Zine Reviews — Zine World #23 (May 2012)

Are You Being You #1: Consists of four pages of illegible and incomprehensible, tightly packed handwriting and one page of clocklike compatibility charts. “There are only 5000 soulmates per 1,000,000 for us!” Strange stream of consciousness writing about politics, parenting, teaching and insurance fraud. Rev. Don Stevens, PO Box 300365, Escondido CA 92030, nogol99@yahoo.com [$2.50 5M :15]— Anu

Art Bureau #8: Art Bureau is a zine that showcases DIY artists and art spaces across the country. This edition features the work of Eyeformation, whose striking “Did You Know?” posters and stickers feature little knows facts about Lowell, MA. (Like: did you know actress Bette Davis was born in Lowell?) Mike Twohig writes about A\V, a cooperative performance and exhibition space in Rochester, NY (his artwork is also featured) and several visual poems by Guy R. Beining round out the issue. While I didn’t care for all the art, I was still impressed with the zine. The presentation is very professional and the artwork is well-produced. If you are interested in discovering new artists, this is the zine for you. [32S :30]—Bloody Mary Art Bureau #9: Art Bureau is an online art gallery and publishing house for artists. They say, “We provide the opportunity for artists to display their artwork on the Web and for them to see their creations in print.” This issue features short interviews and samples from three artists (and an article on the Miami Art Lab). Doram does illustrations with dark surrealistic leanings; Toon does abstracts mixed with word phrases; and Cliff Whitehead, my favorite of the three, does organic-looking abstracts. It’s a great showcase for new artists. Bert Benson, PO Box 225221, SF CA 94122, bert@artbureau. org, artbureau.org [$3 US/Canada, rest ‘to be announced’, no trades, not ftp 32S :31]—Tom

Avast!: “A Pirate Comic.” Crudely drawn mess wherein pirates set off for the Arctic and are attacked by ghosts before crashing into land and meeting weird, celebrity-headed things. I know, it sounds so promising, but these are the scribbles of a six-year-old. For all I know, they are, but that doesn’t make it worthwhile. Ghoulstomper, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, xX666piratehing666Xx@yahoo.com, myspace. com/piratescomicsandzines [$? 8XS :1]—mishap

Banana Boom: Short story narrating the last few moments in the life of Reggie the Fig, who mercilessly taunts his friend Inky who’s just trying to enjoy a rotten banana (bear with me, here). Inky tires of Reggie’s overly-dramatic cry for help and finally pushes him off of the bridge—Reggie explodes before he hits the water. Are these people, or insects, or animals, or what? The ink illustrations, while visually interesting, don’t make things any clearer. Daniel Elisii c/o Insect Ash, PO Box 30, Hilltown PA 18927, insectash@yahoo.com, www.insectash. com [$1, or trade 12XS :05]—Andrew

Barrelhouse #1: “Confessions of a Juvenile Liquor Pig.” This zine version of a graphic novel is a real gem. It’s a mix of ably done drawings by Dug Belan, and autobiographical text by R. Lee, about a kid who has a fascination for beer that just gets worse and worse. He sneaks a few at 8 years old, he mixes drinks for his father and friends at 10, he steals beer from Mr. Heinny’s Liquor Store as a teen. We know he’s hooked when he writes, “It was as if I were pouring pure, golden light into the dead pocket of my soul.” The kid’s on the road to ruin, but its a funny trip for us. Highly recommended! R. Lee, PO Box 1421, Oshkosh WI 54903 [$2 24S :28]—Tom

Basic Paper Airplane #1: After an introduction, there’s a legitimate gripe about cell phones, an interview with a local cop about dealing with the public, a talk with writer/artist Zak Constantine, and an explanation of why the author is doing a small publishing thing. I didn’t listen to the mix CD that came with this, but the paper airplane flew well. Joshua Amberson, S.S.O. Press, PO Box 2645, Olympia WA 98507, www.ssopress.com [$4 24S :15]—mishap

Batteries Not Included vXIII #2 (Feb. 2006): The adult-entertainment zine for literaryminded readers, each issue of BNI includes standard reviews and convention reports alongside the more interesting feature articles. This time around we’re treated to a harrowing account of a trip to the strangest strip club ever, conveniently located in the most dangerous neighborhood of Boston. Also included is a discussion of sexual relationships between female teachers and their male students, advocating different standards for these consensual statutory rape cases. Richard Freeman, 513 N Central Ave, Fairborn OH 45324, bni@aol. com [$3 US, $4 elsewhere, checks ok to Richard Freeman 12M :25]—Andrew

Beat Motel #1: A sloppy upstart from the UK, complete with unedited MRR-style opinion columns (generally dumb but rather fun anyroad), internet reprints (including a piece by deceased Infiltration publisher Ninj that mocks internet reprints), doo-doo humor, music coverage, scenester satire, and other hey-hey. I enjoyed the urban exploration story and kinda slogged through the rest, but Beat Motel’s got heart, and I’m rooting for it. Andrew Culture, 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich Suffolk, IP2 8EQ England, crap@beatmotel.co.uk, beatmotel.co.uk [$3 US to all addresses, £1.50 or 2.5 euro in UK, or trade 64S :26]—Emerson

Betty Paginated #28: I’m insulted that they think anyone would want to read this, but apparently it has quite a following, judging by the number of readers voting in the theme of this issue: Bad Girls Survey. With its “I’d do her” mentality and reduction of women to body parts, this zine is terrible before you even get to the long section on professional wrestling. There’s the aforementioned survey (with pictures, mostly celebrities and porn stars), obituaries, an ode to Russ Meyer, a look at Australia’s witch artist Rosaleen Norton, a piece on comic artist Keith Chatto and a re-print from his 1940’s comic “Bunny Allen,” and more. About the only emotion in here that wasn’t creepy was the obituary for their dog, Bongo. Sad. Helen and Dann, PO Box A1412, Sydney South NSW 1235, Australia, danhelen@idx. com.au, www.bettypaginated.blogspot.com [$5 Australian or US, £5 60M :30]—mishap

Biblio Funk #2: This is a good looking minizine that is well made, very chatty in tone, and friendly, but not very deep and way over priced. Books are mentioned but never quoted or talked about, so you miss getting anything more than their title. This issue talks briefly of used book stores in the Minneapolis area. Also looks at a library sale, zine trades, and a yard sale. Overall, this zine needs more content and a smaller price. [16XS :15]—Tom

Biblio Funk #4: Fleeting reflections from a book buff. A list ripped from the Web. And that’s it. By commonly accepted zine standards, this is the most overpriced thing I’ve ever reviewed. Beth recommends some good volumes, and she makes a cute little booklet. But I can’t see many ZW readers wanting to pay six pelts for anything this quick. Beth Carls, c/o Biblio Funk, 2420 Mounds Ave., New Brighton MN 55112 [$6, $20 for 4, cash or check payable to Beth Carls 16XS :07]—Emerson

Big Fag #2: This issue is about Sakia Gunn, a young, black lesbian who was killed in New York in May of 2003. She was 15 years old and a man killed her because she rebuffed his shouts from the car saying, “We’re not like that.” (meaning she and her friends were gay). Daniel writes about this encounter, about how angry he feels that white GLBT people paid more attention to Matthew Shepard and hardly any to Sakia; he writes about trying to get people down to the rally, about the rally and march for Sakia, and about racism. I appreciate this effort. Comes with a silk-screened card. Daniel Drennan, PO Box 132, New York NY 10024, bigfag@inquisitor.com. www.inquisitor. com [$2 US, $4 Can/Mex, $6 world, trade, ftp 32XS :20]—mishap

Bildstörung [Interference] #5: “Positive Forms of Wastefulness.” Most of the poetry is of the earnest and confessional kind, with an appropriate dose of cynicism. Something like Nietzsche filtered through high-school angst, though I can’t say I’m a very accurate judge. There’s one poem I kind of like about a guy playing a cheap slots game, contemplating the fly stuck behind the glass in front of him: “He looked me in the eyes confused and horrified / I was stuck in front of him.” Written entirely in German. Roman Castenholz, Triftstrasse 47, 53919 Weilerswist, Germany [3euro 32M :45] —Andrew’s friend Michael

Black Book Press #11: Poetry zine that accepts submissions of poetry and black & white art via snail mail only. Kyle Van Heck, 1608 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette IL 60091, krvanheck@noctrl. edu, myspace.com/blackbookpress [$1/trade US/Canada, $2 elsewhere, not ftp 20S :03]— artnoose

Black Giraffe #1: This is one of those horny surrealist manifestos demanding the immediate, “feral” mating of desire and consciousness. I wish I could say I liked this zine (it’s certainly erudite and nicely designed), but I just don’t think sex in the streets is necessarily a revolutionary goal. Not only that, Brandon isn’t even being honest. On the one hand, he advocates “mad love.” On the other, he (conveniently) glosses over his “embarrassing” preoccupations with certain women. Brandon Freels, 5527 SE Colony Circle, Milwaukie OR 97267, bjf97267@yahoo.com [$1, no trades, ftp 34XS :45]—Susan B.

Bogus Rendition #6 (Fall 2005): Justin’s metal reviews are thoughtful and descriptive; if you’re into that sort of thing, you could do a lot worse. Me, I prefer his train-hopping stories, but I always dig his sincerity and self-mockery. His prose is unedited and his buddy’s fiction doesn’t fit at all, but considering the things Justin does, he’s to be commended for not becoming “some asshole like the Evasion kid who’s way too high on himself.” 25 Gooding’s End, Yarmouth ME 04096, bogusrendition@yahoo.com, www. bogusrendition.com [Free 50S :26]—Emerson

Both Sides Now #59–60: A double issue focusing on “healing the world” and spirituality. Contents include a discussion of the balance of chaos and order and the current church, history and analysis of the Fisher King and Tikkun, classifieds, an essay on the Bush regime’s socalled culture of life, poetry, imagining a better world, and much more. That Jim Wallis guy is everywhere (well, he is an evangelical!). This is an effort worthy of respect, but I wasn’t into it. [22M :32]—mishap

Both Sides Now #65–66: Great activist-charged zine with lots of insightful contributors. I got lost in its sheer awareness and intelligence. Hopefully more publications like this get out to as many open-minded people as possible. It renewed my faith in the human spirit. It was clear and direct with a devil-may-care attitude which is exactly what we all need to see more of. 10547 State Hwy 110N, Tyler TX 75704, bothsidesnow@prodigy.net, www. bothsidesnow.info [$2, $9 for10 issues 22M :20]—Jessaruh

Boxcutter #11: A collection of prose, poetry, and other articles that reads like a literary magazine: multiple authors, well-written, nice production, but varied—too many perspectives to be cohesive. Teaching stories, new years resolutions (“get my wife pregnant”), militantly queer lyrics (“my love lotion is the magic potion, take your hand, and start a strokin’”), lists (“What to Do on Mondays: shoplift, make out with someone new, skip work”), a Crimethinc piece, and a tribute to Charles Bukowski, even though “he’s an ass full of white privilege and patriarchal angst.” c/o Tomas, 1636 Fairview Street, Berkely CA 94703, boxcutterzine.com [$1, ftp, or trade 24XS :15]—ailecia

Brain Cell (June 20 2005): Fifty mail artists from 15 countries hand-stamped and handstickered this delightful poster, making each colorful sheet an original work of art. Celebrating absurdity, freedom, and postage, this enigmatic collection of images is accompanied by a listing of all contributing artists, along with their addresses. And guess what? When I scanned the list, I found out one of the artists lives right in my own neighborhood! Thanks, Brain Cell! Ryosuke Cohen, 3-76-1A-613, Yagumokitacho, Moriguchi-City, Osaka 570 Japan, braincell@k6.dion.ne.jp, cohen. hp.infoseek.co.jp [$? 1L :20]—Susan B.

Bread and Salt #2: Subtitled “A Zine of Food History”(by Tim Muller), this issue describes “gross foods”—involving food taboos and generally yucky stuff—, has a critique of the journal Gastronomica, finding food in Shakespeare, and a history of wedding cakes. Sources cited, this somewhat academic zine garnered some of my interest, but it needed more spice! Whammy Industries, Stephanie Scarborough, PO Box 981, Fort Worth TX 76101, nurdsteph@yahoo.com, www.whammyindustries.com [$1.50+postage 16S :15]—mishap

Brilliantly Mad #.95: “Music Culture Politics People Community Sustenance Hope.” Brilliantly Mad is a useful introduction to the psychedelic rainbow of beat-driven music currently playing in Chicago’s clubs, but it’s not really for readers. It’s for party-ers. Although I learned I have musical preferences for “gabber” and “noise,” the writing doesn’t really communicate the magic these market-savvy freaks obviously find at the clubs. It shouldn’t surprise me, but it does: this zine’s love for promotion is far more eloquent than its love for creative expression. Dave (Zim) Ziemba, PO Box 458, Brookfield IL 60513, dave@brilliantlymad.com, www.brilliantlymad.com [$? 36S :45]—Susan B.

Brutarian Quarterly #46 (Spring 2006): Glorifying trashiness, horror, and manly thrills, this guide to fringy media is at its best when it’s funny and wickedly smart. Unfortunately, that isn’t often enough. Among the so-so articles, exceptional reading crops up in an interview with The Kills; a cheeky, drunken movie-review column; and gem-like fiction about hidden identity by… what’s that guy’s name? Jeff Somebody… Sombers? Somers? Whoever. The point is this: keep it smart, you brutes. Even zombies crave BRAINS. Dom Salemi, 9405 Ulysses Ct., Burke VA 22015, brutarian@msn.com [$4 US, $5 Canada 100M 3:15]—Susan B.

Buffy the Anarcho-Syndicalist: Taking an old comic(s?) about vampires, the cats at Nihil Press have added new dialogue, changing Buffy and Giles into proletarian revolutionaries and the vampires into capitalist bosses. Worth a chuckle or two, but the dialogue about “workers rising up”, etc., is groan inducing. Nihil Press, c/o Jaap, Hjelms Gate 3, N-0355, Oslo Norway, nihilpress@subvert.info, http://nihilpress. subvert.info [$2 20M :15]—mishap

Capacity #6: This is the best zine I picked up at the Alternative Press Expo this year. Detailed, fantastical drawings illustrate dream landscapes and journeys. Absolutely incredible artwork. The selling page for me features a gorgeous cloud scene and the narrator’s body covered in flowers. Highly recommended. Theo Ellsworth, PO Box 7543, Missoula MT 59807, theoellsworth@hotmail.com, www.artcapacity. com [$3 24S :20]—artnoose

Cascade #2: A charming little zine about the pleasures of piddling your pants. Caroline, our host, soils herself in every imaginable public setting. The erotic stimulation she achieves during these exhibitionistic evacuations is described in detail (often in verse), though there is no mention of the less arousing laundry sessions that must inevitably follow. Caroline MW, 54 The Avenue, Wivenhoe, Colchester, Essex C07 9AH UK [send an A5 or A4 SAE UK, $? US 3M :10]—Dan

Caustic Grin: “A Visual Rant.” Logan’s a wanderer, a train hoppin’ hobo, and the words in this zine are short reports from what he sees both around him and inside his head. Accompanied by eldritch drawings, this stream-ofconsciousness places the reader in a mess of memories, rivers, drinking, thoughts on writing, and more. Perhaps not as mind-blowing as he hopes, but—despite his tendency to call women “bitch” sometimes—I got into reading this. Response to mail may be some time. Logan Mason, 2501 Blacktail Ct., Antioch CA 94531, burydembeers@yahoo.com [$2 or free if he can afford it right then, ftp, or trade 18M :16]—mishap

Caveman Robot #1: “Welcome to Monumenta.” Indie comic chronicles the exploits of a crimefighting robot with mystical (“caveman”) powers. Great superhero/sci-fi style of storytelling and illustration. In this round, Caveman Robot faces off against Lincoln (leader of a clan of renegade apes) on behalf of the (typically) inept human police force. He disposes of the bloody apes, but not before they tear off one of his arms. Fortunately, he’s a robot. Tetragrammatron Press, 233 Franklin St, Brooklyn NY 11222, www.cavemanrobot.com [$3.50 US, $4.50 Canada/Mexico 32M :20]—Andrew

Communicating Vessels #16: Political zine, mostly one long article on the Middle East conflict, and a short book review of Dancin’ in the Streets (a collection of texts from radical 60’s publications Heat Wave and Rebel Worker). The 35-page article, “The Perplexities of the Middle Eastern Conflict…” read like a thesis: wordy, lots of long sentences, two pages of sources, and an academic boring tone. Ex. “Any notion or claim that doesn’t take into account the fact that the respective groups involved in this debacle descend from Semitic speaking peoples is built on unsolid foundations.” If this is your cup of tea. 3527 NE 15^th Avenue #127, Portland OR 97212 [$3 50S :21]—Tom

Consent or Coercion: “An anarchist case for social transformation and answers to questions about anarchism.” Nice Gustav Landauer quote on the cover: “The State is a condition,

a certain relationship between human beings, a mode of human behaviour; we destroy it by contracting other relationships, by behaving differently.” As I read this pamphlet, I found myself nodding in agreement with a lot of it, but some of the answers to frequently asked questions left me with even more questions. However, overall, this is a very fine introduction to the philosophy of anarchism. Written by Ed Stamm and friends. Printed by Fred Woodworth of The Match! Available from either Ed Stamm, PO Box 1402, Lawrence KS 660448402 or Dick Martin, Affinity Place, Argenta B.C. V0G 1B0, Canada [$1, or 60¢ each for 15 or more copies 21S :50]—Kris

Cracks in the Concrete #1: First issue of this zine from a high school anarchist. Articles defending anarchism and atheism, and against military recruiting in schools, etc. Fairly typical anarchist zine stuff. As with many first issues of zines, it all comes off a little shallow. Give us some more info to sink our teeth into! Flesh out your articles a bit. Dig deeper. Luke Romano, 234 Jamestown Blvd., Hammonton NJ 08037, TreeHugger029@aol.com [$free, donations welcomed 24S :15]—Kyle

The Cunningham Amendment: Journal of the East Pennine Anarcrisps v7#4: “Inspiring Revolutionary Acts of Joy and Irreverence in a World Increasingly Weighed Down by Sterile Bureaucracies.” I must confess that I can’t give a fair review of this fine publication because I truly believe it is one of the most amazing examples of independent publishing on the planet (and I recently had the pleasure of meeting the publisher). Letterpress printed on an 1896 Arab treadle press, TCA is a playful mix of anti-authoritarian humor, philosophy, and razor-sharp wit. This is a publication that may very well alter your perception of the world. Dangerous stuff. And each and every issue is a true work of art. Highly recommended. 1005 Huddersfield Rd., Bradford BD12 8LP, West Yorkshire, England [donations 30S 1:00 & repeated browsing]—Kris

Cupcake #1: “A zine of secrets.” I’ve never gotten used to the clammy feeling I get when looking at cute drawings and squiggly, optimistic handwriting from girls whose words indicate they’re seriously fucked up about sex. Perhaps I never will. I didn’t get much else out of this, but I sure hope the author is OK right now. Sara Ellen, 5519 Spruce Tree Ave., Bethesda MD 20814, silversea88@aol.com. [$1 North

America, $1.50 world, or trade, not ftp 22XS :05]—Emerson

Daemonolatriea 696 #2: “Biannual Black Journal of Magickal Chaos, Occult Rebellion and Art for Babylon.” If you’re interested in summoning demons through ritual magick, this devilish cut-and-paste collage zine just may be your ticket to the other side. You’ll stare: every page of this homemade spellbook is packed with classical, magickal texts and writhing with hypnotic, occult imagery. Instead of poring over the many traditional incantations, (as I thought I would), I ended up studying the intricate design. This is a rich, vomitous spew of visual pleasure. Adtrian Cain, PMB 906, 1032 Irving St., San Francisco CA 94122, jefffree@priest. com, daemonolatriea .chaosmagic.com [$7, $13 for 2 issues (cash, stamps, or trade), age stmt, 32M/L plus inserts 1:45]—Susan B.

