The Radvocate #10

The Radvocate #10

$3.00

#10 is here! Gemma Correll drew us a pug on rollerblades with a birthday cake for the cover. What's left to say?
Oh yeah, the people involved. This issue features art, poetry & stories from Jason Greendyk, Amy Granite, Bruce Bales, Matt Mannila, Kenny Owens, Missy Solis, Kevin Yee, Sunny Katz, Thomas Martin, Anthony Muni Jr., Brian Krans, STRNGLV, Nate Hall, and Andrew DiPaolo.
Individual issues will be available at our store starting on Tuesday, 6/4 for $3 each. If you are have a shop or bookstore, please contact us about receiving large quantities. This issue in particular is a limited release of only 100 copies, so get yours while you can!

http://www.theradvocatemagazine.bigcartel.com/product/the-radvocate-8

Les Carnets de Rastapopoulos #9

16 pages, 8.5 x 7", the usual, trades OK, Les Carnets de Rastapopoulos, 2-7 Larch Street, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA KIR 6W4 In a note that came with his zine, Rob explains that his last issue [#8] documented his penpal activities back in the early '80s - his attempt to land an Eastern European penpal. The two countries he targeted, Czechoslovakia and Slovakia, being Communist in the Cold War era, only published one magazine aimed at teenagers, so all those kids saw his ad and thus Rob ended up receiving 500+ requests to be their penpal. This issue continues with his quest 25 years later to attempt to reconnect with some of those penpals. He was hoping that, like himself, some of these people still had parents at the same address who would pass his letter on. This worked, but the first response was quite sad, being from the mother of his old penpal, Meagan, who reported that Meagan had passed away years ago, and asked him to phone her for more details. This zine is so great and wonderful, for me partly because I'm from the same generation and similarly had penpals in the '80s, so well know that enormous buzz you get when a letter arrives. Of course, Rob has taken it to another level. Writing to Cold War kids, receiving hundreds of letters, and now 25 years later undertaking a quest to reconnect with those penpals. Am I repeating myself? I think so, but excuse me because I am so excited and mind-boggled by this zine. Even if some ziner out there is kind of jaded and in a rut with zines, this one just might be the spark to reignite that passion and enthusiasm. It is so great.

The Wuthering Storm : Great Moments In History

12 pages, 8.5 x 5", $2.00 or the usual, David Puckeridge, PO Box 491, Freshwater NSW 2096, AUSTRALIA + puckeridgedavid [at] gmail [dot] com In this one David covers historical moments with alternating three-panel strips and single-panel gags. There's Waco, Iraq, the American Civil War, the Danish cartoonist and the Mohammad cartoons, Richard Nixon appearing on 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In', the end of the Napoleonic Wars; and Australian happenings like the Eureka Stockade, Captain Cook's arrival (and introduction of bogans to the locals. Haw!), and the arrival of colour TV [1975].

Chicks With Lawn Mowers

24 pages, 8.5 x 6", $2.00 or the usual, David Puckeridge, PO Box 491, Freshwater NSW 2096, AUSTRALIA + puckeridgedavid [at] gmail [dot com Following David's sensational Chicks With Horses, here's his long-awaited and much-anticipated Chicks With Lawn Mowers. Unexpectedly (to me, anyway) most of these are women with ride on lawn mowers! But there are a few pushing the regular kind. There are also comix featuring Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard giving a press conference aboard her ride on mower; world's richest woman and mining magnate Gina Rinehart bossing around her lawn mowing slave; and Russian President Vladimir Putin with his mower. Watch him deal with those disrespectful Pussy Riot girls! Xerox art aficionados are advised to pick this one up to examine the wonderful and mysterious results of David's photocopier manipulations. Some of his images of lawnmower girls look like assemblages of Lego bricks.

