Drongo Issue 1
Natalie Michelle Watson
https://www.nataliemichellewatson.com
https://www.instagram.com/nataliemichellewatson/

Drongo Issue 1 is a full-colour (with some black and white pages) zine a bit closer in size to US letter than to A4 with a variety of articles, comics, a quiz, and a couple of advice columns.

Nyx: How would you define the word ‘drongo’?
Wanderer: Someone who is a bit thick. An idiot.

(Just in case you were wondering about the title. Haha.)

I have been eager to check this series out since I first saw it, and – being the completionist I am – I knew I had to start at the beginning. After a while, you begin to wonder if the reality will meet the expectation and, for me, Drongo went above and beyond.

Drongo Issue 1 has all kinds of fun and funny things inside. It’s a bit ‘teen mag’ with anonymous confessions and advice, a bit educational with a piece on the history of the dunce cap, and even a bit perzine with a piece about trying to be someone you’re not called ‘The Lies We Feed Ourselves’.

But wait, there’s more!

This issue opens with funny, short ‘Letters to the Dippy-tor’. If the cover (with its ‘for mature audiences only’ warning) didn’t already set the tone for you, this will with the fun and often cheeky answers to sometimes strange questions. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of tone as well as content in this zine. Along with the cheeky fun, we had the serious for the perzine piece and the curious for the history of the dunce cap (more interesting than I would have thought). All of this really lent itself to even more variety and me feeling like it simply must be longer than its 20 pages (including front and back covers).

The look of Drongo is very likely what first drew you in, and it definitely doesn’t let you go. I loved everything from the funny ‘Wackdonald’s’ sign to the fun page borders adding a little something more for you to enjoy. There are all sorts of little details that just add to the fun.

Believe it or not, I still haven’t covered everything you’ll find in this zine.

If you like silliness and a good helping of Aussie humour, then definitely check out Drongo.

PS. According to the quiz, I’m only moderately lazy, so I feel better about myself as a human being.

Midnight Ice Cream
Aaron Eames
https://www.instagram.com/mrfoxaaron/
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/585381446/midnight-ice-cream-photography-zine-art

Midnight Ice Cream is an A5 black and white photography zine featuring images of night life and night calm in the city.

Midnight Ice Cream opens straight away into a series of 24 black and white photos around a big city. (I’m guessing Perth or Melbourne, but I’m not completely sure. It doesn’t really matter to my thinking – more a passing curiosity.) There are no words in this zine, save for any captured in the photos. The zine takes you through what feels like a casual wander, appreciating the city.

Some of the photos are blurred to various degrees while others are crisp and clear. All this adds up to leaving you as the observer to make what you will of any possible themes, messages, or interpretations – or lack thereof – of the collection.

Aaron found a good audience in me in that big city night life holds a certain fascination for me. That is what makes me even more curious about why I felt more drawn to the photos with few or no people. Especially the photo on page four featuring a Subway shop with a bunch of empty chairs inside.

I feel like the choice of a kraft paper cover and interior paper that’s thick enough to stop any shadowing are small but important choices that keep the focus of the zine on the photos inside.

Photography is like other art in that it comes down to personal taste and what you’re drawn to. I wasn’t drawn to every photo in this zine, but I have enjoyed looking through this zine many times. I don’t know if it’s the city or the black and white photography (or both), but I like going through again and again to see if I can notice anything I didn’t see the first time.

Furthermore, I ended up losing some time to scrolling through Aaron’s Instagram feed. Haha.

If you like black and white photography, city-based photography, and/or Aaron’s Instagram feed, then take a look at this zine.