Dance of the Skeletons #3: “A Worker’s Rights Zine” as related through Johnny’s experiences. Finishing university, he hopes for a job at the Canadian film bureau and has his hopes dashed by the boss, prompting a move to Japan for work. Also contains a brief history of worker collectives and a tale of two of his worst jobs ever. I like personal zines connected to a larger politic and, while complaining about jobs is common, this zine is good. Braden Cannon, 14–19 Happy Tree Apt. 205, Nishi 16 Minami 5, Obhiro Hokkaido 080–0027, Japan. emak_ bakia@hotmail.com [$1, “although I prefer trades because US dollars are useless in Japan” 32S :25]—mishap

Darlene #3: This music zine likes its rock’n’roll— the heavier and louder, the better. This issue features personal essays about The Accüsed, The Melvins, and Slayer, illustrated with some nice scratchy drawings. Mr. Spaghetti’s writing style is clear, casual, and shows an appreciation of metaphor (a quality all too rare in this genre). Well done. Randy Spaghetti, 915 Cedar, Chico CA 95928, darlenezine@yahoo.com [$1, or trade 32S :20]—Karlos

Death of Culture: 11 poems bound with a combbinding. No warm fuzzy poems here, these are populated with people full of road rage and donuts. Shannon takes on religion, the media, greed and the drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles. Thought provoking. Shannon Colebank, Whizzbanger Productions, PO Box 5591, Portland OR 97228 [$4 US/Canada/Mexico, $6 all others 11M :20+ rereadings ]–Anu

Deep South: “A Travel Zine” Twelve writers tell of their memorable trips, with many in or near Canada. My favorites were “Couch Surfing Off of 42^nd Street” about a stay in NYC, and “My Gambler’s Trip to Windsor, Ontario.” Read up and go! Gary Flanagan, 42 Millidge Ave, Saint John NB, E2K 2L8 Canada, muzikman84@hotmail.com [$5 (postage included) well concealed cash is preferred 36M :45]—Tom

Dhamma Letters #4: A collection of reviews of Buddhist and vegetarian publications. A lot of material in a small amount of space. James N. Dawson, PO Box 613, Redwood Valley CA 95470, jamesndawson@yahoo.com [$1, or trade, ftp 4M :05]—artnoose

Dial Zero & Hold #1: You can tell it is a first zine, but I have a soft spot for collaborative prisoner zines. Hand drawn and written—with some typing—this issue has a comic (somewhat) about a day in prison and the morning “Standing Count,” introduction, zine reviews, a look at depression (causes and against medication), favored music (punk), and more. I’ve already read this, and I didn’t see the elephant! Tim Susaraba #470–427, PO Box 540, St. Clairsville OH 43950 [free for a letter 18S :16]—mishap

The Die v3#3: Somewhere between academia and lay-philosophy resides this zine. I place it in this intellectual continuum because, although I’m no philosophy expert, I could keep up with it. This issue focuses on idleness and rationality but also includes an interview concerning everyday philosophy, and essay on Henry Miller and a few in-depth book reviews. Clean, clear layout. Manual Publishing, PO Box 771, College Park MD 20740, redroachpress@yahoo. com, www.redroachpress.com [$2 16S :35]— artnoose

Dumb Jersey White Boy #2: Two story comic. First is about kids clearing stream, then being called for dinner upstream at a fancy pool. Doesn’t make too much sense. Second is about boy who needs a bathroom but has trouble finding one. Both stories are very well drawn with considerable artistic skill. I also like that there aren’t words in the word balloons. Instead, they carry pictures that tell the message: Man calling kids for lunch, balloon shows a picture of a lunch not the words. Overall stories are slight, but well done and this is only issue#2. It’s a zine worth watching. Mark McMurray, 441 Warren St., Scotch Plains NJ 07076, joikmeister@hotmail.com, mark.mcmurray.de [$1 26S :10]—Tom

The East Village Inky #30: In many ways, I felt reading this zine that it was mechanically funny. Where you know something is supposed to be funny, but in turn it makes it that much more dull than it’s supposed to be. But after the first couple pages, if you let down your guard, you’ll start to enjoy it. She writes a lot about her children and is very sincere in this completely hand-written zine. Honesty is the best form of comedy, and Ayun takes everyday things like fatherhood and celebrities and turns it into zine gold. Ayun, PO Box 22754, Brooklyn NY 11202, ayun@ayunhalliday.com, www. ayunhalliday.com [$3 38XS :13]—Jessaruh

Eaves of Ass #5: Soul-searching perzine written while attending the Autonomous Mutant Festival in the Pacific Northwest. The author has been living a counterculture lifestyle for years but is beginning to tire of the scene’s elitism and hypocrisy. Problem is he can’t think of an alternative to the alternative. While his writing can be a bit stiff at times, his thinking, even through a haze of shrooms and LSD, is on target. Craven Rock, PO Box 20692, Seattle WA 98102, eavesofass@yahoo.com [$2, or trade 44XS :20]—Dan

Ecto #2: A story, of sorts, told in sketches, vintage photographs, and odd newspaper clippings loosely organized around the theme of the paranormal. There are pictures of seances, a woman levitating a table, clairvoyant children and ESP testing equipment. I wasn’t sure what to think of this. The artwork was wellproduced, but I didn’t quite get the point of it all. Laura Larson, 43 Second St., Athens OH 45701, la_la_larson@hotmail.com, lauralarson. net [$3 32S:15]—Bloody Mary

Erik & Laura-Marie Magazine #30: A perzine that reads like a letter from an old friend, or sister. Laura-Marie tells us about some memories, some books to check out, tea, recipes, applying for a job and more. Erik contributes neat short-short stories that are awesome. If you like zines, you should get this. It’s free, but send something. [28S :16]—mishap Erik & Laura-Marie Magazine #35: This slim, spartan, personalzine consists of snippets of memories, excerpts from letters, and bursts of poetry. Well-written, congenial, and with a slight undercurrent of melancholy. Recommended—and free, so you don’t have to take my word for it. Laura-Marie Taylor, 1728 Richmond St. #9, Sacramento CA 95825, veralinnyumsweet@yahoo.com, erikandlauramarie.blogspot.com [free, trade, ftp 20S :18]—Karlos

Emergency #5: “The Ocean and the Hills.” Ammi Emergency chronicles humdrum urban bohemian adventures in transcendent prose, the sort of writing that could only exist in a zine. There’s a sense of the self-publisher’s sacrament that’s absent on most blogs, but most editors would disfigure this selfish, demanding, self-loathing, self-aggrandizing, overdone, raw, stirring, adventurous, great stuff beyond recognition. This is why I keep doing this. Ammi Emergency, PO Box 259, New Orleans

LA 70117, ammi@softskull.com [$2 54S 1:01]— Emerson

Eyewash: “The Arcane Issue.” 12 full-size pages of images stapled together on one end. If you like odd, high contrast graphics (black on color paper, or graph paper or neon notebook paper), this zine is for you. Graphics are sometimes indecipherable—one is a page of bees that say “Pest” with directions to “Clip and let people know how you feel about them.” PO Box 419, Cotati CA 94931 [$3, or trade 12M

:03]—ailecia

Facial Disobedience #3 / you’ve come to take my toys away #1: Split zine by two very funny, hard-drinking, English punks. Full of insight, entertaining personal stories about work, aimless city walks, going to and performing in punk shows, protesting, missing the last train home and sleeping in the freezing cold station, and much more. Facial Disobedience has a very attractive cut-n-paste layout. you’ve come to take my toys away has a few sloppy handwritten bits that were annoying, but the tale about an evening with a bottle of peach schnapps was hilarious. How many of us have had the privilege of having our parents press charges against us? British humor rules! Oh, and there’s a page of listings for other English punk zines that may be of interest to some. Russ Substance, 3 Cedar Gardens, Portswood, Southampton, SO14 6TG, England [30p, trade, or donation 48S :40]—Kris

Fanzine Fanatique (Autumn 05): Short list of

zine reviews. It’s just two loose sheets of paper, not stapled, which is somewhat annoying. I didn’t find these reviews very descriptive or helpful in discerning whether I would be interested in any of these zines or not. Also the printing is very streaky which makes it hard to read sometimes. Numerous typos and grammar issues as well. Keith and Rosemary Walker, 6 Vine St., Lancaster, LA1 4UF, England [$? or trade 4M :30]—Kyle

Farming Uncle #100: Basically this zine is a whole bunch of classifieds, recipes, and miniarticles. With the focus being educational, humanitarian, non-violence, social responsibility, and ecological consciousness. A great resource guide for those into farming, nature, etc. Or if you just like reading about it. Toro, PO Box

427, Bronx NY 10458 [$3, $10 per year 23S :10]—Jessaruh

Fever Talk: First issue of this zine by a firsttime zinester, so, as per usual with first tries, it needs a lot of work. There’s not much substance here, but the main topics covered are an uncomfortable sexual encounter, a fake horoscope, and an unhealthy concept of dieting and body image issues. My suggestions: flesh out your articles, print on BOTH sides of the paper (not just the front, leaving the back blank), and proofread and spell-check, please! Nicole The Nun, 1112 Mahan Dr, Madison AL 35758, pinkrebel@hotmail.com [$1.50, or trade, not ftp 12M :20]—Kyle

The FIB #12: “Fidalgo Island’s Beautiful.” This mostly consists of three long interviews with Washington State artists and/or musicians: Genevieve Castree of Woelv, Bret Lunsford of D+, and Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie. The interviews are long, chatty, and a little insular— referring to people and places and events that are shared by the participants but not necessarily by the reader. Largely, I think, intended for people who are already fans of the scene. c/o K Records, PO Box 7154, Olympia WA 98507, thefibzine@yahoo.com [$7.50 US, $7.80 Canada, $8.50 Mexico, $11 Japan & Germany, not ftp, no trades 48M :20]—Karlos

Fish with Legs #9: I have always found FwL to be an amusing perzine, and this issue is no exception. This issue starts Eric through the alphabet, with short entries for each letter (A is for amputee, C is for car, etc.). There’s a long bit about independent wrestling, and a selection of Eric’s well known Fun Facts. If you like perzines but are tired of all the whining, depression, and body issues, FwL is a nice change of pace. Eric Lyden, 224 Moraine St., Brockton MA 02301–3664, ericfishlegs@aol.com [$1?, or trade 36S :25]—Jerianne

Flight Square: Sasha calls this a short story, but it reads more like a personal essay. The narrator moves from the East Village back home to a small town in upstate New York where she drinks and plays chess in a bar. Well-written, honest and illustrated with handdrawn maps. Sasha Pearl, 1589 County Rt 19 #2, Elizaville NY 12523, orders@truegritdistro. com, www.truegritdistro.com [$3, trade, ftp 20S :12]—Dan

For The Clerisy #65: “Good Words For Readers.” This ‘un has published for a turtle’s age, and every review starts the same way: “The ‘clerisy’ consists of people who read for the pleasure of it, etc.” I shan’t fuck with tradition. Brant reads a lot and has a lot to say about it. Even his metaphors are inspired by books; where some of us would write “tear [blank] a new asshole,” Brant writes “tear strips off of [blank].” And yet, all that pleasure reading doesn’t keep him from being crabby through much of this issue. Maybe it’s all the movie reviews, which treat films like books (focused on ideas rather than technique, which must be frustrating for someone used to text) and clearly aren’t his strong suit. As always, it closes with one of zinedom’s most charming letters sections. (That’s how every review ends, yes?) Brant Kresovich, PO Box 404, Getzville NY 14068–0404, kresovich@hotmail.com [$2, or trade 12M :14]—Emerson

FUM #3: A collection of contributors’ comics, of varied themes and quality. Several antiwar pieces as well as some poignant works on the topic of sexual assault in Catholic schools. [:08]—artnoose •••SECOND OPINION: This jumbled assortment of comics is mostly pretty lame, but just so you know, it’s not usually the artwork that’s uninspired—it’s the writing. Amid the cluttered mish-mash of offerings, exactly one remarkable story stands out. Simply put, Aron Dittbrenner’s four-page history of the fearful origins of humankind shocked me with its original storytelling and artwork. I read it twice, thinking each time that the comic would make an irresistible premise for a graphic novel. Chris Griffin, PO Box 45748, Seattle WA 98145, inkweird@yahoo.com [$4 US, outside US “email for rates,” “cash is best, but checks or money orders are acceptable to Chris Griffin,” or trade 28M :30]—Susan B.

Funwater Awesome #1: Between Seattle and Portland, there’s a space that gently oscillates between fact and fiction. If you look on a map, this place is called “Tumwater,” but inside Zach’s head (where this awe-inspiring zine is set), the sign at the city limits has been altered and now reads “Funwater.” Tumwater or Funwater: I recommend the trip. Focusing serious and concentrated attention, Zach constructs a satisfying personal reality out of his ordinary hometown, interweaving fantasy and prosaic detail in a rich, intimate narrative that extends from cover to cover like a novel. Zach’s youthful observations about life and death may sometimes lack the effortless subtlety of a mature writer, but it’ll come. In his first issue he’s accomplished something much more significant: he found that secret space where physical terrain and imagination discover each other and in the words of Melville, “interpenetrate, and form one seamless whole.” Perzine writers who hope to become novelists, please take note: this is required reading. Zach Mandeville, 613 Ensley Ln. SE, Tumwater WA 98501, zachboyofdestiny@gmail.com [$3, $4 elsewhere, or trade “if the trader sends a letter first” 82XS 2:20]—Susan B.

The Future Belongs to Ghosts #6: Mostly made up of semi-abstract images based on still frames from videos of bands playing (Lightning Bolt, Against Me!, etc.). Kind of a cool idea, but I feel like the photocopy doesn’t do the imagery justice. I bet seeing some of these drawings/ paintings/pictures in real life would be a bit more seductive. Anyway, at the end of the zine is a page-long essay lamenting the fact that hardcore kids have trouble these days distinguishing themselves from mainstream culture. Terence Hannum, PO Box 220651, Chicago IL 60622, www.terencehannum.com [$2 16M :05] –Kyle

Getting to the Bottom of This #1: Ever get stuck talking to someone who hates just about everything and feels the urgent need to tell you about it? If you have, you pretty much know what to expect from this humorless, ego-driven rant. The writer is a self-important bore who blathers on about the many things he loathes about America. Of course, we’re not as smart as he is, so we won’t understand, anyway. Snatches of bad poetry (“conveyer belt to oblivion” “tears of rage and despair”) included. Wee! Whizzbanger Productions, PO Box 5591, Portland OR 97228 [$3 31M :10]—Dan

Golden Penfriends #6: A slap-dash newsletter dedicated to water-sports, peeing and having orgasms in public and other topics,—such as cross-dressing and exploring one’s “feminine side”—, mainly written by a guy from England. There are pictures of celebrities standing in water, poorly drawn comics of women peeing or touching, a remembrance about his first crush and snippets of public urination in literature. The pub isn’t double-sided, so there’s lots of wasted space. This is pretty much wasted on me, too. Anna Key, Westmead, Greenstreet, Little Hadham, NR. Ware Herts SG11 2EE, England, richard.westerman@talk21.com [free, donations to “R. Westerman” 8M :10]—mishap

The Gospel of Screenprinting: Excellent zine about how to screenprint posters and t-shirts. Lots of great technical info that goes way beyond the basics. Being a printmaker myself, I really enjoyed this and I actually learned a few things I’d never heard of before. However, due to the in-depth technical info, I wonder if this may be a bit too much for a beginner to digest. It may be more suited to those who’ve had at least minimal prior experience and are looking to get a little more advanced. Brad W., 617 E 49th St., Savannah GA 31405, brad@tenfortyfivepress. com, www.tenfortyfivepress.com [$6 to all addresses, no trades, not ftp 24S :45]—Kyle

Green Anarchy #22 (Spring 2006): This issue of the long-running “anti-civilization journal of theory and action” focuses on technology. Much of the writing reads like the impenetrable theoretical mush that constitutes the theology of The Matrix, but there’s a fair amount on technology’s affront to individualism and going, um, green. Departments include direct action news items, indie press reviews, letters, and a “rewilding” article on primitive hunting. I’m not positive, but I doubt the Luddites had an online distro. PO Box 11331, Eugene OR 97440, collective@greenanarchy.org, www. greenanarchy.org [$4 US, $5 Canada, $6 Europe, $7 elsewhere, ftp 76M :30]—Andrew

Happy Freak Show #7: Hey, a comic that’s actually funny! Two pretty slow dudes travel to California because their soda cans say you get cash for them there. The “Urban Legends of the Animal Kingdom” are simple and hilarious! The men fighting over an action figure, the personal tale of the apartment lockers, and the devil CEO aren’t as good. I’d get this just for the “Legends.” [$2, says for “mature readers” but not really 20M :12]—mishap Happy Freak Show #8: Almost professionalgrade comics and dry, existential humor. The cover says it’s “For Mature Readers,” but the contents are pretty clean—I suppose immature readers may find it frustrating on that count. In his drawings of himself, our cartoonist looks remarkably buff. Jeffery L. Plotkin, 1700 Gough St #305, San Francisco CA 94109, happyfreakshow@hotmail.com, www.geocities. com/happyfreakshow [$2 22S :12]—Emerson

The Happy Loner #1: IsaBelle, formerly of Ingleside News and Orange & Blue, returns with a more focused project (she plans to split up her many zining interests into multiple titles). This introductory issue discusses the pros and cons of valuing loneliness. She spends a lot of ink contemplating how her lifestyle has caused her to be intolerant of infringements on her personal space. Lots of love for her hometown (Lévis, QC), cats, other loners, and cut-n-paste layouts. [$2.50 US/Canada, $5 elsewhere, trade 36S :35]—Andrew

The Happy Loner #2: Being a loner myself, I relished Iza’s beautiful descriptions of solitude, so it surprised me that the passages I ended up liking best in this zine actually focused on other people. Iza’s gentle descriptions of her older, alcoholic boyfriend and an indigent accordionist in particular are touching and memorable. Instead of turning her gaze inward, Iza calmly directs her attention at the world around her. Her flair for observation is impressive. French and English content. Iza Bourret, 5591 St-Laurent, Lévis Quebec G6V 3V6, Canada, girl_w_ cat@yahoo.com, www.geocities.com/girl_w_cat [$2, or trade 24S :35] –Susan B.