Biblio Curiosa #4

44 pages, digest size, $5.00, Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket NSW 1240, AUSTRALIA + cathob [at] zip [dot] com [dot] au Hurrah! Another chunky serving of "Unusual writers and strange books" Chris has unearthed, beginning with The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman by Arthur N. Scarm [1972], a "..little gem of exhilarating awfulness." Ostensibly a novelisation of a 1970 monster movie, it in fact bears only the most passing resemblance to the film, taking off on innumerable tangents of its own, and brimming with cartoonish sex and violence, ludicrous dialogue and scenes that border on the surreal. Example: Waldo had no intention of harming Ruth. She was too gorgeous for that. In one yank he pulled off her silk blouse and lace bra and left her standing defenceless against any young child who might come along wanting his lunch. The last part of this review is Chris's investigation into who was Arthur N. Scarm [???...] Next up, the real feature presentation of the issue (at 22-pages!) is The Sardonic World of Tiffany Thayer, Tiffany Thayer... okay I have to say it, I first thought this must be a woman, but no, he, Tiffany Thayer, "was a self-styled anarchist, contrarian and atheist..." who is mainly known for his link to Charles Fort, since he was the one who founded the Fortean Society in 1931. But holy Mother of Founders this founder had another world [other worlds] going on of his own bizarre creation, one of the most noteworthy being, in Chris's words, "one of the most grotesque and repulsive works of science fiction ever written," his novel Doctor Arnoldi [1934]. This extensive overview of Thayer's works includes reproductions of rare book covers, even a press photo of Thayer and his wife (Tanagra the dancer!) on a boat returning to New York from France, acquired by Chris. He really goes above and beyond. There's also a Bibliography and list of Sources, so if you're intrigued, don't stop at Googling Thayer, get this zine. Next up is the fascinating The Mysteries of Mark Hansom by John Pelan. Apparently, Mark Hansom wrote supernatural thrillers of such quality they appeared on the 'Thirty-Nine Best Horror Novels of All Time' list of legendary author/editor Karl Edward Wagner. It was Hansom's first novel, The Shadow on the House that made this list. We learn that "Mark Hansom" was a pseudonym. Nobody knows the real name of the author. This mysterious author's subsequent novels are reviewed. I really love this part [about Master of Souls [1937]]: "The theme of a timeless romance spanning centuries has been used many, many times before, but Hansom stands it on its head by having this particular romance be between two of the most singularly repellent characters in fiction."

Psionic Plastic Joy #17 - Fall 2012

32 pages, $2.00 US / $3 World, Jason Rodgers, PO Box 62, Lawrence MA 01842, USA Jason had some traumatic things happen in 2011, so this issue was done in January 2012, then circumstances and lack of resources delayed the release until he said enough, no more waiting, and published it in this digest format (rather than the usual large newsprint format, see my review of #16). In his introduction Jason re-addresses his stance against technology after being attacked and ranted against by another zinester who refused to name him, referring to Jason only as a "conspiracy theorist". It seems to me that some people feel personally targeted for their use of technology after reading Jason's writings. An insecure reaction. I use the internet and various other 'new tech'. Everybody uses technology to various degrees. In this day and age, you have one extreme: the Neo-Luddite, who refuses all technology (I can't imagine living this way at all, I'll admit); to the other extreme: the rabid 'early adopter', those tech junkies who line up outside Apple stores for days waiting for the new version of iPhone or iPad. ... Anyway, while I don't agree completely with Jason's views on technology (I mean, where do you draw the line? Why not go back to hammer and chisel and clay tablets, eh? Ha ha!), it's obvious to me that some of these can be seen as a dumbing down. Example: I work in a museum and part of my job is to deal with visitor comments. Back in the day there were only hand-written comments on paper forms. Now many of them are tweets, and most of these read as written by some dumbass bag of rocks; no vowels, simple to the point of inanity, eg. "This exhibition rulz!!1!" or "This exhibition suxx!1!!" On the other hand, if we're talking about Tweeting, there's Stephen Fry, not only an embracer of new technologies like Twitter but one of the smartest and wittiest men alive. So, I guess while I value views like Jason's, I'm more in the middle of this whole technology thing, seeing the extremes in a similar way as I see extreme left-wing and right-wing politics - both as flawed as the other. To continue the anti-Modern World theme is Sid Clark's piece, Rocks In Our Head', whose main argument is that the Modern World is very anti-life. It's targeted at those who resent being trapped in a world of dead things. Next up is Jim Hayes's Neo-Neoist tenets, one of which is "Neo-Neoists must destroy the last 25 years of diaries, letters, blogs, collages, paintings, recordings, and photos; remember: it all sucked." Haw! I have a feeling some poor sonofabitch is gonna take this advice to heart, follow it, and at some later point experience some deep, deep regrets. On the other hand, this could be great if, creatively, you have been frozen at the bottom of the lake for the last 25 years, in which case this action could do the trick to rekindle that fire! A long piece in here, 'Psychic Nomadism' by Jason Rodgers, made my damn brain short-circuit just with its opening two sentences: "I intend to become a psychic nomad, advancing theory and praxis as mobile actions. The sterilization, commodification, and repackaging of radical concepts as lifestyle brand accessories is inevitable." Okay, look. I think that if you dig Dada, Fluxus, Neo-Neoism and stuff like that, you'd probably dig this. For sure. Heh heh! ... I am out of my fucking depth. There are a bunch of other contributors in here: Yves Albrechts, Reed Altemus, Haddock, PJM, Thompson, Neal Wilgus, Stuart Stratu ... Those are the folks I know, or at least whose stuff I've seen before that made an impression. There's also stuff from Darlene Altschul, John Bennett, Len Bracken, Lady V, Apio Ludd, Malok, Francois Marceau, Bob McGlynn, Simon Morris, Riddle Management, Lena Samol, Jack Saunders, J M Ward, and John Zerzan, and there's contact info for most of them. Real physical addresses! No stupid emails or URLs or hashtags! P/P/J is old school, weird, smart, eccentric, cranky, and challenging. Recommended.

