Pieces #15: on altered states
Nichole
56 pages
https://www.instagram.com/corridorgirl/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/collectingwords

Pieces 15 is a US paper quarter-sized, black and white zine about altered states of being – from reality to non-reality.

“Acceptance is hard, let me tell you, and I’m working on it. I’ll probably be working on it forever, to be honest, but I think pretty much everyone else in the world is too.”

Pieces 15 opens with Nichole writing about writing in a coffee shop in a catch-all notebook. An old notebook that is a catch all, which is definitely different than a journal or diary. I love this image of the writer (no matter what anyone else says), and it immediately puts me at ease as I start to read. From there Nichole writes rather poetically about the fast ‘summer storm’ way this zine came together and what it’s all about.

She starts with derealisation and depersonalisation, states that she experienced even in childhood as well as currently as of the writing of this zine. This moves into thoughts about drugs and alcohol and deconstructing taught beliefs to come around to her first psychedelic experience. She also touches on lucid dreaming, even giving tips on how to lucid dream as well as sharing some lucid dream experiences as well.

The middle goes into Nichole’s thoughts on life in general, which can feel like an altered state in and of itself when a person isn’t part of a big societal norm – let alone the opposite of many of them. I think a lot of people will understand Nichole’s feelings of not knowing her purpose or what’s meant to be happening. Which leads into the mushroom experience.

The trip itself is as intense as I expected but in ways I didn’t expect. There are hallucinations, trippy revelations, and scary moments where Nichole writes about the Demon (which you may know if you have read previous issues but won’t deter you if you don’t). It’s all very raw, vulnerable, and presented to the reader without any self-judgements or assumptions about what the reader may gain from reading it.

And we wrap up where we started: writing in little cafes and enjoying people watching.

I’ve always love Nichole’s zine style. The quarter size with plenty of pages, black and white, cut and paste with a lot of elements that make it feel like part zine, part art journal, part diary. She uses patterned papers as well as a lot of butterfly, flower, and time-related pieces which suits my design preferences totally.

Nichole’s zines – and this series in particular – have always resonated with me, so I was not surprised to find this feeling again with this zine. She writes about the familiar feeling unfamiliar, even in childhood – a state she writes about more articulately than I could. I’ve also been able to lucid dream from time to time. And goodness knows I’ve often asked myself and the universe what my purpose is. I found the trip experience to be one that made me infinitely curious and incredibly cautious as well.

The Pieces series is one I will always recommend. While they are on different topics and span more than a decade, if you have liked one then you will like them all. With each new issue I feel honoured that Nichole has showed so much of herself and let herself be so vulnerable in these zines.

Grab a copy.

Campervan Honeymoon
Kristin Stadum & Johnnie B Baker
20 pages
https://www.angelfire.com/ca/bpress/
https://www.instagram.com/johnniebbaker/

Campervan Honeymoon is a US-sized, half-fold, zine scrapbook from Kristin and Johnnie’s honeymoon around Western Australia.

Is it weird I’m reading a zine featuring one of my neighbour states that I’ve never been to? Or would that only have been weird pre-2020?

Campervan Honeymoon opens with a brief introduction from (forgive me, but I am assuming what handwriting style belongs to whom) Johnnie about how a deal on round trip tickets to Australia decided the destination for their honeymoon. Kristen’s previous visits to Australia determined where they’d travel on the continent.

From there we have a combination of maps, pictures, notes, tickets, and other ephemera to create this scrapbook telling of their trip up the coast of Western Australia. Kristin writes most of the notes and writes them in a cliff notes style that I appreciate. The zine has a nice balance of written notes and other ephemera.

Speaking of the notes, Kristin and Johnnie don’t hold back. The first kangaroo they spotted was a dead one, petrol prices are often ridiculous, and there are just way too many bugs. I like the realistic diary keeping rather than a rose-coloured glasses account. I also love that they not only create the memories but the zine elements together as well.

I compare this to a scrapbook because it’s very much one with various things pasted onto the page like the scrapbooks I used to keep as a teenager. Johnnie’s handwriting is a touch hard to read at points and there is a picture that is a little dark for the laugh I think it could get for non-Australians (for whom ‘thong’ means something a bit different!). But nothing really stopped me from enjoying the zine.

Kristin writes about being tired along the way, and I totally understand those feelings from having packed many things into small trips along the way. But this takes on new meaning – and the zine itself takes on a new special level of meaning, when you read the last page.