Here Comes The Sun #1: I considered going ahead and cramming this review up my ass. But in my office, sincerity begets sincerity, so here we go. I found this rape/depression confessional admirable in conception, yet clotted with obtuse victim-speak in practice. I kept waiting for our anonymous heroine to stop being “triggered” and “violated” long enough to just lash the fuck out and create something beautiful. If statistics (and my experience) are to be believed, a lot of people “are going through similar things;” if this zine serves to de-isolate a few of them, its stated mission is accomplished. But the passive-aggressive therapeutic argot makes it frustrating as art. As for its creator, I wish her nothing but the best, by any means available. Anonymous, 1589 County Rt 19 #2, Elizaville NY 12523, orders@truegritdistro. com, www.truegritdistro.com [$3 or trade, ftp 34S :20] –Emerson

He’s Asked For Size 10 Arial On This One & It Goes Over The Edge A Bit But If It’s Size 10 Arial He Wants It’s Size 10 Arial He’s Getting #1: This literary zine must break some kind of record for having the longest title and unfortunately, the title is the most interesting thing about it. I enjoyed the poetry by Andrew Zurcher and the odd erotic snippet by Anonymous, but the rest of the selections seemed pointlessly obtuse. Bad Press Serials, 21 Portland Rise, Finsbury Park, London N4 2PT, England badpress@gmail.com, badpress.infinology.net [$7 US, 2£ UK, checks ok to Jow Lindsay 56S :30]—Bloody Mary

The Hilt v2#6: A thoughtful anarchist zine published by a 16-year-old, and the only reason I make note of his age is that he mentions it himself in his article about leadership vs. authoritarian parenting. Also included are a sketch of an essay about violence and an introductory thesis on syndicalism. Luke intends to be still engaging in these dialectics in 20 years (when he’ll be a few years older than I am now), and I hope that’s the case. Luke Romano, 234 Jamestown Blvd., Hammonton NJ 08037, treehugger029@aol.com [$1, 3 stamps, or trade, ftp 20S :30]—artnoose

How to Bag: Do you want to learn how to make your own durable, weatherproof shoulder bag? Here are step-by-step, illustrated instructions, including modified plans for making secret pockets and toting a laptop computer. Helpfully, Tim’s diagrams are simple, clever, and thorough, but, man, his teensy tiny handwriting made me squint! Making your new bag will run you between $27-$36, but looking over the list of materials, I bet you could scavenge a good deal of these supplies. Tim Lasercave, 1589 County Rt. 19 #2, Elizaville NY 12523, tim@lasercave.org, orders@truegritdistro.com, www.truegritdistro.com [$2.50, or trade, ftp 20S :15]—Susan B.

The Hungover Gourmet #9: This smart and funny zine doesn’t just review restaurants: it places eating and drinking in such vivid atmospheres that you can actually picture yourself having dinner with THG’s reviewers. Hope you’re hungry! We got real Philly cheesesteaks, Lay’s Dill Pickle Chips, barbeque, sushi, donuts, Puerto Rican soul food, fried chicken, Lithuanian bread, and waffles. Come for the food (and rum drinks!), but stay for the dinner conversation. These connoisseurs love to talk about the ambience and history of the places they’re dining in. Dan Taylor, PO Box 5531, Lutherville MD 21094–5531, editor@hungovergourmet. com, www.hungovergourmet.com [$3 US, $4 elsewhere, $10 for 4 issues, no checks, selective trade 32S :50]—Susan B.

I Hate This Part of Texas #5: Before Hurricane Katrina consumed New Orleans, John fled the city, taking the pages for this zine with him. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to see this zine published. Returning home, he was astonished to discover his silkscreened covers had survived full immersion in the floodwater. Hallelujah! Named after graffiti John saw in Oklahoma (ha!), IHTPoT is an anarchistic parade of bike-riding punks, queer folk, and extravagant, magical celebration. Essential reading for DIY dreamers. John Gerken, PO Box 791639, New Orleans LA 70179 [$2, or trade 42S 1:20]—Susan B.

Iconoclast #90: My cat barfed on this/ it made me so pissed/ because it’s been kissed by the muse. Readable—occasionally catchy—poetry and stalwart bouts of short fiction fill the pages of this unadorned literary zine. Finishes with a dollop of book and magazine reviews. The stories I read eagerly, before the cat interfered, had an intriguing creepiness. Alice Sterns’ “Aunt Lewist, The Busman” is a dark, perplexing puzzle about the unfathomable worlds of children. Andrew Shvarts’ zombie tale, “…and I feel fine,” is like a Stephen King version of The Breakfast Club. Guess I’ll have to order another copy. Tastes like: Science Diet. Phil Wagner, 1675 Amazon Road, Mohegan Lake NY 10547 [$3, $16 for 8 issues (US), $18 Canada/Mexico, $20 elsewhere, $150 lifetime sub 96M :45]—Jaina Bee

Imagine: #7: This is the least dogmatic anarchy zine I’ve read. With good nature and wit, John weaves his POV amongst those of his opponents—from media quotes to letters from his patriotic brother. Features on anarchist parenting skills, worthy charities, and 19^th Century Native American Sarah Winnemucca’s plight with the US government. Finally answers the question: “How many Bush administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?” Tastes like: organic cheese puffs. [60S 1:00]—Jaina Bee

Imagine #8: A very earnest “anarchist-atheist” zine “for the real world.” Essays are reprinted from various sources and there is a large letters section wherein the editor tries to answer questions about anarchism. He later admits that this sort of thing isn’t easy to do without sounding “sanctimonious,” and he’s right. And let’s not forget self-righteous and hypocritical either. “I watch DVDs only every other week,” he boasts, “and never broadcast TV.” Yet his essays are interlarded with quotations from David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart. Hmmm. John Johnson, PO Box 8145, Reno NV 89507, zinester@gmail.com [free, “donations gratefully accepted; donation of $3 or more automatically gets you the next issue; $10 or more gets you a lifetime subscription” suggested donation of $4 Canada/Mexico, $5 world, cash or check made to “cash” in US funds, stamps, or trade “with zines of similar labor,” ftp 60S :25]—Dan

In Between Zine #1: Mr. Dawson spends about a page and a half explaining his political position, and then it’s on to the reviews: zines, movies, CDs. Several pages of reader mail round out the package. It’s not explicitly stated here, but the name of the zine and the structure lead me to believe that this is a house cleaning—getting rid of leftovers before moving on (or back) to bigger things. James N. Dawson, POB 613, Redwood Valley CA 95470, jamesndawson@yahoo.com [$1.50 or trade 16M :10]—Karlos

In Consequence Of These Facts #4: This compilation of Progressive Libertarian discussions and information is seriously marred by some hideous typesetting. I gleaned what I could from the other four pages of minute type. Generally, this is an earnest and kind-spirited forum for debate on the subjects of animal and fetal rights, responsible and peaceful transition to liberty, and the like. Tastes like: Nuts with no nutcracker. James N. Dawson, PO Box 613, Redwood Valley CA 95470, jamesdawson@yahoo.com [$1 or trade, ftp 8M :24]—Jaina Bee

In IT—Not of IT: Short, Unabomberesque screed about the ways in which technology will eventually destroy us. Some valid points, but the approach isn’t exactly what you’d call scientific, and the grammar and spelling make Ted Kaczynski look like William Safire. Anthony Schaeve, 1334 Williamson Street, Apt. #2, Madison WI 53703 [$? 12XS :05]—Dan

In Memoriam of Our Front Door Resurrection: “Selected Poems ‘89-’04.” This thick book of poetry chronicles the life of a boozy redneck, his daily ramblings to bars and bus stops, his home life, and his loudmouth attempts to make sense of the lonely world around him. There’s plenty here to offend folks that aren’t beer-guzzling smart-asses, but the poems that delve into WB’s family history, particularly his relationships with his sons and father, approach a significance much, much deeper than drunken profundity. Designed, printed, and hand-bound with loving care. Loaded with illustrations.

William Bryan Massey III, Genuine Lizard Press, PO Box 2044, Fort Worth TX 76113, genuinelizard@lycos.com [$8, no trades, free to prisoners 94S 1:55]—Susan B.

Infiltration #25: Truly great zine “about going places you’re not supposed to go.” This installment focuses on abandoned military structures: ancient forts, eerie hospitals and sinister Air Force bases to name a few. The stories of these often-illegal explorations are sent in by readers from across the globe. If you’ve ever been drawn to the mystery of deserted places, you’ll love this. PO Box 13, Station E, Toronto ON M6H 4E1, Canada, www.infiltration.org [$2 31S :30]—Dan Editor’s Note: This may be the last issue of Infiltration, as the zine’s creator, Ninj, died last year. For more information, please see our News section.

The Inner Swine v11#4: In one alcohol-sodden lecture after another, Jeff cynically indicts pretty much everything as imperfect, cosmically insignificant, and therefore, futile. These who-cares-why-try speeches, as funny as they were, didn’t appeal to me at all. Among the writers I’ve known, a bitter and unreachable pose, however witty, too often results in a bitter and unreachable person. Not that that should matter to you—or to Jeff. I fully realize my concern is a weak and futile rebuttal. [64S 1:45]—Susan B.

The Inner Swine v12 #1 (March 2006): Jeff Somers’s writing is consistently engaging and laugh-out-loud funny, although he tends to get sidetracked more frequently than Dick Cheney. While the topic of booze rears its ugly mug in just about everything he’s written, this entire issue is focused on slosh and taverns. Combined with his typical dreams of world domination (this time he postulates the possibility of clones to handle his book promotion duties), Somers is a man after my own heart. Jeff Somers, PO Box 3024, Hoboken NJ 07030, mreditor@innerswine.com, www.innerswine. com [$2, or trade, $5 for 4 issues ($6 elsewhere), $9 for 8 issues, $50 for lifetime subscription 60S 1:20]—Andrew

Johnny America #3: Eagerly I waited for a story in this well-written and well-presented collection of fiction to jolt me, but I kept getting disappointed. These short stories divert and amuse, yes, but they’re also awfully empty. Eventually disillusionment set in, and to cope I decided to abandon my search for incisive, personally invested writing. Instead, I just let myself get swept along by the precise language and disquieting images. That way I was able to keep reading. PO Box 44–2001, Lawrence KS 66044, johnnyamerica@johnnyamerica.net, www.johnnyamerica.net [$4 US, $5 Canada/ Mexico, $6 elsewhere, or comparable trade, not ftp 46S+insert 1:25]—Susan B.

Jonathan St. James (and the world as we know it): “A Novelette.” In this mini-sized novelette, we meet childlike and non-talking Jonathan who has been pushed out of the house by his mom. Now he must face a Kafkaesque world on his own. Author Sutherland writes in a quirky comic style: “He arrived back at the apartment at a time when many reasonable persons would already have tucked their sheets up to their chins in the hopes that unfortunate dreams might take heed and make themselves scarce.” I liked Jonathan and want to read more about his askew life. You might too. Recommended. Suzanne Sutherland, Mailbox 101, 89 Charles St. West, Toronto ON, M5S1K7 Canada, pagin gnurseflamingo@hotmail.com, www.myspace. com/sayunclepress [$2 postpaid to anywhere, trade, ftp 28XS :20]—Tom

The Journey to Where: This perzine, with paintings and text by MPB (and put together by Luke Romano), has a twist. His autobiographical story takes place during the Vietnam War. Find out what it was like to live a hippie lifestyle in Minneapolis in that era. It’s solid writing and an interesting you-are-there slice-of-life. Quote: “It all started, as do many journeys, with a love affair, and a book.” Luke Romano, 234 Jamestown Blvd,. Hammonton NJ 08037–2100 [$1 20S :17]—Tom

Judas Goat Quarterly #27: In the beginning, my eyes were perpetually rolled in the back of my head. I assumed the entire zine was going to go on the way it was, regurgitating the same things everyone else does. However, less anal readers than I probably wouldn’t be bothered. Then, Grant’s brutal honesty grew on me with an ambitious undertaking. Add to that some hard-hitting and informative articles, a liberal dose of satire, and you’ve got a zine that kicks ass amongst mainstream political zines trying to deliver similar goodies. This is a clear and thoughtful zine from a person with weighty issues on his mind. Grant Schreiber, 4422 N Racine #3S, Chicago IL 60640, Cavesofchaos@hotmail.com [$2.50, $10 for 4 issues 18M :15]—Jessaruh

The Juniper #4: “For the slow life.” Dan’s prosaic newsletter urges people to give up our selfish, poisonous culture for a simpler, more satisfying way of life. In his own life, he’s opted for bicycling, eating organic produce, and studying horticulture at the University of Idaho. This issue concentrates on the joys of bicycling, and Dan’s writing is unaffected and elementary, offering self-evident arguments with admirable sincerity. Recommended to like-minded souls. Daniel Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843, juniperjournal@hotmail.com, www. juniperbug.blogspot.com [first-class stamp 12S :15]—Susan B.

Just Like a Gemini #1: Soon enough, my eyesight will be shot and I won’t be able to re-read this barely legible perzine, so I may as well read it now. Jolie also maintains a LiveJournal page, and here indulges in the characteristic LJ prose style: that all-too-common strain of navel-gazing that’s at once shamelessly confessional and oddly fake-sounding. But that’s OK, I guess, as the expressed purpose is always “therapy” for the writer, not pleasure or insight for the audience. “I know I’ve lost a lotta people by being selfish,” she jots in closing, “but I hafta be selfish right now. So it’s all about me right now.” There you have it. Jolie Drama, 403 W. Pearl St. #1, Union City IN 47390, joliethedrama@hotmail.com, www. livejournal.com/users/joliethedrama [50¢ 16XS :09]—Emerson

Kindling (Spring/Summer 2005): This cybercentric, media-culture zine is so self-referential and concerned with appearing clever that the whole thing reads like an elaborate private joke (or a bad blog). Contents include step-bystep instructions for writing a poem “found” in another piece of writing; a Marshall McLuhan primer; and love for Banksy, the guerrilla artist who covertly installs artwork in world-famous museums. Especially distracting are the repeated (and failed) attempts to portray the zine’s staff as a close-knit, fun-loving group of hipsters. I mean, who the hell cares? Nan C. Tedly, Landmine Press, PO Box 387, Wapato WA 98951, editor@nycmail.com, www.nwinfo. net/~javaology/landmine.htm [$? 33S :35]—Susan B.

King-Cat Comics and Stories #64: In this issue of his indefatigable sketched-and-scribbled hodgepodge, Zen-steeped minimalist John Porcellino mourns his dad. I can’t say I ever quite got KCC&S before poring over this soaker, but it’s now a new fave. Not a bit depressing; unbelievably sad. Had I read #64 with a six-pack at hand, I’d still be weeping like a whipped stepchild right now. I hereby launch the campaign to get John to reprint some of the elder Porcellino’s writing—he sounds like a hell of a raconteur. John Porcellino, PO Box 170535, San Francisco CA 94117 [$3 40S :27]—Emerson

Kiss Machine #11: In this professional-looking literary magazine, the topic of shame is explored via photos, short stories (most of them very short) and creative non-fiction pieces. An interesting enough read, my favorite piece was a woman’s story about getting involved with a recovering alcoholic who then falls off the wagon. PO Box 108, Station P, Toronto ON M5S 2S8 CANADA, info@kissmachine.org, www. kissmachine.org [$5, $15 for 4 issues, outside Canada use US funds 75S :30]—artnoose

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #17: Written in the archaic, allegorical style of fairy tales, this treasury of fiction is a feast of mystery, novelty, and desire. While it’s true some of these stories fizzle just exactly when they should explode into a new dimension, each tale represents an ambitious experiment in magical storytelling and deserves to be read. Favorite story: the bluntly erotic lesbian fantasy “Native Spinsters.” I’ve never wanted to fuck a Hindu goddess so badly in my life! Small Beer Press, 176 Prospect Ave., Northampton MA 01060, info@lcrw@lcrw.net, www.lcrw.net/lcrw [$5, $7 Canada, $20 for 4 issues 62S 2:15]—Susan B.