All My Fathers

All My Fathers
digest, 12 pgs. (cardstock cover), $?
This is is a one-shot zine about the father and father figures of Frederick Moe. After a brief introduction to his childhood with a difficult father, Fred goes on to profile various mentors he has had throughout his life that have helped him to learn and grow and ultimately appreciate more fully his biological father. From mentors in the 4-H program to supervisors at work, Fred discusses lessons he has learned and great examples he has had over the years. Whatever I can say here won't do this zine justice. You should read it for yourself. I'm sure you will find things to relate to, as well as be inspired and impressed by Fred's candor.
Frederick Moe
36 West Main Street
Warner NH 03278
USA
singinggrove@conknet.com

Cuneiform #4

Cuneiform #4
8 1/2" x 11", 10 pgs, $?
This is a compilation zine. It's composed of contributions from those dedicated to keeping print alive and making communication through the postal mail system a priority. James Dawson starts off the zine by sharing some of his recent experiences at the public library and offering some of his thoughts about the internet as well as some other random things. Very interesting. Next there are some letters and zine reviews. This issue ends with a piece extolling the virtues of books, "a wonderful concept." Worth a look for those devoted to the world of print. The editor of the zine changes from time to time, but for now write to:
James Dawson
PO Box 950
Spokane WA 99210
USA

Planarian Liberation Army

One page folded twice, 5.5 x 4.25 inches, Crites, PO Box 21448, Long Beach CA 90801, USA Some readers will remember Crites's excellent zine Paniscus Revue, a big chunk of freaked out awesomeness that was responsible for the displacement of many popping eyeballs. So it's kinda funny that he's come back with a one-sheet-folded-twice mini mini zine, but shit, with postage costs going through the goddam roof these days (do you ever get the feeling somebody wants us to stop using the mail and just text, Twitter, FaceBook, etc.?) it's a smart move to downsize print materials. Hell, I even did it with Grunted Warning. The difference, sending something from Australia to the US, if it's under 50 grams postage is $2.35, if it's between 50-250 grams it jumps to $6.45. Anyway, I'm blabbing ... each issue of PLA contains a bunch of words and images combined in such a way as to induce unorthodox, heightened brainwaves and possible flashbacks and/or flashforwards. Good stuff. Summer even liked 'em, and she's fussy.

One Minute Zine Reviews #5 - Autumn 2012

16 pages, 8.5 x 5.5", the usual, DJ Frederick, 36 West Main Street, Warner NH 03278, USA It's a well-known fact that there can never be enough review zines. And here's another one! First up, though, DJ laments the closing of US post offices and suggests how we can fight to turn this around. For instance, pick up a pen and write a real letter, or send a postcard! Unfortunately, the masses probably won't get this message, and besides, it's much easier to send a text or post on FaceBook. But on the subject of post offices, we in Australia don't seem to have that problem. Our post offices are just providing more and more services (like selling bus tickets, and letting you pay your phone and power bills there) and selling more and more stuff, like mobile phones, CDs, soft toys, board games, even lollies! Our post offices are beginning to resemble supermarkets where you have packets of Maltesers and Jelly Beans where you line up, as impulse items. Haw! Thankfully they still sell stamps and envelopes. I do have one gripe about this zine - there's too much space. There's only seven zine reviews, and for a 16-page zine that's a pretty low review count. I mean, I just finished reviewing Media Junky and that's only 8 pages, but has more than four times as many reviews as One Minute Zine Reviews.

Media Junky 17 - Fall 2012

8 pages, 8.5 x 5.5", to get a copy send stamps, $1.00 or a nice letter to Jason Rodgers, PO Box 62, Lawrence MA 01842, USA Always great to receive a new issue of Media Junky. Have I said that before? Well, it's still true! It's the usual bunch of zine reviews (only zines with real actual physical addresses) along with music reviews. I really like his review of an Agathocles/GAP/ShitFuckingShit split - "GAP sounds like a military battalion of insects."

