual style.

I did feel a bit sad reading this zine because it’s clear even in this mini how much people cause each other hurt by mere expectation of behaviour. I wish we could all just be a bit kinder to each other. As Australia looks at another postage rise in October, I also was right with Crash with being annoyed with pretty much everything to do with bills.

I think minis like this are important because it’s always, always nice to know you’re not alone. Even if it’s something you more or less know other people feel (no one actually likes bills, do they?), it’s still nice to see it acknowledged.

So get your nod on with another oh-so-true offering from Crash Reynolds.

You’re Standing on My Neck: A Daria Fanzine
Lee
https://www.instagram.com/thescreeverzine/
http://thescreever.limitedrun.com/

You’re Standing On My Neck is an A5 black and white fanzine about the totally awesome animated adult show Daria.

Daria is one of the shows from my younger years that stood as a huge positive to being home sick from school. The title character’s mix of sarcasm and dedication to blatant truth made her an awesome part of my life. So a fanzine about Daria? Yes, please!

You’re Standing on My Neck opens with a piece from Lee, who put this all together. He writes about putting together the zine (how the written submissions are by him because all of the other submissions are visual), watching the show, and what he thinks the show is really about. (I absolutely agree and couldn’t have summed up my thoughts about it better, by the way.)

From there we a treated to an awesome assortment of fun and interesting pieces. Lee writes about reacting to the rumours of a Daria reboot and examines Daria as a role model, we zine-meet a Daria cosplayer, there’s Daria-inspired art, and there are even Daria-inspired word puzzles! (A nod to Lee’s other zine series: The Screever.)

I love Lee’s writing style in this zine; it’s exactly what I want from a fanzine. Lee is clearly interested in not only the show and characters but in the ‘behind the scenes’ things too like the voice actors and guitar tabs for the iconic Daria theme. More than that, he writes in a way that conveys respect for the show but doesn’t set rigid absolutes. A reboot of the show isn’t exactly his cup of tea, but he writes about why in an even-handed way rather than going on a rampage against it.

(I like a rampage as much as the next person, but calm and clear is a lot less common.)

All up, I think it’s simple: getting this zine as a no-brainer for anyone who loved/loves Daria. While you’re at it, pick up issue two as well!

Why I Should Love Myself
Ryan Pocket Thoughts
https://linktr.ee/_my_name_is_ryan_

Why I Should Love Myself is an 11cm x 9 cm full-colour mini-zine about the awesomeness of a person… and how that doesn’t always translate into how the person sees themselves.

Why I Should Love Myself is a zine that is a little difficult to discuss fully without spoiling it completely to pieces, but I suspect I may sort of do that anyway. This little zine took me on such a road. I smiled as the list of illustrated reasons said person should love themselves only to be reminded at the end that often the loveliest people struggle with self-love.

I keep wondering if Ryan made this for someone specific, but then… it resonates so much with me. I know so many people who are absolutely awesome and lovely who don’t see themselves the way I do. I think that’s why the last page in this zine hit me squarely in my fluffy heart.

Ryan’s art is wonderful as always. Black and white or colour, I’ll always enjoy his work.

I have to point out the back of this mini, which I think is a great idea. It has Ryan’s various socials and sites clearly printed around mini pictures of some of his zines. It reminds me of the books I’d read as a kid that had the rest of the series in with an order form on the last page. But I’m nosy like that and like to know about people’s other zines.

Why I Should Love Myself is a very sweet (yet bittersweet) zine that I’m glad to have in my collection. I think a lot of people should pick up.