Last Laugh/Quiet Days in Saint-Denis #5?: Thick, split perzine, with Wild Bill Blackolive bringing you the goods from Texas and Lisa Falour broadcasting from France. Bill’s side consists of his doings and thoughts in the here and now—family, neighbors, the new computer, politics. His writing is a jumble and work to read—nearly void of topic transitions. There are passages about living in Berkeley in the

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sixties, Madrea Marie’s trip to Canada, and an article about Hakim Bey’s pedophilia. Lots of letters from other zine people and people in prison. Lisa offers up a long tale of a trip to Iceland with her partner. I enjoyed most of it, not knowing much about Iceland. She includes a couple of movie reviews as well. Bill Blackolive, 1776 McCampbell, Aransas Pass TX 78336 [$5 or 5 euros 88M 1:15]—mishap

Laterborn #4: Very good zine. Starts with a story, I think it’s fiction, about a bad experience with PCP-laced marijuana that’s really more about memory and relationships, fear and youthfulness. Next comes a series of short comics, most of which tend to be simultaneously sad and heartwarming: a story of a college professor whose daughter died, a story of an inspirational high school teacher who died, a story of a sign atop a building that said “peace on earth” for years and years until the Iraq War when it was replaced by an American flag. Good stuff. Jason Martin, PO Box 1268, Berkeley CA 94701, laterborn@gmail.com [$2, or trade 28S :15]—Kyle

Leeking Ink #30: This 10^th anniversary edition looks back and ahead in turns. Synopsizing each issue, Davida often reveals what she wasn’t saying at the time. The maturing of a writer, a designer, and a woman emerges from these brief reflections. In between the memories, she muses about mortality, motherhood, and the differences between temporary and impermanent. This is one of the few I’ll go back and finish, once I meet my deadline. Tastes like: coffee and shortbread. Davida Gypsy Breier, PO Box 11064, Baltimore MD 21212, davida@leekinginc.com, www.leekinginc.com [$2, stamps, or fair trade 32S :25]—Jaina Bee

Legal Underage Pornography #11 (June 2005): This self-consciously non-politically correct humor zine is consistently readable and fitfully amusing, yet never hilarious, although I think they have that potential. Think of a smaller version of The Inner Swine in style and attitude and you’re on the right track. This issue discusses raping animals, the price of fame, and methods of surviving high school. AGB International, PO Box 60822, Reno NV 89506 [$10 for 1 year 24S :15]—Karlos

Lidspeculum #1: “Media War and Media Culture.” Cutnpaste, hand-written and typed: the first half of this is a manifesto, an attempt to make a movement out of someone’s media critique. Heart in the right place, maybe, but a bit overblown. I hate it when people use “war” for stuff; a “media war” should involve armed takedowns of the corporate media, right? Not pleas for independent media showing people the “truth”. Knowledge isn’t power—force and coercion gives power (I don’t advocate force and coercion, no). Anyhoo, the second half talks about U.S. intervention in Haiti and re-prints a piece from a Z Magazine talk with two Iraq Vets Against the War. Andrew, PO Box 50349, Kalamazoo MI 49005, lidspeculum@yahoo.com [$1 plus postage 38S :25]—mishap

Lime #12: Ariana fills her personal zine with quotes from, and conversations with, her friends, visiting family for holidays, New Year’s resolution, connecting with strangers in everyday interactions, a recipe for chicken nugget sandwiches, recounting dream stuff, and more. It’s like a conversation on the phone with a friend without the conversation ever turning to serious. [:16]—mishap •••SECOND OPINION: If I was a teacher, I’d grade this a B+. Friendly zine is pleasant throughout, with a good dose of humor. “Maybe I’ll just die young, of a frosting overdose.” –Ivy. This ish includes stories she’s heard, events in her life, dreams, quotes, and more. Also note the cool cover. Well worth checking out. Ariana, 6066 Shingle Creek Pkwy #148, Brooklyn Center MN 55430 [63¢ stamps, $1, “nice personal zine trade (no music or politics zines)” 19S :20]—Tom

Living Free #131: Practical advice and reprinted newspaper articles for independent folks striving to live their lives free and “off the grid.” In this issue, there’s information about earthen floors, black walnut trees, Mexican border towns, tracking devices in cars, and a dead-serious article about colonizing the moon. I like self-reliance zines a lot, but if this isn’t your scene, I’d advise skipping ahead to other reviews. The writing is informative but too bland to recommend to a general audience. Jim Stumm, Hiler Branch Box 29-ZW, Buffalo NY 14223 [$2, $12 for 6 issues, selective trades, not ftp 8M :20]—Susan B.

Local Comics #46: If you enjoy puns, as I do, then you’ll like this. However, if you tend to groan and roll your eyes at puns, a.k.a. “bad jokes,” you should skip this. One panel comics each featuring a pun, wordplay, or gag. Example: An image of Abraham (from the bible) pointing to a bathroom door and saying “Let my people go!” Mike Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford IL 61108 [2 stamps, or trade 16XS :03]—Kyle

Lollygagging v1#4: The interest, for me, with this zine lies somewhere between an ashtray and a pickle jar. The direction of it is uncertain most of the time. It’s turbid and puerile feel only added to my dislike of it. The good thing is that there was an article about libraries that gave it the capability to be shaped into a worthwhile zine. [8M :06]—Jessaruh

Lollygagging and Other Juicy Fruit v1#5: This is a newsletter in which Maria publishes very short stories and transcribes allegedly clever conversations between her friends. A full-page introduction details exactly how funny her friends think her stories are, but the writing itself I don’t find to be particularly interesting, except maybe the essay on word origins. Maria S. Greene, PO Box 363, Delta CO 81416–0363, laughinglillies@yahoo.com [$2; a packet of back issues (#1–6) is available for $10 8M :10]—artnoose

Loserdom #13: Unbleached paper held together by twine, inside there’s a piece about early Irish fanzines that’s interesting, an interview with Saul Williams, the top five Irish movies (in their opinion), a comic, and plenty of zine reviews. Worthwhile zine with enough diversity of content (while not being too long for those with short-attention spans) to appeal to many. Notice they do zine reviews but no music—hell yeah for a change! [36S :19]—mishap Loserdom #14: Excellent DIY zine from Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio), focusing on the cycling lifestyle. The author bikes all over the auld sod and writes about the poor cycling conditions in dear dirty Dublin. Also stuff on anti-war protesters, early Irish punk zines and plenty of book and zine reviews. All very well done. Anto, Flat 4, 17 New Cabra Road, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, Ireland, punkcyclist@dublin.ie [$4 US/world, 2.50euro Ireland, £2 UK, 3 euros Europe, trades email first 60S :60]—Dan

Lost Colony: I’m not a big fan of the sick-andtwisted sub-genre of self-published comic books. From what I’ve seen, it’s way too hard to come up with a fresh approach, so what you usually get is the same brainless attempts at shock value. Not always, though. Easily surpassing my rather grim expectations, Jon demonstrates impressive storytelling skills and unusual selfrestraint as he depicts cartoonish psycho-sexual domination and graphic violence. I loved, for example, the sicko characters he creates from the old BurgerTime arcade video game. This isn’t intellectual fare, but it’s not stupid, either. Jon NAT-RRAIN, 1545 N. Bronson Ave. #310, Hollywood CA 90028, manorexia@att.net [$4 or trade, not ftp 20M :45]—Susan B.

Markymark Press Give-Out Sheets Series 2005: Don’t get me wrong, I like poetry. It is, however, very subjective and therefore it’s nearly impossible to definitively say what is good and what is bad. The way I determine whether or not it is good or bad is if it has substance. In my opinion, the Give-Out Sheets showed a little effort, but I couldn’t find the soul of it. I look for writing that is intense and raw, and what I ended up finding was drab and stale. The paperclip adds a very impersonal feel, and adds to the bad taste I have in my mouth after reading this zine. Mark Sonnenfeld, 45–08 Old Millstone Drive, East Windsor NJ 08520 [$? 5M :05]—Jessaruh

that were her co-workers, and a few other odds and ends. Kate Haas, 3510 SE Alder St., Portland OR 97214, oceanreader@gmail.com, www. mirandazine.com [$2, $3 Canada, $4 world, no trades 28S :45]—Kyle

Misfit #5: Laser printer published perzine of random lists (things people should worry about, “How to Be Me”, thrift store scores), classic mom quotes and childhood (bad) memories, and books to read. The cuteness is tempered by the cynical personal humor—especially when dealing with family stuff. Nothing is very long or too serious or all that funny (to me) so the zine becomes a pleasant diversion while you read it. Hannah Eye, PO Box 7271, St. Paul MN 55107, misfitzine@yahoo.com [$4 US/Canada, $6 world, ftp 30M :18]—mishap

Modern Arizona #8: Joe Unseen has various adventures, some scarier than others. Yes, mailing pot to your home address from Amsterdam is stupid and frightening. So is skydiving. But the most horrific and foolhardy thing he does (by far) is eating chitlins in a Harlem soul food dive. Turns out the pig intestines weren’t quite as clean as they should have been, if you get my drift. Enjoyable stuff, and I loved the

Ronny Reagan stamp. [24S :15]—Dan

Modern Arizona #8.5: A fantastic pocketsize zine that focuses on the creator’s everyday experiences and some of his more interesting exploits. While some material borders on being trivial, it proves to remain fun regardless. Strewn about his personal anecdotes are graphics and images that are quite funny and that often come with amusing captions. The creator, Joe Unseen, focuses on tales of beach visits, experimenting with dry ice, rock collecting, haircuts, and turning 30. Modern Arizona was, without a doubt, a very entertaining read. Joe Unseen, PO Box 494 Brewster NY 10509, unseen@bestweb.net [$1 US, $3 world, or trade 32XS :35]—Chris Manic

Mormo Zine #666: Punk Rock/Horror mini-zine with a short cartoon, punk rock show photos, an illustrated history of itself, and a quick movie review of The Ghoul. I appreciate the attitude and the enthusiasm, but it’s so brief it’s practically over before it starts. PO Box 7121, San Diego CA 92167, mormozine@hotmail. com, www.mormozine.com [$1, or trade 28XS :05]—Karlos

Mr. Wallow #1: What happens when a comic book artist produces a zine from within prison walls? A well-drawn monologue results, detail-

The Match! #103 (Fall 2005): Fred’s been writing anti-state rants disguised as “ethical anarchism” for too long—37 years—and the paranoia is starting to get to him. In his black & white anarchism, every action of the state constitutes an impingement on individual rights. I’m a fan of alternative viewpoints, but his un-contextualized “news items” belie their own biases. Apparently some readers think so too—a number of un-subscribers wrote in acknowledging the futility of his particular struggle. Fred Woodworth, PO Box 3012, Tucson AZ 85702 [free, donation of cash/stamps 80S :35]—Andrew

Merge #5: Every zine is what you make it, baby. But with Merge, you get a bit more leeway than usual. The dodgy riffs occasionally alight on nifty notions, but much of this is impenetrable stream-of-consciousness flim-flam, or would pass as such. To quote the editor, “[t]he writing here is like searching for a kidney in a piñata. If you find one, you know something that I don’t.” It’s good when it’s funny, such as in the got-tosee-it-yourself advice column. The mild arrogance may put off some. Don Baker, 7205 28th Ave NW, Seattle WA 98117, donbaker@seanet. com [$2 24S :16]—Emerson

Metatronic #7: This sly, surreal zine protests real-life hells like war, organized religion, and rape using a potent mix of collage art and vicious parody. It doesn’t make for a pretty picture, and the full-color artwork is often deliberately ugly and distorted by computer processing. Sure, it’d be easy for these anonymous artist(s?) to wallow in their revulsion, but they don’t. Subtle clues hint at a profound reverence for beauty and revelatory truth. Angry, imaginative, and affecting. [$? 16S :35] –Susan B. Metatronic #8: A strange mix of collages, video game screen shots and reprints from famous and infamously anonymous people. There seems to be a running thread involving a critique of conformity. 1205 Cumberland Rd., Atlanta GA 30306, officeangel@metatronic zine.com, www.metatroniczine.com [$2 + stamps 16S :10]—artnoose

Mime Talk: This mini comic got a laugh out of me at the end. It’s the story of a mime who has his own talk show with one guest. Slight, lite, and silly. Scott Small, Ghoulstomper, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, xxxxstrykerxxxx@yahoo. com, www.myspace.com/stryker21 [50¢ 12XS :01]—Tom

Miranda #14: Every issue of Miranda I’ve read has always been a pleasure and this one is no exception. An ex-Peace Corp volunteer turned mother telling tales about her life, past and present. This issue covers meeting her husband, succumbing to her biological clock, mishaps with her son, an enlightening conversation with a stranger at a grocery store, a recount of her time working for the New England Journal of Medicine and the cast of characters

ing the river of thoughts streaming from the mind of a man locked in a lonely cell, including but not limited to: what kind of TV reality show to produce, the historical significance of a German pope, and an interview with a sock. Recommended! Kenneth Shaw K-58396, A1-129L, NKP-PO Box 5000, Delano CA 93216–5000 [$1, or trade 12S :10]—artnoose

The Mystery & Adventure Series Review #38: Gorgeously typeset and printed using solar power—and absolutely no computers—this celebration of “obsolete popular culture” fills me with that certain thrill of a really good find in an unexpected place. Focusing especially on series books (think Hardy Boys, just to start) and the wonders of typography, Woodworth and his cohorts share memories, discoveries, and histories. Photographs of actual NYC locations mentioned in the Ken Holt and Tom Quest series, along with a detailed map of the sites, pull in even uninformed folks like me. An exhaustive article on author Marshal South includes his first published story and an insanely complete bibliography. For an article on the Wynn & Lonny Racing Series, David M. Baumann contacted the authors and quotes them liberally, amidst colorful descriptions of their current lives. I could go on and on about the rare wonders of this superb publication, but I’ve got a word limit. Tastes like: an egg cream at the drugstore counter. Fred Woodworth, PO Box 3012, Tucson AZ 85702 [donations accepted, no checks 52M 1:17] —Jaina

Never Asked You to Approve #1: A poorly designed fanzine that comes printed on 8.5” x 11” paper and adorned with a single staple on the upper left hand corner holding everything together. Johnny Vermin, the zine founder, claims that his publication depicts rape and murder as well as imagery that glorifies fascism and mass murder, etc, etc. Upon turning the pages you’ll find editorials that lack consistency and coherence and that cover topics such as The Dwarves, the gospel of Rock ‘N’ Roll, and keeping kids out of church. Rant Fanzine also includes poetry and original song lyrics that exemplify

drug use and acts of violence. It’s abundantly clear that this zine is fun for the whole family. Johnny Vermin, 4 Fox Run #1, Marshfield MA 02050 [$2 26M :40]—Chris Manic

The New Leisure Class: This cartoon collection has a social satirical bite. Artist G. B. Martin says in the intro, “Drawn on the familiar background of daily newspaper pages, these illustrations illuminate the conflict within the American myth of prosperity and highlight some of its consequences.” Example: the cartoon entitled “Online” shows a row of workers in line for unemployment or a job interview, drawn on a page from the classified ads. His drawing skill is good, book is well designed, and cartoons say their message clearly. I recommend this for both the unemployed and the fat cats who put them there. Gary B.

Martin, 224 Riverside Dr., New York NY 10025, gmartin@martoons. com, www.martoons.com [$? 24S :10]—Tom

Nightwaves #16: All about electronic music. Interesting chats with Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Gilbert Switzer and others. Also, thorough examinations of all sorts of musical equipment: keyboards, multi-trackers and things that go beep. If you’re into this type of music, Nightwaves is a must-read. Gary Flannagan, 23 Fourth St., Rothesay NB, E2G 1W7, Canada, muzikman84@hotmail.com [$1 30M :25]—Dan

The Nihilist #4: Old-fashioned anarchist propaganda, complete with Emma Goldman and State Watch reprints, plus some of those detourned comics you loved in the Crimethinc books. One piece celebrates prostitution, or at least the concept thereof (“Prostitution exposes our hypocrisy and shows our brutal work world for what it truly is”), and while I agree that we’re most of us whores (and few of us as high-priced as maybe we should be), these people have never shown me a clear picture of a better possible world… a plausible, desirable outcome for “the revolution.” Then again, I never figured out those Magic Eye things either. Nihil Press, c/o Jaap, Hjelms Gate 3, N-0355 Oslo, Norway, nihil@subvert.info, http://nihilpress.subvert.info [$1 24S :11]—Emerson

NJZAG Quarterly (August 2005): The New Jersey Zine Awareness Group publishes news by and for the New Jersey zine publisher. Interviews, contact information, and zine-related news make up this quick read of a newsletter. If you are a New Jersey zine publisher or simply interested in New Jersey publishing, you might consider ordering or submitting news to this publication. Outhouse Publishing, 30 Locust Ave., Westmont NJ 08108 sheairs@hotmail.com, www. njghost.com/njzag [$2 for 1 year (4 issues) 6M :05]—artnoose

Non-Creative Garbage #3: “A.k.a. no commercial potential.” This flyer-like zine is just one scant, un-illustrated piece of paper with poetry and quotations on either side. My reaction to the writing—which loosely centers around the subject of artists themselves—was one of vague agreement until I got to the quote from Albert Einstein. Einstein made me smile. “Reality is merely an illusion,” the genius noted, “albeit a very persistent one.” Dilworth, PO Box 794, Reno NV 89504 [free 2M :10]—Susan B.