Ninja Sushi #3

4 pages, 11.5 x 8.5", trade or friendly letter will get you a copy from Yves Albrechts, Postbus 100, 2000 Antwerpen 1, Groenplaats, BELGIUM + kapreles [at] gmail [dot] com The usual mad stuff from Kapreles here, including single panel gags, a (fake?) movie review, breaking news on Pamela Anderson, drawings, and whatever else he feels like throwing in.

Node Pajomo

24 pages, 8.5 x 5.5", $2.00 US/$3.00 World, US cash or stamps, or your nation's currency >>> Post Office Box 2632, Bellingham WA 98227-2632, USA, or, "If you must", nodepajomo [at] gmail [dot] com A terriffic zine for the papernetters here. "We endeavour to be a Real World access point for mailartists, tape traders, and the otherwise postally inclined." This issue is combined with Pukka Joint Massif, so the first half is listings for mail art projects, as well as other random projects. For example, one of the listings: "RED 28.02.13. Send a drawing, object or whatever represents the idea RED. Doc to all. Gue Schmidt, c/o MAG3, Schiffamtsgasse 17, 1020, Vienna, AUSTRIA." The other half, Pukka Joint Massif, is reviews, and there are dozens of 'em. Really great. You could happily get just this one zine and spend the whole year writing to those inside, participating in mail art projects, and trading zines, tapes, all kinds of stuff through the post. If somebody asks you where the action is at, tell them it's right here.

Sweet Stuff Comix #1

ADULTS ONLY! 32 pages, 7.5 x 5.5 ", $4.00, by Dexter Cockburn, thecomixcompany.ecrater.com In the middle of 'de-briefing' Ensign(?) Jane, space captain Marty Marz is called to the bridge by 'Number Two', Spunkmeyer. He and the rest of the crew are invited to the wedding of Lunaria, the only daughter of the King of the Moon, to Lord Smut. Before that happens, Spunkmeyer is seduced by the maidbot, F1F1; then at the moon we see the bride-to-be attended to by a couple of slave girls; then Marty reminisces about his sexual exploits with various alien women. We don't get to see the groom, Lord Smut. That will probably happen in Sweet Stuff #2, as this story is 'to be continued!' Other porntacular shenanigans involve Pippa Creme having to stay back after class, and Junior Ranger Becky investigating who has been taking down the 'Do Not Feed The Bears' signs. You guessed it! It's Bosco the Bear. Wall-to-wall smutty comix is the name of the game, so don't show this one to your granny. Unless she happens to be Andrea Dworkin.

Dudes Magazine #20

98 pages, magazine size, $5.00, Edited by Nighthawk >>> Dudes Magazine World Headquarters, 6819 Minnesota Ave, Saint Louis MO 63111, USA + www.dudes.mag.com + dudesmagazine [at] gmail [dot] com Congrabulations are in order for Nighthawk and the rest of the Dudes for getting to issue 20, and 10 years in the publishing biz. Great job! Same as usual, this issue is packed with good stuff. 'Moc Talk', a roundtable discussion on moccasins sounds like a Dr Seuss book. "Is it possible to rock your mocs with an undocked frock?" I didn't understand it, but it was funny. Do they really wear moccasins? Wouldn't that be like an Aussie wearing 'boat shoes' with his collar popped? Ha ha. I'm out of my depth... In 'KITB: Indiana Via Virginia', Doug Sea reports on the uniquely crazy women of Indiana. Like Holly. She's got a kid called Billy. "...I find out that she used to live in NY, and that her kid's father is a deadbeat rapper from the Bronx. Wow. And I always thought Bronx rappers were excellent father figures." Later, talking about music, Pantera comes up. ""I used to play Pantera to my son while he was in my womb," she says. Damn I'd heard people doing this with Mozart, but Pantera? I found myself even more attracted to her." Dudes staffer DR.E.W. has been living in China for over two years, and in 'How To Be A Jiugui' [Jiugui means alcoholic but uses the Chinese characters for booze and ghost/monster.] he reports on Chinese booze. Most Chinese people refer to all types of booze as "wine". "By far the most popular "wine" here in Beijing is erguotou, a type of baijiu, or white booze. Its name roughly translates as two pot head, meaning it has been distilled twice. It is cheap as hell and 112 proof. It will get you wiped on the cheap. Erguotou tastes awful." There are two big tour diaries back-to-back, written by Nighthawk. The first one from a Haddonfields tour he went on, working on the merch stall, the second one still with The Haddonfields, but as part of something called Awesome Fest. Must be a big travelling punk rock show. Lots of punky tunes, lots of drinking, lots of pissing. Sounds fun. That's only the tip of the iceberg there. It just goes on and on. Talk about bang for your buck. Here it is.