I won’t give it away, but the sentiment becomes all that much longer, and living life to the fullest becomes all the more important a lesson after reading the final page.

Campervan Honeymoon was written in 2019 – a year that feels so far away now. But while we still have travel restrictions on, I enjoyed travelling to WA vicariously through Kristin, Johnnie, and their zine.

Two-Timing Dog: Transylvania Bible #3
16 pages
M.J. Ocasio & Monstark
http://mjocasio.com/
https://www.monstark.com/

Two-Timing Dog: Transylvania Bible #3 is a 7cm x 10.7cm black and white comic about a tragic couple dealing with supernatural forces.

My completionist heart wanted to wait to see if I could find the second comic in this series, but my curious soul overruled and I jumped right into this instalment of the Transylvania Bible series.

Two-Timing Dog opens with a ‘gorgeous in its simplicity’ inside cover with information about the two creators. (Links type of information to be found on the back inside cover.) On page one, we are introduced to a familiar scene of sitting across the table from someone. But it’s immediately clear that all is not well with the argumentative words and throwing of a dish. The story then plays on reader expectations, seeming to lead you down one road with the argument at hand only to reveal something much darker and sinister beneath it all.

Like with The Puss and the Shade (review here), you may be able to tell that I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I will say that, as a writer as well as a reader, I loved the play on words – despite how it all ended. Wow. I suspected something along the lines of how it did end, but I ended up surprised just the same.

Also like the first of the series, this zine is beautifully presented. The cover is a shiny metallic grey, the paper inside feels gorgeous and textured, and the art is as magnificent and haunting as always. It’s a small zine, so I appreciate that the creators manage to balance detailed art and storytelling without the comic panels feeling too crammed or otherwise overwhelming.

I’ve been a fan of horror since I was a little girl, so this is definitely my kind of comic zine. I really want to get my hands on the second one and hope that this series is a long running one. I think this and this series is a must have for anyone who appreciates horror – especially horror in comics and short stories.

Jesus the Asshole
Richard Larios
24 pages
https://linktr.ee/FeralPublication

Jesus the Asshole is a US-sized, half-fold black and white comic zine letter to Jesus in which Richard shares his confusion, doubts, and other thoughts about Jesus and, by extension, Christianity.

I have had this zine for a while and wasn’t quite sure what I’d make of it when I read it. But, besides a bit of a rough time with mentions of rape, murder, and slavery, it turned out to be an even more interesting read than I anticipated.

Jesus the Asshole opens with a letter from Richard to the reader letting them know that this zine isn’t meant to be rude or disrespectful for the sake of being rude or disrespectful. He explains that it is ‘the honest ramblings of a young mind’ and even invites readers to make a zine of their own to help him understand things if he’s misrepresented anything. This introduction certainly got me curious about what was to come but also reassured me that this isn’t the zine you might think it is going by the title alone.

Please note that, on that note, this review is the same. I mean no disrespect in my comments. Only pondering and curiosity along with the things Richard has asked in this zine.

From there we get into the comic. Richard writes (and draws) about searching for Jesus, asking questions about Christianity that were never quite well answered. Asking more questions about things like, for instance, if everything is for a plan or purpose, why are there starving children in the world? If it’s up to man to take care of man, then that must be free will and thus not everything happens for a reason.

There’s more where that comes from as well with curious thoughts about the nature of hell, forgiveness, evil, and more all presented in this letter to Jesus form that makes it all the more approachable for the reader.

I quite liked the look of the zine with less structure and more words and drawings all over the page. It had the feel of someone who was also drawing while writing their letter or drawing while on the phone about the topic. Some of the words were hard to read at times, but not so much that I didn’t have any idea what was happening.

As someone who grew up with a church and asked a lot of questions (and wasn’t responded to very positively by adults for asking those questions), this zine really took me back. It also gave me comfort in its own way because I don’t feel alone in this part of my life. Logically I know I’m not, but it’s always nice to see it in zine form as well.

I especially appreciat that, toward the end, there is a gentle reminder that you don’t need to have a religion or be a member of a church to be a decent human being. You can still be good.

I can understand why this would be a sensitive zine for many, but I found it to be a great read. It got me thinking, made me feel less alone, and had a comics element as well. Definitely one to pick up if you’re comfortable with the subject matter.