Nonissue #4: “Radical Politics.” Second-wave feminist zine with a thin veneer of third-wave, and therefore the same arguments you’d expect—pay equity, gender essentialism and the ERA. The only articles I found noteworthy were the opinion piece on gender-neutral bathrooms and an information chart about emergency contraception. FLOR, PO Box 17057, Louisville KY 40217 [free/trade ftp, donations accepted 36S :25]—artnoose

Northern Voices #5 (Autumn 2005): This is packed solid with news, political commentary, satires, letters, and food, film, and book reviews, all related to the life and culture of Northern England. This publica-

tion would obviously be of much more interest to the folks living in the areas discussed as opposed to a non-local such as myself. But I found the essay on the 1868 Murphy Riots and the article about a local holocaust survivor to be some very absorbing zine reading. Spring Bank, Hebden Bridge, HX7 7AA, England, northervoices@hotmail.com [£3.60 for 2 issues, cash or checks (or goodwill donations) to Northern Voices 52S 1:25]—Kris

Nth Degree #13: “The Fiction & Fandom Zine.” A slick sci-fi fanzine with genre fiction, positive reviews, convention reports and terrible college-newspaper-level comics (excepting the brilliantly dumb, syndicated Perry Bible Fellowship). Sci-fi buffs were here first, they say. Sci-fi buffs invented zines. Sci-fi buffs were cliquish and insular before cliquish insularity was cool, and they still get mocked more than anyone else in the self-publishing ghetto. Keep on keepin’ it real. [48M :08]—Emerson Nth Degree #14: “The Fiction and Fandom ‘Zine.” Open up this “quarterly, semi-pro” science fiction fanzine and BAM! there’s a picture of Robert Heinlein. If that legendary name means nothing to you, this zine probably isn’t for you. SF fans, however, especially fans of small press writers, are in for a treat. Offering exhaustive reports from SF/F conventions, premise-heavy fiction, reviews, and comics, this zine is a valuable, family friendly resource for insiders who need their scene report. Recommended especially to aspiring science fiction writers. Michael Pederson, 8600 Queensmere Place #2, Richmond VA 23294, editor@nthzine. com, www.nthzine.com [$3, $18 for six issues 40M 1:30]—Susan B.

O, Canada: I don’t typically want to read about Canada, but Scott changed my mind with his take on “The history, background, and culture of America’s favorite colony... er, neighbor.” This half-comic, half-zine had me at ‘Eh?’ The drawing style is sharp and clean, and the stories that go along with them are completely cohesive. There’s not many people who can pull off the type of writing style Scott uses in his zine. Amazing read if you’re looking for humor, insight, beavers, anecdotes, and mounties. Scott Small, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, xxxxstrykerxxxx@yahoo.com, www.myspace. com/stryker21 [$1 16XS :10]—Jessaruh

Odd: “Penises roamed prehistoric earth,” or so claims Charles P. Ries, in Odd, a poetry chapbook of 33 short poems. This zine includes love poems (“I used to think love was the electrical charge that pulsed between the groins of strangers searching for perfect union…”), relationship poems (“You, the feng shui master of knick knacks and fashion magazines…”), creepy cremation poems (sorry can’t spoil the surprise on this one) & poems about death, street people, and terrorists. Charles P. Ries, 5821 W. Trenton Pl., Milwaukee WI 53213, cherlesr@execpc.com, www.literati.net/Ries [$6 US/World, ftp, or trade (age stmt) 28S :30] –ailecia

OFF-Line #34: I love schadenfreude (at least, in harmless doses). Which might explain why I enjoyed this issue of OFF-Line so much. It’s a bit different from most issues of OL, and co-editor Claire is barely present—Vincent uses most of the zine to retell embarrassing moments from his life; one for each year from birth through college. There’s also submissions from other zinesters, including A.J. Michel (Low Hug), Sarah Lillegard (Compost), and Joe Unseen (Modern Arizona). Well executed (with childhood photos!) and entertaining. Vincent J. Romano & Claire E. Cocco, 35 Barker Ave. #4G, White Plains NY 10601 [free, donation, or trade 66S 1:10]—Jerianne

Ohno! The Robot #6: A thoroughly engaging autobiographical story about a Canadian punk who weaves his way through love and music out of young adulthood and into those middleyoung years. Tales of drunken puking, playing hardcore shows, and being evicted mash together into one cohesive narrative. I especially liked the metaphor of collective houses as gangs. Recommended. [32S :30]—artnoose

Ohno! The Robot #7: One of those: Is it fiction or did it happen? The story of people whose lives intersect one day and one night. Mike gets hit by a car. The writer, Chris, smokes out with Lainey, who takes off and gets in a fight later with some jerk. Mike wrecks Chris’s car while Chris is getting fucked up with some strangers going to a party. The writing is blocky, mostly, though it smoothes out briefly in the middle. Not bad, not too entertaining either; few attempts at any sort of real meaning/emotion (not to get all literary critic on y’all or anything). Chris Morin, 829 Main St., Saskatoon SK S7H 0K2, Canada, ohnotherobot@hotmail. com, www.ohnotherobot.com [$2 world 36S :25]—mishap

Old Weird America #1: Close shears, seedy scenes and strange characters from Detroit, that final, rotting outpost of old-time urban grit, a place that rightly fascinates many zine writers. Although Rose’s pieces get more reflective and autobiographical as they go, they maintain an addictive gist of low-living danger without rolling around in their own authenticity. Recommended twice, so you don’t forget about it. Rose White, 619 Fifth St., Owosso MI 48867, old_weird@yahoo.com [$3.50 US, $4 Canada, $5 elsewhere, trades welcome, ftp 34S :36]—Emerson

Ong Ong #1: A CD comes with this zine, so I put it on and listened to the pleasant sounds of birds and planes while staring at the zine’s psychedelic, screen-printed cover. Good start. After I finished reading this zine, one thing was clear. When the subject is sound (“enchanted” record collecting, field recordings, Jessamine), OO can be near-hallucinogenic. Non-soundrelated material, however, even the excellent article about midwives in prisons, disturbs an otherwise hypnotic and deeply cerebral experience. Lucy M., 734 10th Ave. E, Seattle WA 98102, lucysolveig@hotmail.com, www. dragonseyerecordings.com [$6 25S :45 +hours with the CD on a loop]—Susan B.

Opuntia #59.3: This issue of Opuntia is part of an APA (Amateur Press Association – essentially a group of self-publishers who organize to trade their publications amongst themselves). So, the whole issue is made up entirely of responses to things said in other people’s zines. It sort of reads like hearing half of a snippet of a conversation—somewhat disjointed. However, despite the jarring jumps from subject to subject, I still enjoyed reading Dale’s quick responses on a wide array of topics. Dale Speirs, Box 6830, Calgary Alberta T2P 2E7, Canada [$3 or trade 16S :45]—Kyle

The Order of the Sacred Hippopotami #1: Two short articles about why the author would like to have a penis and how she is proud to be a smoker, followed by a short story about a woman who visits her dad in a mental hospital. Not a lot of substance here, but pretty decent for a first issue, I guess. It seems like I say this over and over, but I just wish the writing were fleshed out a bit more. Joanna Boyette, PO Box 13083, Aiea HI 96701, iamsugarqueen@yahoo. com [$1 24XS :15]—Kyle

Out Your Back Door #10: A “catazeen” about DIY outdoorsy culture. Horse’s mouth articles about hodgepodge bicycle mutations, dogsled races, ski marathons, kayak, canoe, and outrigger events share space with the house catalog of books on related subjects from three very small publishers (OYB, ULA, & FifthWay). Jeff Potter is the cheerfully man-powered force behind it all. No corporate-sponsored events or ads here, the focus is on “homegrown adventure.” Tastes like: berries picked fresh off the bush. Jeff Potter, 4686 Meridian Road, Williamston MI 48895, jeff@outyourbackdoor.com, www. outyourbackdoor.com [$3 cash, check, credit or Paypal 84L :44]—Jaina

Overworked and Still Broke #2: “And Sometimes Underemployed.” A punk-rock construction worker breaks down the psychology of jerks he has known during his tenure of proudly working-class jobs. The hero, the company guy, the snitch—these are all analyzed within the context of the capitalist work ethic. Also a longish essay on sexual predators. [:45]—artnoose •••SECOND OPINION: This zine comes from a working class pride angle and consists of Joe talking about working construction jobs—jerks one has to deal with outside of the boss. Those who work can probably relate—and have encountered suck-up co-workers—but I got bored reading this. There’s also some memories of people he knew back when that also talks about creepy, fucked-up men who target girls for sex. His advice is good: keep an eye on them and don’t hesitate to intervene if necessary. Joe LeVasseur, 483 Lebanon Rd., Franklin CT 06254, joenobody@riseup.net [$3 40S :25]— mishap

Perpetuum Mobile v1#2 (Jan. 2005): The first thing I did with this litzine was cut away the loose-weave twine that held it together. It was shedding. Then I noticed the layout. The pages are supposed to flip up at the top, so that you read the poetry part of the zine straight through, then flip the zine over and read the fiction part from the other direction. Seems like a lot of work just to get to the writing, but whatever. Through Barbara Kidd Lawing, I perceived “a break in the skin of space time,” and because of Piotr Gwiazda I remembered “the limitless curiosity of a student skipping school.” Those images alone more than made up for any inconvenience. Claire Patterson, c/o Perpetuum Mobile, 1026 N. Calvert St. Apt. 2, Baltimore MD 21202, perpetuummobile22@ho tmail.com [free 40S :55]—Susan B.

Phantom Conversation #7: Teenage anarchoskater punk turned 30-something grad student and father muses on the meaning of life while at home nursing a cold. It’s better than it sounds though—figuring out how to live an honest life with radical punk values and still manage to feed the kids. If you’re working on similar themes in your zine, send this guy a trade so he knows he’s got company in the struggle. Johnny Sokko, 2808 Florida St., Longview WA 98632, phantomconversation@yahoo.com, phantomconversation.blogspot.com [$1 all addresses, or trade, ftp 8S :05]—artnoose

Pocket #1: This is subtitled “the food issue,” though the author writes mostly about drinking coffee and popping pills. There are some bread recipes, however, and a confession regarding his crush on TV chef Nigella Lawson. Apparently, he’d like to “chop her vegetables and grease her pans.” Delicious. Damion Armentrout, 9 E 3rd Ave #B, Columbus OH 43201, armentrout@gmail.com [$? 14S :20]—Dan

Political Duty: “A Confession of Skepticism.” This is a reprint of an essay by Theo P. Perkins which was published in Benjamin Tucker’s publication Liberty in 1892. The central theme of the piece is, in Perkins’ own words, “Is there sufficient reason why the people of this country should always obey the lawful commands of their official rulers?” It appears that the reasons for abolishing the State haven’t changed much in the 100+ years since this was written. This is an entertaining and informative bit of anarchist history. The Owl Press, c/o J. Simcock, 47 High St., Belper, Derby DE56 1GF, England [£1 sterling 24S 1:10]—Kris

Possum Garage Press #4: Consists of two poems. The first poem, titled “too much snow” comprises most of the zine and explains “what happened when it snowed.” Lyrical and nimble, the words carry you along and paint a world enrobed in a host of whites. “Portrait of Morning,” the second poem is much shorter but still able to invoke a sense of time and mood in a few deft strokes. Interspersed with charming drawings. Possum Garage Press, c/o Lanyon Studio, 8 Winston Ave., Wilmington DE 19804 [$2, $5 per year, or trade 12S :10+rereadings]–Anu

Prakalpana Literature #20: Bengali and English experimental poetry and prose publication from India. While this is certainly something different to get to review, I didn’t enjoy the poetry—which often uses small drawings and unusual word placement—the prose was hard to make sense of, and I can’t read half of the zine because I only know English. Well, it really isn’t all experimental as that, and one of the personal pieces was okay. Check it out on the internet if you can and see if you might like stuff like this. Prakalpana seems to be an evangelizing

literary movement with spiritual aspects and it is kinda creepy to have a literary movement want to convert you. P40 Nandana Park, Kol34, W.B., India, prakalpana@rediffmail.com, http://prakalpana.tripod.com [Rs.40, $6 or 6 I.R.C. world 128S :varies with linguistic knowledge]—mishap

Proud Disgrace Fanzine #5: “The Literary Issue.” I knew I was in for trouble when I noticed that they couldn’t even spell the title of the zine correctly on the cover. I was like “What’s a ‘faznine’?!” Anyway, I think most stuff in here is fiction, and it pretty much all deals with this sort of late 70’s, early 80’s, hedonistic, “no-future,” drunk and stupid style of punk rock. I didn’t care for the writing too much, the typos were annoying, and when I got to the racial slur I stopped reading. Blueboy Productions/Jimmy Reject, 4 Fox Run #1, Marshfield MA 02050 [$2 36M :45]—Kyle

Punk Rock for Hip Statisticians: Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I have to review a poetry zine because, I’ll be honest, I generally don’t like poetry. However, even though this zine is nothing but poetry, I still kind of liked it. Poems dealing with punk rock, sex, and various musings running the emotional gamut from the contemplative to the angry. I guess I just kept wondering why these had to masquerade as poetry and couldn’t instead just be short prose. Eric Evans, 50 Bond St., Rochester NY 14620, inkpublications@macadia.net, www. inkpublications.com [$3.50, or trade, ftp 52S :45]—Kyle

PURE #2: No constructive criticism will be offered here. PURE is pure crap. This is the shortest zine I’ve ever browsed and I deliberately refrained from reading it in its entirety. The editor defines PURE as being a “full, enriching…mind-expanding adventure.” I found it to be poorly done with pieces that didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. Here you’ll find interviews with John Lennon as well as an interview with God. Although imaginative, PURE lacked any real positive attributes. Emo Viking, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, emoviking@yahoo.com [$1, or trade 12S :05]—Chris Manic

Quitter #3: Through a series of images expanded into personal vignettes, Trace tells the story of a child becoming an adult in a world increasingly more complicated and disturbing. Simple counting becomes the foundation of a culture that treats everything like machines. Told from a dark and accusing “we” POV, this seems to be a lament for the future of the human race. Pocket-sized, hand-cut with a heavy stock, silkscreened cover. Tastes like: smoke bomb. Trace, 1906 Wrightsville Ave, Wilmington NC 28403, localrevolt@hotmail.com, www.wilmingtonblues.com [$2, trade, ftp 10XS

:50]—Jaina Bee

Rattletrap #1: Autobio comic. There seems to be a lot of these kinds of comics lately— regular folks documenting their regular lives. Some find them boring, but, personally, I find the voyeuristic peek into people’s daily lives fascinating. This comic doesn’t delve much beyond the surface story of Jerry’s day-to-day routine, but still we can infer certain things about him: his relationship with his wife, kids, and coworkers, occasional political and religious opinions, etc. At times I question why this is even in the comic format at all due to the fact that it’s driven almost entirely by text that almost entirely fills the panels, to the detriment of the nondescript heads of the speakers. I’d like to see more imagery. Jerry Smith, 3344 Horner Dr., Morristown TN 37814, skybot99@yahoo.com [$2 24S :45]—Kyle

Razorcake #30: Fifth Anniversary Issue. I was tricked! This deceptively slick periodical reared up and goosed me with hilariously entertaining essays and a wild thrill-ride design. Friendly, informative interviews with Last Target, Unlovables, Banditas, The Reatards, Bent Outta Shape, and The Urchin. Lavishly illustrated with provocative photos and irreverent comix. Twelve solid pages of obnoxious, anecdotal music reviews. These not-for-profit punks are having entirely too much fun and want to drag formation about regimens, technique, and self-defense. Submissions wanted! Kim, 5345 Greenleaf St., Skokie IL 60077, kim@reflectingpoolzine.com, www.reflectingpoolzine.com [$5 US, $6 int’l 21S :20]—Susan B.

Register For More: A visual poem consisting of several pages of the same violent image manipulated into abstractions on a scanner until it’s just pretty—but somewhat menacing—squiggly lines. If that’s your thing, come and get it! Tastes like: ink. Critical Documents, 112 North College #4, Oxford OH 45056, http://plantarchy.us [free for trade or query 16L :01]—Jaina Bee

Reglar Wiglar #21: Printed, full-size independent culture-type zine with ads. The editor interviews himself, there are interviews with artist Gary Panter, bands D.O.A., The Hold Steady, Lying in State, and The Peelers, plenty of record and zine reviews, and pages of comics. All in all, each section has variety and there’s something for every punk, nerd, comic-and-indy-music-loving geek out there. That’s not a bad review, by the way! Chris Auman, 1658 N. Milwaukee Ave, #545, Chicago IL 60647, wiglar@mac.com, www.reglarwiglar.com [$3 US, $4 Canada, or trade, not ftp 88M :40]— mishap

The Religion of Capital: “A Satirical Exposure of Capital’s Claim to Sanctity.” This Kersplebedeb Publishing reprint of a 1918 work by Paul Lafargue just goes to prove that everything old can be

you into the heap. Tastes like: blood, sweat, and beer. Gorsky Press, Inc., PO Box 42129, Los Angeles CA 90042, megan@razorcake. com, www.razorcake.com [$3 US, inquire for international rates, subscriptions: $15 US, $21 US first class, $25 Canada, $33 Mexico, $50 international 116M 1:00]—Jaina Bee

Rebel v1#2: “Long Live the King.” I saw the first Star Wars, but it never really interested me much. This zine, however, does. He doesn’t get into the cultural significance or politics about the prequels, which definitely worked in his favor. It’s a lighthearted take on the phenomenon, full of comics, conversations, and just plain fun. Whether you think you’re the next Luke Skywalker or Yoda really gives you the creeps—may the force be with you! Daniel G., PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, yukki_hizoku@yahoo. com, www.myspace.com/yuuki_hizoku [$1 12S :07]—Jessaruh

Reflecting Pool #1: “The zine for women in martial arts.” Kick-butt moms and daughters write about their formative experiences in the martial arts, including one detailed article about “capoeira,” a type of sparring that’s set to music. As a beginner’s guide for women actually interested in training, this zine is very welcoming and supportive, but with a $5 price tag I expected a lot more in-

new again. As I read this capitalist bible complete with a catechism, prayers, lamentations, and confessions, I was struck by how relevant and funny (!) it still was almost a century later. This new edition also includes a short biography of the author. A good thing to read when you’re mad at your boss and well worth your money. Kersplebedeb, CP 63560, CCCP Van Horne, Montreal Quebec, Canada, H3W 3H8, info@kersplebedeb.com, www.kersplebedeb. com [$6 all countries, $1.50 prisoners, no trades 52S :45]—Bloody Mary

Revolver, Dauphin #3: A collection of short prose (dreams and imaginings?) and personal thoughts/history. A grandmother’s death from cancer, believing or not believing in religion, having to leave a cat behind when they were evicted, messages to friends, romances in literature she adores, and more. I liked this. Lissy Sions, 97 Hillside St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18702, starsinmylungs@hellokitty.com [$2 44XS :20]—mishap