Doodlin' Funnies #2

ADULTS ONLY! 32 pages, $4.00, digest, by Dexter Cockburn >>> thecomixcompany.ecrater.com Wow, looky here! A behind-the-scenes peek into Dexter's wild comix art - ideas & characters both used and unused, or even on hold for use sometime in the future. Dexter provides notes and commentary which is really cool, rather than going the easy way and just slapping together a bunch of sketchbook material. The highlight for me is Dexter's three-page anti-drug comic he produced for the local health unit. He was just out of high school when they approached him for a contribution. He finished it in the course of one coke-fueled evening. They were "horrified". Naturally, it was full of tits and cocks. But this rejection sent him into a depression. Anyway, this is great stuff. The kind of thing you'd love to see from all your favourite comix artists.

Xerography Debt #32

68 pages, digest, $4.00, edited by Davida Gypsy Breier >>> davida [at] leekinginc [dot] com + Davida Gypsy Breier, PO Box 11064, Baltimore MD 21212, USA This issue kicks off with a terrific piece by Al Burian on music and politics. Inspired by and leading with the Russian Pussy Riot outrage, then covering Rage Against the Machine and Megadeth (Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's favourite bands), George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Jello Biafra and his Oprah Winfrey appearance going head-to-head with Tipper Gore and her comically infamous Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). Great stuff. In another article, Jeff Somers writes about his decision last year to stop printing hard copies of his zine, The Inner Swine, and go digital only. His zine was chunky as hell but if you ask me, he could have cut it by half since half of each issue was his fiction stories, which were the weakest part. Sorry Jeff! Ha ha. In his column, Kris Mininger writes about his disappearance from the world of zines. For one thing, he was MIA from the pages of this very zine last issue. Why? One of the reasons turns out to be the repercussions of a lukewarm review he wrote and the retaliation by that zinester in his (or her) own zine. I always seem to forget that it's these columns, along with the multitude of zine reviews, that makes XD such a great read. And it's even more important now, after the other big zine review zine, Zine World, has bit the dust. Order your copy from Microcosm! P.S. Since the format of XD is such that each reviewer has his or her own section, you'll enjoy (or not) the reviews of each to varying degrees. But I gotta say, this time around those of Joe Biel really bugged me. In one review, he writes, "As an anthropologist...", then in the very next one, "...as a budding language theorist..." I expected the next review to include a sentence beginning with, "As a professional douchebag, ..." I mean, "budding language theorist"? The review after the next one includes the sentence, "She addresses the conflicting emotions she feels about an ex, who despite saving her life did not respect her needs and ultimately needed shed for her life." What the hell does that mean? ... To paraphrase the saying: writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. But with Joe, the formula seems to be 1% inspiration and 99% irritation. The latter experienced by the reader.

Joyful Dissent, Spring 2013

Joyful Dissent, Spring 2013
legal-size paper, 8 pages, donation
A zine for folks interested in activism involving political issues. The first article introduces an organization called Public Accountability Initiative, which investigates "power and corruption at the heights of business and government." The following article addresses drone strikes in Afghanistan. Another article is a personal account about working with an organization that provides basic necessities to Mexicans attempting to cross the border into the United States - the purpose being to help prevent migrants from dying in the dessert. Some of the information in this zine may only be pertinent to people living in and around Charlottesville, VA (the city in which this zine is produced). What I like most about this zine is the look of it. It's a cut 'n paste zine that takes me back to when I was first introduced to the world of zines. Very nostalgic for me at least, and good to know that little publications like this are still around. Worth a look.
Joyful Dissent
1310 Florence Road
Charlottesville VA 22902
USA

Possum Garage Press #14

Possum Garage Press #14
mini zine, 12 pgs w/ cardstock cover, $3 per issue or $6 for 3 issue subscription
The Possums are back! In this issue, Peter Possum offers a brief description of what his life is like living under the garden shed. As it turns out, it's a prime location. A couple of pleasant poems and lots of great possum illustrations fill up most of the rest of the issue. Very enjoyable (albeit quick) read.
Possum Garage Press
c/o Lanyon Studio
8 Winston Avenue
Wilmington DE 19804 USA