Rocks And Blows #2: This zine offers the reader an introspective view of the life of a heroin junkie. It’s comprised of four short stories that were adopted from real life situations that the editor faced while he was an addict. The stories are extremely interesting and almost painful to imagine. Even still, they were all very well written and full of insight as well as being rich in life experience. David Frank, 1002 W. Montrose, Box 194, Chicago IL 60613, rocks_and_ blows@yahoo.com [$1 US/Mexico, $2 Canada, no trades, not ftp 36S :45]—Chris Manic

Rock-N-Roll Purgatory #14: For about an hour there, I was into rockabilly. I opened this mess of newsprint expecting nothing, and found interviews with smart, funny, crotchety musicians; interviews that actually made me want to hear their music. I liked the editors, too, with their rambling rants and blunt humor. To my complete surprise, I found a piece on the cryptic country band Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, one of my favorites. “This could be my scene,” I said to myself. Then, I strolled down to my local rockabilly bar and saw, as my friend Aaron calls them, “girls who spend three hours getting dolled up to impress dudes who spend five hours getting dolled up,” peppered with exNazis. The freshly minted Rockabilly Emerson disappeared in a puff of disillusionment, and only Zine Geek Emerson remained. Ben Lybarger, PO Box 771153, Lakewood OH 44107, rocknrollpurgatory@yahoo.com, www.rocknrollpurgatory.com [$2 48M :58]— Emerson

Rot #1: “A Journal of Brain Decay.” You gotta love zombies, and if you do, you’re gonna like this zine. Reviews, comics, love stories and editorials all about zombies. There’s even a chart about preferred weapons to use against the undead as well as mash-ups combining zombies with pop culture icons. Nice indeed for a premier issue! Ghoulstomper, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, rotjournal@yahoo. com, myspace.com/rotjournal [$1.50, or trade 20S :15]—artnoose

S.C.A.L.P. #4: I can’t wait to finish this wistfully trenchant account of Dan’s first expat year in Spain. Fleeing the personal pain and political agony of the United States, his story unfolds to reveal deeper ruminations on culture, communication, and identity. At turns bitingly sarcastic and poignantly introspective, this is a self-portrait told in elements of place and time. Beautiful scratchboard illustrations by Ken Dahl throughout. Tastes like: vino tinto. Parcel Press c/o Taylor Ball, 428 Hunter St, Fredericksburg VA 22401, lifeinthebikelane@yahoo.com, www. parcelpress.com [$2 40M 1:00]—Jaina Bee

A Safety Lesson with Natural Gas Joe: Small, poorly rendered comic designed to teach kids about natural gas leaks. Has a scratch’n’sniff thanks to Columbia Gas in Ohio. I’m not a kid, but this doesn’t seem like enough of an improvement over regular gas company pamphlets to warrant getting. Christoph Meyer, PO Box 106, Danville OH 43014 [$1.50 24XS :03]—mishap

Sample #5: My fellow ZW writer Tom Hendricks lives in Dallas-Fort Worth, and, for years, has been trying to convince the world that the entire concept of a “band” should be abandoned. Tom’s got moxie, but if Sample is any indication, he’s thus far failed even in his backyard. Sample is passionately and exclusively dedicated to the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene and all the comically named bands it finds there. It clearly does not exist simply to keep its editors’ mailboxes stuffed with free CDs. It cares enough about DFW’s artists to have trustworthy opinions on their music. If you live in Helena and want to be the first kid in town who’s into the Happy Bullets, the TahDahs and Spector 45, Sample will make you an expert. Jennifer Farley, PO Box 471159, Fort Worth TX 76147, info@samplepress.com, www. samplepress.com [$2 32S :15]—Emerson

Say the Word: “Conversations about Consent.” More like conversations about abuse, this zine collects contributors’ stories about forced sexual activity with an aim towards increasing awareness of the necessity of consent. There are definitely some eye-opening experiences in here, and I really want to throttle a number of the offenders in question. The editor went a little font-crazy, there’s no information about the contributors, and a couple multi-page reprints. Overall a good idea, but rather poorly executed. Collective Anthology, 1589 County Rt. 19 #2, Elizaville NY 12523, orders@truegritdistro. com, www.truegritdistro.com [$4 46S :30]—Andrew

She’s Not a Manager Who Hovers In: The concept behind this zine seems, at first glance, pretty hackneyed. A woman’s photograph has been enlarged and distorted by manipulating the picture on a photocopier while it’s copying. The result is, predictably, page after page of deformed faces, pretty boring, right? Well yeah… until the female lion and the insectoid alien gods start appearing! Only at the end of the zine do we discover the bland, successful nobody to whom this shape-shifting face belongs. Critical Documents, 112 N. College #4, Oxford OH 45056 [$2 20M :40]—Susan B.

The Shipping Dock: Once again a hollow existence is redeemed by a talented zinester. Writing in short, pointed sentences, Nick perfectly captures the bleakness of factory work (and the life it supports) in his excellent perzine. Most notably, Nick’s unusual talent for recreating conversations allows the people in his life to speak for themselves, imbuing these folks with real humanity (and tangible pathos). Offered as a print companion to his blog, but Nick doesn’t want the URL listed. Nick Chretien, PO Box 75086, 8165 Main St., Vancouver BC V5X 4V7 Canada, main46th@yahoo.ca [free, or trade, ftp 28S :30]—Susan B.

SHORT/wave #1: Frederick’s first issue provides a history of short-wave broadcasting before discussing the current state of short-wave radio. Lots of interesting information on the motivation behind short-wave fans, interviews with two pirate short-wave broadcasters, features on two more broadcasting projects, and a CD with recorded broadcasts. Great stuff for anyone interested in independent media, although the jargon got a little obtuse at times. Makes me want to buy a set and start exploring the dial. Frederick Moe, 36 West Main, Warner NH 03278, singinggrove@conknet.com, www. waveradio.blogspot.com [$3 US, $3.50 Canada/ Mexico, $4.50 elsewhere 16S :15]—Andrew

Show Me The Money #23: A dreamy, politically driven read. Focusing in on money, scandals, and Americans. Then again, isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black? In any case, if you’re looking for facts, innovative point of views, questions, and answers—you really need to pick up this text-heavy, brutally honest zine. Tony Hunnicutt, PO Box 48161, Coon Rapids MN 55448, awhunn@earthlink.net [free, donations appreciated 35S :15]—Jessaruh

Siarc Marw #3: Wow! It’s a zine entirely in Welsh! Do you read Welsh? Well then, you’ll be able to read the interviews, reviews and articles about Welsh language, music, and culture. Mair & Geraint, 11 Hamilton St., Canton Caerdyad CF11 9BP, UK, siarcmarw@yahoo. co.uk [$? 22S :03]—artnoose

The Sickly Season #2: “The Texas Hold ‘Em Issue.” Between block quotes from Raoul Vaneigem’s The Revolution of Everyday Life, R.M. delivers a travel story to visit a friend in Texas, “[the] land of prisons—sprawling apartment complex mini-cities, gated communities…bigbox superstore sprawls…prisons within prisons.” Our writer delivers beautifully executed prose about driving on highways, visiting an anarchist collective in Austin, volunteering at a books-to-prisoners program, and trying to connect with a friend. I highly recommend this zine, but wish the author would give us more—perhaps a full-length novel someday, s/he certainly has the writing abilities to do so! [8S :15]—ailecia

The Sickly Season: Notes From Mictlan #3: “Quarantine.” Dreamy writing that deals with memory, hazy recollections, family histories, remembrances, radical politics and history, all from a latino perspective. I’m not sure if it’s fiction or non-fiction, but, regardless, I enjoyed it. Kualyque, RM, PO Box 27071, Los Angeles CA 90027–0071, kualyque@sicklyseason.com, www.sicklyseason.com [“non-monetary gift exchange” required plus postage stamps, or trade, ftp 10S :15]—Kyle

Sideshow #2: Average drunk guy makes zine, and it didn’t make me wanna puke. Weird. I attribute this anomaly to Steve constantly praising the stuff he really likes: custom-built bicycles, beer, jokes, sexy ladies, and long-dead rock gods like Metallica, Kiss, and Danzig. Proudly exhibiting a warped sense of humor that ranges from understated to disturbed, Sideshow is a fun and forgettable side attraction at the vast zine carnival. Steve Smith, 5460 Entrance Dr., Soquel CA 95073, www. drunkingham.com [50¢ 32XS :15]—Susan B.

Skim (Spring/Summer 05): This bewitching comic book tells the story of two goth girls, their lonely teenage universe, and a secret that begins to divide them. Mariko’s sensitive writing is incisive and engrossing, while Jillian’s stylized, lifelike drawings are full of grace, delicacy, windswept lines, and gorgeous contrasts. I was hooked from the first page. This is an exquisite and whole comic book reality. Recommended to mature audiences. c/o Kiss Machine, PO Box 108, Station P, Toronto ON M5S 2S8 Canada, info@kissmachine.org, www. kissmachine.org [$4 28M :45]—Susan B.

Skinhead Slumber Party #1: The illustrations are makeshift at best, but this is the most fun selection in my packet. An activity booklet based on kiddie-fare clichés and skinhead humor (both observational and absurd). Near the end, you can decide whether you’d rather pound Jerry Garcia with brass knucks, a bat, a boot, or a wrench. My copy had no staples and a lot of blank pages, but, you know, this ain’t a business venture. (Please note: By his account, Justin is now in Iraq, so it might take him some time to correspond with you.) Justin Bohmer, 1234 32nd St., South Circle, Moorhead MN 56560, justinbohmer@hotmail.com [$? 36S :16]—Emerson

Slither #5: Text and comic perzine covering bits from Kelly’s third year in art school. Starts off in Vancouver, where she lives, but the bulk occurs in Baltimore where she goes on exchange. Tales of other students, learning a new town, cultural differences, and more. She also takes up a phone relationship with a guy in Seattle and my copy came with another zine detailing what happened when she went to visit. I like the mix of drawings and text for a perzine, but when she talked about all the “white trash” in Baltimore, I wanted to stop reading, or at least yell, “Art school snob!” [$2 44S :20 w/extra zine]—mishap

Slither #6: Autobio comic about a 31-year-old art student’s summer break—meeting internet friends, moving back in with parents, working at a pizza place, donating plasma. Short and sweet and while not overly revealing of her personal inner workings, it still gives a few interesting glimpses beneath the surface of her stories—sexual tension, complexities of her relationship with her parents, etc. Kelly Froh, 706 Belmont Ave. E. #4, Seattle WA 98102, motel_heiress@yahoo.com [$1 28S :10]—Kyle

Slush Pile #4: Wow, these underground writers sure like whores. And strippers. And porn. Any sort of sexual decadence, actually, is an acceptable form of inspiration for this sordid medley of true-life stories. Personally, I preferred the female touch. Lisa B. Falour, a former dominatrix, and Bernice Mullins, a former exotic dancer, contribute lurid reminiscences that positively stink with misery, cunt, and illicit substances. By contrast, the zine’s frequent, self-congratulatory tirades against literary whores just seemed tedious. ULA, c/o PO Box 42077, Philadelphia PA 19101, pat@literaryrevolution.com, www. literaryrevolution.com [$4, $6 Canada, elsewhere please inquire by email, no trades, not ftp 84S 2:50]—Susan B.

Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! #7: As I read these dreamy personal stories about Baltimore, “Charm City” slowly emerged as a surreal, citywide movie set populated by local celebrities and shady characters. Sadly, this enchanted landscape is vanishing, “since Society as We Know It has issued carte blanche for a terrible and never-ending war against unknown quantities of every kind.” The editor (“we will eat these bastards”) has vowed not to quietly fade away. William P. Tandy, PO Box 11064, Baltimore MD 21212, wpt@eightstonepress.com, www.eightstonepress.com [$3 US, $5 world 56S 1:25]—Susan B.

Soup Kitchen #1: Anti-globalization activist zine highlighting some worthwhile projects like the Icarus Project and the Celebrate People’s History poster series. I could’ve done without the Buddhism essay, but the color graffiti pages were very nice. World In Trouble, PO Box 14007, Minneapolis MN 55414, maxarouse@yahoo.com [$1+stamps 28S :08]— artnoose

Spunk #8 (Fall 05): “The Journal of Unrealized Potential.” I think of Violet Jones as somewhat of a guru of independent publishing and zines. Also the creator of The Free Press Death Ship, this is Violet’s more personal/artsy zine. There’s a tangible sense of purpose and passion within this writing that reaffirms my love for art, zines, and yes, even life itself. This issue includes documentation of a zine time capsule planted on the “Lost Coast” of California (which, in the interest of full disclosure, included one of my zines), thoughts on the future of zines as a significant literary movement, a song written by Violet and a friend with full musical notation, the importance of play in life and art, an account of a house-sitting job in a mansion, a few jabs at standard anarchist targets like voting, the police, god, bureaucracy, etc. Beautifully printed by Violet in subtle blues, purples, browns, and greens. Everyone should get this. Slow Burn Press, PO Box 55336, Hayward CA 94545 [$? 38M 2:00]—Kyle

Stationaery #4: Literary anthology of 22 writers: a mixed bag. My favorites included most of the illustrations, and two of the short stories: “Visitation Rights,” a well-written wicked short story about a friend who can’t sleep for fear of the paperboy; and “Resurrecting Homer” about the death of a New Orleans trombone player. Daniel Spitzberg, Ilya Zaychik, 4456 Avenue de L’Hotel-de-Ville, Montreal Quebec, H2N 2H5, Canada, stationaery@gmail.com, www. stationaery.com [$1 US, $2 CDN Canada, $2 (US) Mexico, $3 (US) world, $12 US for 1 year, $9 CDN, $13 world, or trade 28S :25]—Tom

Stupendous Tales #001: “The Stairs Outside My Office” is the title of this zine-length short story, a science fiction tale about a private detective who must make a decision when a new client wants to be killed. I am not much of a scifi fan, but you can decide for yourself by downloading it online for free at his website. Simon Pole, PO Box 95085, Kingsgate RPO, Vancouver BC V5T 4T8, Canada, www.simonpole.ca [$4 US, $3 Canada, $6 Canadian for the rest of the world, no trades, not ftp, can be downloaded for free, PayPal 40S :20]—Karlos

SubAlterNation Incident #5: A little collection of earnest, honest poetry from Nathan’s read-

ing at his local café on O’ahu. Full of questions, riddles, and sudden confrontations. Tastes like: Iced Tea of the Day. Nathan Pierce, 58–106 Iwia Pl, Hane’iwa HI 96712, sendska@yahoo. com [2 stamps or trade 12XS :05]—Jaina Bee

Suburban Blight #7: This zine partly focused on its editor’s experiences in college while it also discussed politics. While this particular issue was teeming with good information and well-written articles, it just wasn’t for me. At times I found it to be boring and pretty bland.

The articles were based on government wiretapping, on-campus activism, and taking the Praxis exams, among others. Also refers to other politically radical zines and books and lists song quotes in its back pages. Stephanie, Rutgers 26378 DPO Way, New Brunswick NJ 08901, callthedoctor_@hotmail.com [$1 26S :20]—Chris Manic

Suburban Waste #3: Ahh, high school teenage wasteland angst. This starts out with an alarmingly perceptive observation from a high school sophomore that her peers, supposedly engaging in “rebellion,” are in fact just as conformist as everyone else. The rest of the zine doesn’t quite live up to this promise, with contributions from a slew of contributors who largely repeat each other: suburbia is boring, people are stupid, the mainstream sucks. Some writers are better than others, but it’s all readable, reasonably well constructed, and worth a buck, especially if you’re in the mood to commiserate. Jenn, PO Box 800757, Santa Clarita CA 91380–0757, kameel451@yahoo. com [$1 or trade 40S :10]—Karlos

Support: This very personal and confrontational resource for those who support survivors of sexual abuse comes with a warning: read this only if you’re ready. Cindy of Doris zine compiled most of the articles and comix from punk, anarchist, and queer publications. The contents offer an extensive—not to say complete—array of tips, essays, suggestions, wishes, gripes, rants, and accounts written by survivors especially for their friends, lovers, family, and partners. Resource guides enable one to continue the investigation. Gracefully laid out, with an attractive mix of text and graphics, this publication is certainly commendable, and possibly vital. Tastes like: herbal tea. Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave, Portland OR 97217, www.microcosmpublishing.com [$2.50, cash, check, or m/o 68S 1:30]—Jaina Bee

Syndicate Product #11: We project a lot of ourselves onto our acquisitions. Sometimes, getting rid of them can be a quasi-religious undertaking; sometimes, we live to regret it. In this issue of the zine, formerly Low Hug, editor A.J. Michel deputizes a host of small press notables—Davida Gyspy “Leeking Ink” Breier, Mike “Go Metric” Faloon, Carrie “The Assassin and the Whiner” McNinch and others—to eulogize lost possessions. Hardcore anti-consumerist killjoys won’t dig this, but the rest of us will get a painfully candid perspective on these people from the way they ponder their misplaced tchotchkes, be they comic books, classic cars, or seemingly worthless talismans. Whether you invest yourself in love, politics, or a lucky rock, life is painful and contradictory. A.J. Michel, PO Box 877, Lansdowne PA 19050, syndprod@gmail.com, lowhug.blogspot.com [$3 US, $4 elsewhere, no trades 66XS :41]—Emerson

Talvipäivänseisaus Special #8: This enormous chunk of poetry is separated into three volumes, all neatly tucked together. By my count, there’s about 300 poems here by more than 90 poets, with US writers forming the majority. As far as what I thought about this massive tome, all I can say is my reaction was

as varied as the styles, topics, and talent represented. Even so, I don’t hesitate to recommend this collection to all serious zine poetry fans. Timo Palonen, Oritie 4 C 24, FIN-01200 VANTAA, FINLAND, tpsprod@hotmail.com, www. talvipaivanseisaus.cjb.net [$6 or trade (“I love chocolate”) 112S 3:50]—Susan B.

The Teeth: This mini comic is the story of a bum and his false teeth that take on a life of their own after leaving his mouth! Lite fun with puns and/or groans. Alex and Michael Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford IL 61108 [Two stamps or a trade 16XS :02]—Tom

Thermidor #3: “Cannibal Weekend.” I like Kate’s zine. She tells us about visiting Atlantic City and Portland, Ore., going to a horror film festival in Baltimore, and a perspective changing visit to an African-American “voodoo village.” She interviews a guy who escaped from The Word of Faith Fellowship cult. David tells us about being wait staff at a frightening Airborne Rangers bacchanal. Ends with a recounting of a crazy night with the locals in Riga, Latvia. Zine’s got personality, check it out. Kate D., 914 S. Farragut St. Apt 3, Philadelphia PA 19143, thermidor@bearhome.net, http://www. thermidor.net [$2 US, $3 world, ftp, or trade 56M :35]—mishap

think like me #9: r. and c. oak have put together a visually interesting short zine. Each page has an image, decomposed and rough; the image is interrupted by slivers of white paper carrying words. The words don’t add up to a story, is it poetry? It doesn’t LOOK like poetry, but it sounds like it. Fragments of thoughts, multiple personalities, voices in my head—if random words and images turn you on, this zine is for you. [20S :10] –ailecia think like me #10: Stark, blotchy collages of fashion models coupled with adolescent-like violent/erotic poetry as a dark parody of advertising images. Or is this serious? Tastes like: bulimia. Robert Abplanalp, 90 Canal St. #404, Rochester NY 14608, ithinklikeme@gmail.com [$1 US, $4 world, no trades, not ftp 20S :10 ]—Jaina Bee

The Thought #145: Says in its disclaimer: “The general purpose of The Thought is to provide an open forum of expression to facilitate the active and constructive discussion of ideas and opinions.” It does that in a sedate and balanced manner. But it’s also very dry, often lite, and, at times, somewhat boring. I liked the long letters section and the editor’s responses. I also liked the long quote section from assorted thinkers, the challenging essay on steroids by Robert Clapp that debunks what you’ve heard, and “Holy Facade,” a poem about Christians who don’t follow their own rules. Philosophers Guild, PO Box 10760, Glendale AZ 853180760, guildmaster@worldnet.att.net, home.att. net/~guildmaster/wsb [$2, $11 for 6, $21 for 12 issues 28M :32]—Tom

Thought Bombs #24: Preachy, action-oriented zine that vehemently objects to the usual things: American democracy, American education and the American military. There’s an article about why joining the military is hazardous to your health, though I can’t imagine what anyone even vaguely interested in joining the army would be doing with this publication. It does do a good job of outlining the Illinois toll worker strike, though. South Chicago ABC Zine Distro, PO Box 721, Homewood IL 60430, anthonyrayson@hotmail.com [$2 US, $3 world, or trade, ftp 59S :20]—Dan

Thwip! #108: A fanzine for the lovers of comics (esp. Spider-Man, even though everyone knows that Batman is the best!). This one has reviews of various comics and the recent Star Wars movies. There are some re-prints of XMen comics and ad comics. Ivan takes a look at the Free Comic Book Day program held at shops and analyzes whether they are successful or not. You know if this is up your alley! Ivan A. Martin, 4054 70th St., Urbandale IA

50322, spideyivan@aol.com [$2 North America, $3 world, trade 40S :22]—mishap

Tones and Notes #4: From the folks who publish Dwelling Portably, this is a zine about music and musical notation. I gather that Bert is attempting to create his own system of musical notation as an alternative to the traditional system currently used. As a musician familiar with the traditional system, I have to say that I admire Bert’s efforts to make reading music more easy and accessible, but I still find the two systems he’s working on just as intimidating and confusing as the traditional one. Anyone interested in music theory and notation probably would enjoy this, others will probably just be very puzzled. PO Box 190-tn, Philomath OR 97370 [$1 or trade 14S :30]—Kyle

Too Negative #7: Series of short comics, most of which tend to be slightly irreverent, but nothing incredibly over-the-top: characters with bad attitudes, silly demons, cursing, gay sex, etc. Visually, it’s very cluttered which makes for a bit of an annoying read, and I found the dialogue and frame-to-frame action to be a bit stilted. I would suggest fleshing out the stories and dialogue a little more and figuring out a way to keep the figures from getting lost in the backgrounds. Also, all the random clipart on the perimeters of the pages tend to distract from the comics more than enhance them. Maybe make a separate zine focused on the quirky clipart and let the comic just be a comic. Jenny Gonzales, PO Box 22477, Brooklyn NY 112022477, LilRenoir@aol.com, www.jennydevildoll. com [$1 (paypal on website), or trade, not ftp

(age stmt) 16S :10]—Kyle

Totally Nerd: “The Issue All About Halo.” Halo is a massively popular shoot-’em-up computer game, and this “Special Edition” of Totally Nerd does its part to keep it in the spotlight. This is laser printed and entirely full color, making a nice change of pace from most zines—unfortunately, poor choices in fonts and colors render much of it unreadable. Ghoulstomper, PO Box 8793, Toledo OH 43623, borisbeaverhausen@yahoo.com, www.myspace. com/borisbeaverhausen [$? 16M :10]—Karlos

Transcendent Visions 2005: A once-a-year zine featuring poetry, stories, and cartoons from mental health survivors. As with any such large collection, there are hits and misses, but, overall, this is a worthwhile read. Topics include personal tales of drug addiction, experiencing mental hospitals, anti-Bush and anti-war writings and cartoons, and much more—really, the gamut is run here through the medium of the written arts. Recommended. David Kime, 251 S. Olds Blvd 84 E., Fairless Hills PA 19030 [$3,

cash preferred, checks ok to David Kime, or trade 52M 1:10] —mishap

Translucid Distortion #2: Topics tackled in here include: backlash against feminism and abuse of women, peer pressure and how it affects youth, that pernicious television, and someone’s tale of getting sucked into drug use. The straightforward writing and format (double-spaced) make this read like an essay for a high school class, but the topics are worthy and Meena has a questioning mind. I’d like to see less formal language and more pizzazz, but she’s off to an okay start. Meena Ramakrishnan, 31312 Via Parra, SJC CA 92675, mnzine@sbcglobal.net [$1 North America, $2 world, trade, ftp 26S :20]—mishap

The Tree-Hugger #40: “Biggest Issue in Years.” This long running, cut-and-paste, political zine hits the Bush administration hard and uses documented facts to do it. Lively articles from assorted sources such as Jim Hightower, and LOTS of political cartoons, make a strong case against Bush abuses on the Iraq war, his environmental policy, etc. It’s all here—check it out. Wayne E. Packwood, 23082 S Hunter Rd, Colton OR 97017 [$? 36M :35]—Tom

Trixine (Tric Zine) #21: An ad-riddled newsprint rag created by about two dozen Phillyarea party kids, none of whom writes very well. An uneven mix of soft pop culture reportage and bloggy self-indulgence. Seems like it’s having fun, though… particularly when the skatepark activists and the boot-fetish guy step up. Casey Grabowski, 219 East Court, Wilmington

DE 19810, www.trixine.com [Free 56M :15]— Emerson

Trunk Stories #3: An eclectic blend of short fiction and essays in a handsomely laid out and beautifully illustrated literary zine. I particularly enjoyed the essay extolling the virtues of Grand Central Terminal and the short story based loosely on a Pixies song. Dark and creepy, and yet somehow a delightful mix at the same time. William Smith, 38 Prospect Park SW Apt. 9, Brooklyn NY 11215, trunkstories@earthlink.net, trunkstories.com [$4 US/Canada, check/mo ok to William Smith, paypal ok 44S 1:00]—artnoose

The Trusty Wrench DIY Guide to Car Repair #1: Written in a straightforward, conversational tone, this covers some automotive basics, such as checking your fluids, replacing filters and belts, and diagnosing other problems. Title notwithstanding, it’s more about maintenance than repair. Nevertheless, nicely done. Paolo Vidali, 1589 County Rt. 19 #2, Elizaville NY 12523, orders@truegritdistro.com, www. truegritdistro.com [$4 or trade, free to prisoners 28S :20]—Karlos

Turning The Tide v18 #2: “Journal of AntiRacist Action, Research & Education.” Here we have leftist politics on newsprint with articles on prisoners rights, Cuban agricultural policies, a Haiti update, workers struggle in Brazil, etc. I agree with much of it but it reads like impersonal propaganda: “(These struggles) are all reflections of the latest round of ‘gentrification’ in Los Angeles, a form of economically motivated class and colonial warfare over the control of land and the communities that exist on it.” Michael Novick, Anti-Racist Action, PO Box 1055 Culver City 90232–1055 antiracistaction_la@yahoo.com, www.geocities.com/ara_part [$2 outside L.A.,

check payable to Michael Novick, ftp 8L :20]—

Tom

Umbrella v28#4: Judith Hoffberg has published Umbrella for the last 28 years, documenting the international Fluxus and Futurism art movements, mail art, artist books, and other “alternative” art scenes. If this is the first you’re hearing about this essential arts resource, bad news: rising costs forced Judith to move her elegant journal of news and listings online. Thoughtfully, she offers a printout of the online version, but this is the final, full-edition paper issue. I’ll miss them. Judith A. Hoffberg, PO Box 3640, Santa Monica CA 90408, umbrella@ix. netcom.com, www.colophon.com/journal, www. umbrellaeditions.com [$?, to subscribe to the online edition: $15 individuals, $20 institutions 36M 1:20]—Susan B.

Underground Screams #1: “Art for the Sake of Art.” Poetry zine. Short free-form poetry from seven or eight different poets. None of them really grabbed my attention. I noticed a couple typos which seems like pretty bad form especially for those who use words as their medium of expression. It seems to me that, even if your poetry isn’t so great, your spelling should be. Still, other poets would probably like this. It’s just not my kind of thing. [$? 18XS :15]—Kyle Underground Screams #2: This pocket-sized zine is the work of a group of nomadic kids committed to reclaiming art from elitists and professionals. Poetry is the form much of this DIY creativity takes, and it’s sincere, sentimental, and angsty stuff. Truthfully, not much here spoke to me personally, but I did very much like these lines from Steve Weber: “everyone fears for what they lost/but not knowing where this goes/is the beauty in all of this.” Submissions wanted. Eli, 730 SW St. Clair Ave. #24, Portland OR 97205 (This address will change; please email for current address.), undergroundscreams@gmail.com, www.undergroundscreams.com [free, or trade, or postage donation, ftp 26XS :20]—Susan B.

An Unfortunate Mouse In Our House: Short comic zine by author of 28 Pages Lovingly Bound with Twine, about the chain of events one early morning when the cats have found an uninvited critter in their home. Pleasant slice of life piece. Christoph Meyer, PO Box 106, Danville OH, 43014 [? 12S :10]–Anu

Unless Indicated #6: Oh for christ’s sake. It doesn’t get much creepier than super-intimate stories about (one’s own) children alongside obnoxious stuff like, “G.G. [Allin] didn’t really rape that ugly girl. He just fell on top of her.” “Not that being ugly keeps you from being raped.” Such obvious sleaziness added way too many nasty connotations to the syrupy, sentimental writing. (“Happy Mothers Day to all Moms that really have it coming.”) I’m sorry, but something isn’t right about this zine. Says it’s sugar, smells like shit. B. Lopez, PO Box 30117, Bakersfield CA 93385, unlessindicated@hotmail. com [$1 plus two stamps or trade, but “I do not send any mailings or correspondence to Sex Offenders.” 28S :35]—Susan B.

Untitled #1: Fourteen accounts of woe, rancor and derring-do, excerpted from various “perzines” (a porous subgenre marked by letter-ish first-person storytelling). This sampler is too haphazard to be anyone’s best-of, but there’s some solid writing here from some relative unknowns. I particularly enjoyed “Boggle,” a poignant, evocative childhood recollection from one Jacinta Bunnell (publisher of something called I Do Not Want You To Leave, which I recommend sight unseen). As always, Christoph Meyer (28 Pages Lovingly Bound With Twine) writes exquisitely and Yul Tolbert writes like no other. Elizabeth J.M.W., 9638 Avery Ln., Windsor, ON N8R 2A2, Canada, zine398@care2.com, www.geocities.com/zine_ 398 [$1 US/Canada, $2 elsewhere, trades welcome 30S :26]—Emerson

Upstanding Citizen #1: “Tales from the Snack Bar.” Nagged by his mom, Kevin got a summer job working at a swimming pool snack bar, figuring he’d at least get material to make his first zine. (Congratulations!) His debut isn’t bad, but from a disinterested perspective, it’s far too superficial. Making grilled cheese sandwiches for flirty moms isn’t exactly action-packed narrative, so scene-setting and description cannot be neglected. The best part for me, I’ll admit, was reading a 17-year-old bitch about those damn kids. Kevin Kearney, 327 Hickory Lane, Haddonfield NJ 08033, heyjohnscr@hotmail. com [$1, $2 Canada/Mexico, $3 elsewhere, or trade, not ftp 12S :15]—Susan B.

The Urban Guerilla Concept: This may be the first English translation of the Red Army Faction’s text, originally written in 1971. The RAF was a German urban guerrilla group that carried out many actions. There is a brief history and introduction by the translator, Anthony Murphy. If you are interested in the concept, you might want to check this out,

as I don’t have the space to review the RAF’s concept and approach. Kersplebedeb, CP 63560, CCCP Van Horne, Montreal Quebec H3W 3H8, Canada, info@kersplebedeb.com, www.kersplebedeb.com [$5.50 World, $1.25 for prisoners, no trades 37S :40]—mishap

Vegas Haunts the Lonely: Hell yeah, this is awesome! A collection of short stories in zine format, with a nice cover. I’m always excited about fiction in zines and the stories in here are great. A business offers you physical transformation, reasonably priced. A father finds a secret casino where they play for organs so he can possibly save his son. A group of Christians take conversion to another level. Hooks, twists, and creeps: the tales in here are good. Character development, to bring the basic critique to it, is a little thin, but these stories work on plot. I recommend that you get this. Chris Haraway, 5909 Laredo St., Las Vegas NV 89146, mesh138@hotmail.com, www. meshhat.net [$5 US, $6 Can/Mex, $8 world, no trades, not ftp 52S :50]—mishap

Violet Miranda, Girl Pirate #2: Yarrr, this black and white comic purports to tell the outlaw tale of two young women taken aboard a pirate ship where they dodge the enmity of the male crew, try to pry info out of the captain, remember their pirate fathers, and learn to fight, er, like a pirate. Disjointed, the tale is hard to follow, without too much there. The drawing is good, except for those weird nose dots, but this comic is just okay. c/o Kiss Machine, PO Box 108, Station P, Toronto ON M5S 2S8, Canada, www. kissmachine.org/violet, violet@kissmachine. org [$4 24M :10]—mishap

Virtue Vice (November 2005): Random cutand-paste zine with nothing much to say. Articles about musicians John Cale and Jerry Garcia, the debate about burying Lenin, and Kate Moss’ cocaine problem. All look like they were clipped from other sources (without credit) and pasted in. Lacks original content and focus. T.S. Jones, Box 22412, Philadelphia PA 19110 [? 18S, :15]–Anu

The Wang: “Who’s Your Daddy?” This is the second installment of Stan Yan’s relatively polished graphic novel about an eternal loser constantly stumbling through scenes of confusion and jealousy with a cast of stronger but way less ethical characters. The funniest foil is his maddeningly more successful old college buddy who always skipped class, but never ass. Wang’s girlfriend left him for his mother, which leads to some lunch-chucking moments. Quirky, dorky, and occasionally gruesome— like something from Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation. Tastes like: your mama’s nipple. Squid Works Comics, PO Box 480463, Denver CO 80248–0463, stan@squidworks.com, www. squidworks.com [$11.94 US, $12.94 Canada

Here’s a handy list of who to hate. Or, if you actually like Zine

World, why not support our volunteers by checking out their zines?

ailecia – Former alabama grrrl zine writer Ailecia Ruscin is a queer Southerner working on her PhD in American Studies in Lawrence, Ks. She teaches Women’s Studies courses in the hopes of creating antiracist, feminist young men and women who might one day rule the world – or topple the power structure – whichever you care to believe. A long time Zine World reader, Ailecia is excited to share her biased reviews with all of you! Contact her via Zine World.

Andrew Mall is in love, but that doesn’t keep stalkers from mailing him underwear and expired Valentine’s candy. Thank god for PO Boxes. He produces a zine called Living Proof (issue #4 out now, email for details) and can be found at coffeeshops and bars around Chicago from time to time. Send your own (preferably clean) panties to PO Box 14211, Chicago IL 60614 or email him at livingproof@atm4.net.

Anu has just bought a house and is enjoying all the perks of home ownership. She no longer has to save quarters for laundry or wash all the dishes by hand. Her sweet tooth has tiramisu, peach cobbler, turtle brownies, and orange chocolate chunk cake emerging from her new kitchen. Please send secret toy surprises c/o Zine World.

artnoose – When not seeking out new and improved ways to overthrow capitalism, artnoose spends countless hours arranging small bits of lead to form backward versions of the zine Ker-bloom! and then prints them by hand on a Vandercook Model 4 letterpress. artnoose, PO Box 3525, Oakland CA 94609.

Bloody Mary’s Cool Sister publishes the zine Etidorhpa as well as the occasional one-off. She likes perzines, art zines, and almost anything literary. She can be reached at PMB 170, 40 East Main St., Newark DE 19711.

Chris Manic is an independent publisher who eats a steady diet of prescription pills and Twinkies on a daily basis. He currently publishes a crappy fanzine called Dick Snot! that makes excellent bird cage liner and doubles as fantastic fish wrap. He also continues to contribute work to Under the Volcano Fanzine, and in his spare time he attempts at breaking into consumer magazines as a freelancer. But he sucks horribly at it. He lives on Long Island in the great state of New York and although he hates the French he often claims that he invented the croissant. Visit his website (www.dicksnot.net) for additional info on his zine and send him lots of money. You could also drop him a line at manic@dicksnot.net because he’s starved for social interaction and he’s terribly lonely.

Dan Morey – Classics Major. Nickname: “Cuddles.” Clubs: Ball and Mallet, Whiffenpoofs. Sports: Squash. Song: “Oh! By Jingo!” Book: “The big ghastly one by James Joyce that all takes place in a single day.” Show:

“Anything with a bit of leg and fanny in it.” Film: “Same.” Quote: “Tennis, anyone?”

Emerson Dameron believes in spreading the love, but doesn’t spread it too thick. He can’t be everywhere at once and has never tried. Sometimes he yearns, sometimes he publishes the zine Wherewithal, which can be had for a dollar and two stamps. Contact him at edameron@gmail.com or 2515 W. Augusta, Apt. #1F, Chicago IL 60622. eric zass is the consignment buyer at the local bookshop. He eats little, sleeps less, and still manages to

& Mexico, $13.93 elsewhere, select trades, age stmt (13+ with written parental consent, or 18+) :30 96M] —Jaina Bee

Watch The Closing Doors #31: Well known Brooklyn zinester Fred Argoff takes us on a tour of NYC elevated trains past and present. “Today only bits and pieces of the original elevated network survive in New York.” The photos were my favorite part. One from the turn of last century shows all the following: “electrical street cars, horse carriages, and on two separate tracks, uptown and downtown trains on the Third Ave. el.” Well worth the price. Fred Argoff, 1170 Ocean Pkwy, Penthouse L, Brooklyn NY 11230 [$2.50, prefers cash, checks/money orders ok to Fred Argoff 22S :15]—Tom

Wax Drops/crimeblotter: This is a tiny, handsewn art book. Collectors of such will appreciate touches such as paint smears and a wax seal. Full-color collages disguise sinister linedrawings of images from crime scene photographs. Tastes like: a bagel at 3 AM. Mary Button, 409 49^th St Apt 4D, Brooklyn NY 11220, meb297@nyu.edu [$9, trade, ftp 20XS :03]—Jaina

Web: cute baby christian monkeys (not at all diseased) #33 (June 2005): This is very sad and disturbing. The editor appears to have found a Christian website devoted to the sale of baby monkeys to pretty much anybody who wants one. The website states, “We school the new owners for up to 2 hours to make sure they understand everything about taking care of there (sic) new baby.” The zine is chock full of e-mails that were posted on the site such as this one from “sunshine” in Kentucky: “i love monkeys and had one unfortunatly (sic) it died but as i type my dad is on his way to get the last ones (sic) brother.” Sheesh. Juxtaposed with the emails are lots of photos of monkeys dressed up in doll’s clothes or being given bubble baths; and there are a few photos of people who have been seriously mangled in monkey attacks thrown in for their good measure. Reading this zine, I learned some things about human nature that I really didn’t need to know. The New Reality, PO Box 2096, Fitzroy MDC, Victoria 3065, Australia, newreality@gmail.com [$2? 24XS :15]—Kris

What Will the Revolution Look Like: A short poem on the title with poor drawings and some cut-n-paste collage work. “Will it be a violent tornado?/Or a peaceful cocoon?” I don’t know, but it will take more effort, please. Heart’s in the right place, but…. Gregg, Yedo! Publishing, 2566 Ardmore Dr., San Pablo CA 94806, yedozine@gmail.com, www.yedozine.cjb.net [$.50-1US, $1–2 world, trade, ftp 16XS :03] —mishap

Whiskey Plus #1: Music zine that looks into the current state of pop and tells us why it sucks. The writer’s observations are all fairly obvious and uninteresting. Do we really need somebody to tell us that a band called “Hoobastank” is going to blow? More entertaining are his reviews of local karaoke singers. Nate Ganglehoff, PO Box 8995, Minneapolis MN 55408, whiskeyplus@gmail.com, www.pickyourpoison. net [$1 16M :20—Dan

Whuddafug (November 2005): In Anthony’s return to zines, he gives us a brief autobiography in snippets throughout: fed-up with the mainstream path, wanting to write, becoming a reluctant computer guy in the San Francisco dot com boom, having a family. He has a lot of complaints and snarky observations about computers, people, etc. While he doesn’t seem to like anybody very much, his self-criticism keeps him from sounding smug. There’s a lot of writing about writing or wanting to write, which always strikes me as redundant or something. Anthony Abelaye, PO Box 1567, Fremont CA 94538–0156, anthony@whuddafug.com, www. whuddafug.com [$2 US, $3 world, or trade 32S :25]—mishap

Wintu—A Life in Parts Part 1: Jen has embarked on an autobiographical journey and Part 1 deals mainly with her elementary school years. Hoping to prompt memories, she just started writing and the snippets are like a new friend telling you favored childhood stories. Mom, dad, grandparents, school, growing up in Texas and more are shared in an easy writing style without much detail. Jen Farley, Sample Press, PO Box 471159, Fort Worth TX 76147, jen@samplepress.com, www.samplepress.com [$3 24S :20]—mishap

Xerography Debt #18: I felt a little funny reviewing a review zine. Until I found out it was much more than that. You can tell how much passion each contributor has for the small press. No space is wasted in this “review zine with perzine tendencies.” They include a bevy of cogent articles including how to start a zine library in ten easy steps and how and who was affected (and their zines, etc) because of Hurricane Katrina. PO Box 11064, Baltimore MD 21212, davida@leekinginc.com, www. leekinginc.com [$3/issue, $5 world, $9/year (3 issues) 50S :30]—Jessaruh

Xtra Tuf #5: In this “strike issue,” longtime zinester Moe Bowstern chronicles the oral history of labor organization and striking among commercial fishermen in Kodiak, Alaska. She writes with real passion, and does a great job of bringing her friends and acquaintances to life for us laypeople—these aren’t just characters but real people struggling to make a livelihood the only way they know how. Moe’s writing is impressively fascinating, empathetic, and informative. Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N Minnesota Ave, Portland OR 97217, www. microcosmpublishing.com [$5 192XS 3:20]— Andrew

Yedo! #2: Unfocused, group-think odds-n-ends zine appears to cater to the vegans among us with three San Diego restaurant reviews, but also includes poetry, a comic, anti-consumerist ranting, a personal story about the follies of miscommunication, and first-timer cut-npaste. The whole thing is inconsistent and reads like a bunch of friends thought it would be cool to make a zine together, but didn’t really talk about what to put in it before actually laying it out. Yedo Collective, 2566 Ardmore Dr, San Pablo CA 94806, yedozine@gmail. com, www.yedozine.cjb.net [$1, trade, ftp 24S :10]—Andrew

The Yellow Rake v2#2: A newspaper print, literature-lite pub with some comic/art bits. It’s good to see people who want to be writers doit-themselves, but I didn’t enjoy the run-of-themill “humor” pieces or personal writing, with Jason Flores-Williams’s visit to Mexico City the good exception. There’s an interview with the band The Constellations, a mock journalistic visit with Bush, a take on “The Aristocrats” joke, becoming disillusioned with the American Dream (then disillusioned with that, too), and more. c/o Brian Polk, PO Box 181024, Denver CO 80218, brian@theyellowrake.com, www. theyellowrake.com [$? 32M :25]—mishap

You Are Here #5: When you receive a bunch of zines to review, there’s always one that screams to be looked at first. Jen Michaelis’ collection of autobiographical collages and comics is such a zine. The artwork (especially the full color cover) is engaging and the personal stories, most notably, “The Second Death,” are moving and well told. I heartily recommend this. Jen Michaelis, PMB 299, 1411 W.Covell Blvd., Suite 106, Davis CA, jemn@fastmail. com, www.youareherecomic.com [$? 12S :20]— Bloody Mary

You Idiot #4: This issue is the “all-Satan special,” focusing entirely on subjects revolving around the dark one himself. Nate doesn’t actually believe in the devil, being an atheist, so all of his insights are a bit tongue-in-cheek, pointing out what he deems to be the absurdity of those who seem to find the devil’s hand at work in just about every single thing they come across. Lots of great stories and insights into just how crazy Christian zealots can be. An enjoyable read. Nate Gangelhoff, PO Box 8995, Minneapolis MN 55408, nate@pickyourpoison. net, www.pickyourpoison.net [$2 28S 1:00]— Kyle

You Obviously Have Me Confused With Someone Who Cares #1.38: Part zine, part scholastic project written by a teacher at an alternative

high school. There’s a fair amount of bitterness here, with many of the pages being little more than lists of complaints about America’s educational system. A lot of questions are raised but little hope offered. School Zine Librarian, 1601 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison WI 53704 schoolzinelibrarian@yahoo.com [$2 US, $2.50

Canada & Mexico or trade, not ftp 28S :07]— Karlos

Zany Town: Sloppy looking zine with weird and amateurish drawings also contains some dark but first rate writing. “Dinner Conversation” is a gross but funny dialogue on the shipwreck of the Titanic, while the three-part “Metal Knees: a recollection” tells about an orderly’s experience with some genuinely quirky patients. I’ll recommend this zine for the writing alone—read with your eyes shut! Jake, 6648 Eastland Ct., Worthington OH 43085, jacobsnodgrass@columbus.rr.com [free or trade 18M :20]—Tom

Zen Baby #14: Cut-and-paste layout explosion! Outrageous tabloid-style headlines! Caffeineinspired collages of articles, poetry and so much more mania. Look for it, and there is a running strand of meaning and humor among the chaos. Each page is a kind of visual time capsule. Christopher Robin, PO Box 1611, Santa Cruz CA 95061–1611 [$2 US, ftp, $3 or IRC elsewhere, or trade 36M :15]—artnoose

Zine Solar System v2.5 #7: This is a mish-mash of comics, writing, and ads for people’s projects. The comics range from crisply drawn to messy, but nearly all are cute. Christopher Robin tells us about reading poems at the North Beach Festival and the mic getting cut because of “bad” language. It is kinda thin for two bucks. Yul Tolbert, PO Box 02222, Detroit MI 482029998, yul_tolbert@yahoo.com, timeliketoons. tripod.com/zss [$2 everywhere, no trades, ftp 24S :10] —mishap

Zine Workshop Zine: “Resources and Information on Publishing It Yourself.” A zine about how to make a zine put out by the wonderful folks at the Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, Ore., (arguably the current zine “capital” of the U.S.). Somewhat obvious info for old-timers, but very helpful for anyone new to zines. It covers: what to make your zine about, structural and layout considerations, common zine tools, getting your zine printed, pricing, trading, getting reviewed, selling in stores and distros, etc. IPRC, 917 SW Oak St.

#218, Portland OR 97205, info@iprc.org, www. iprc.org [$2 16S :30] –Kyle

Zombre vs. Slappy Megathunder Showdown: Well-drawn little comic about the titular wandering zombie and an obnoxious festering corpse named Slappy who latches onto him. Slappy sports plaid golf pants, says “Haa!” a lot squeeze out a zine every here and there. Drop him a line at kyezine@yahoo.com or send a zine to trade at eric zass, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco CA 94133.

Heath Row is an editor, amateur historian, pedestrian, and media geek who lives in Brooklyn, NY. An active zine reader, publisher, and reviewer since 1988, he maintains the blog Media Diet at www. mediadiet.net. Email him at kalel@well.com or write to him c/o Zine World.

Jaina Bee published zines and comix way back when. Her only interaction with zines these days is reviewing them for Zine World. Put that in your smoke and pipe it. Email her at jainabeeme@yahoo.com.

James McQuiston is the editor of NeuFutur and InterStitial zines. You can pick them up by emailing him at editor@neufutur.com or visit www.neufutur.com.

Jerianne is way too busy to write a decent bio, much less a new issue of her perzine Rejected Band Names (although she does appreciate you asking about it). Her most attainable goal lately is to keep her nowmobile baby from pulling stacks of envelopes or zines off her bookshelf. Send baby toys, parenting zines, and love notes about Zine World to PO Box 330156, Murfreesboro TN 37133–0156 or jerianne@undergroun dpress.org.

Jessaruh – When not writing, reading, creating, helping, listening, and talking, she enjoys astrology and using her “resources” at work for personal ventures. Gigglebot Distro is her little engine that could, and she is aware Jessaruh is a bad pseudonym since it sounds like a dinosaur. Strike up a conversation by telling her your sun sign; email swirlandsmoke@gmail.com or write to 190 Rocksram Dr., Buford GA 30519.

John D. “Bud” Banks, our Webmaster, published BudZine for a brief period in the mid-90s. Since then, he’s been earning a living and hanging out online, where you can find him at www.easywriter.com.

Karlos the Jackal – To cheer myself up after reading and reviewing this last batch of zines, I’m going to watch a black & white Iranian documentary on leper colonies.

Kris sends us reviews of European zines he picks up on his own. He recently attended the 2005 London Anarchist Bookfair, where he discovered lots of fascinating independent publications and drank too much. He keeps his zine reviews short & sweet because he’s been preoccupied lately with learning how to play the bodhran. With his better half, Lola, he publishes the zine Extranjero (which means “foreigner” in Spanish and has nothing to do with the 80s rock group of the same name). A copy of the latest issue is available for trade or modest $ donation from: Kris & Lola, Calle Obispo 4 bajo, Plasencia 10600, Caceres, Spain/España.

European zines – save postage on overseas shipping; send review copies directly to Kris!

Kyle Bravo co-runs Hot Iron Press (www.hotironpress.com), edited a book called Making Stuff and Doing Things, published by Microcosm Publishing (www.microcosmpublishing.com), and has just released his 4^th album of lo-fi home recordings on Valiant Death Records (www.valiantdeath.com). He stays quite busy, despite Katrina. Write him: 1420 Kentucky St., New Orleans LA 70117.

Ryan Mishap can be contacted at PO Box 5841, Eugene OR 97405. I’ve been writing zines for 13 years,

Mishap and Night Jaunts currently, and still haven’t conquered the typo. Quite fond of the M-Dash, I am.

Susan Boren – I used to wonder how I looked to older versions of myself. This was in high school. I remember I once sat on the bathroom counter in my parent’s house, inches away from the mirrored wall, and delivered a long lecture about identity. I really felt like I was hearing the voice of a future self. That was a long time ago. Now I make zines. To get a copy of my latest project, send a donation to: PO Box 66512, Austin TX 78766.

Tom Hendricks – As Art S. Revolutionary, I publish Musea, a 14-year-old monthly art zine that’s leading the art revolution against the corporate art and corporate media weasels and for the best of indy art/media. As Hunkasaurus & His Pet Dog Guitar I’ve recorded two Post-bands CDs. The Musea website is http:// musea.us. The Hunkasaurus website is www.hunkasaurus.com. Musea is $1 or trade: 4000 Hawthorne #5, Dallas TX 75219–2223.

We regret that neither Zine World nor our staffers can afford to trade (exceptions noted). It’s just an economic impossibility, when we’re dealing with so many zines.

and enjoys tormenting ducks. Fun but brief. Ansis Purins, 14 Saxon Road, Newton MA 02467, ans40@lycos.com, www.ansisillustration.4t. com [$2 12XS :05]—Dan

not quite a zine

Alternative Press Review v10#1 (Spring 2006): APR sorts through the myriad of indy press zines, magazines, and journals out there and picks what they deem to be the most interesting and pertinent articles, then reprints them here. Mostly an anarchist/activist focus. Also has a few zine reviews. This issue: post-Katrina New Orleans, Noam Chomsky interview, pirate radio, a critique of Indymedia, etc. A.A.L. Press, PO Box 6245, Arlington VA 22206, alternative pressreview@comcast.net, www.altpr.org [$5 US, $6 first class, $7 Canada, $16 US regular sub, $24 US first class sub, $24 surface foreign $32 airmail foreign, $8 prisoners US, $12 prisoners foreign 68M 2:30]—Kyle

Broken Pencil #30: Indie art and culture north of the border. The creators of this Canadian publication all work as editors, illustrators and writers, and their talents are immediately apparent in Broken Pencil. The theme of this issue is “day jobs.” Along with the usual music, zine, and film reviews there is original fiction, a number of book excerpts and lots of feature articles. Wryly humorous, well-informed and ultra-articulate. PO Box 203, Station P, Toronto Ontario M5S 2S7, Canada, www.brokenpencil. com [$5.95 60M :45]—Dan

Morbid Curiosity #9: With an ISBN #, a glossy cover, and ads, this full-size monstrosity isn’t really a zine, but it certainly shares that certain DIY drive to share an obsession with others that many zines have. MC is a collection of people’s true stories, and the title gives you a hint that they are mostly from the dark side of life—and death. This issue has sections dealing with death and after it, medical adventures (first autopsy, waking up during surgery), and various tales of drugs, crappy neighbors, and more. It is hard to encapsulate so much material—and there’s book reviews—, but there’s the gross, the touching, the sentimental, the humorous, and the boring. I enjoyed a lot of it. Automatism Press, PO Box 12308, San Francisco CA 94112, Morbid@charnel.com, www.charnel. com/morbidcuriosity [$6 US, $10 world, checks to Loren Rhoads 112M 2:00]—mishap

Oddfellow Magazine #1: A very professionallooking magazine for a first issue, a self-proclaimed “quarterly source of humor, strange fiction and whimsy.” What this essentially amounts to is a melange of short stories, art, and weird segments like fake catalog pages. Self-referential in that postmodern kind of way. My favorite story is one man’s journey into full body waxing. PO Box 2136, Radio City Station, New York NY 10101, patpenda@yahoo.com, www.oddfellowmag.com [$3.50, $10 for 4 48M :35]—artnoose

Songs of the Lefties #10: A packet of 16 full-color postcards with the artist’s left-handed drawings on the front. Some of the postcards are also photographs of people that are then embellished and colored. This is billed as a community-building project. K. Crab, Box 1510, Laguna Beach CA 92652, info@songsofthelefties.com, songsofthelefties.com [$5/trade US $6 Canada, $7 elsewhere 16XS :05]—artnoose

Verbicide #13: “Independent Literature, Music, and Art.” With pro-quality design and a slick cover, this zine would look completely at home in a big, gaudy magazine rack. The content, also, didn’t stray too far from what I’d expect to find at my local newsstand. The interviews (Ian MacKaye, Tim Kerr, and Amy Schroeder from Venus magazine) were OK; the moody fiction didn’t grab me. It wasn’t until I got to the very end of the zine that I found something to get really excited about: 80+ candid, often extensive music reviews! Break out the highlighters! Jackson Ellis, PO Box 382, Ludlow VT 05149, info@scissorpress.com, www.scissorpress.com [$3.95 US, $4.95 Canada, $12 for 4 issues 68M 2:15]—Susan B.