Rum Lad - Issue #12

Rum Lad - Issue #12

by Steve Larder

A5, 28 pages, black and white on grey paper.

£3 (plus postage)

Rum Lad #12 is a funny & heartbreaking tribute to Steve's grandparents. His Gran died in 2013, followed by his Grandad in 2017. As Steve says in the introduction: 

"Grief can do all sorts of cruel things to your brain...the jarring lapse where you forget they're gone"

He goes on to point out that the hurt of grief is caused by love and affection. Steve has captured his love for his grandparents in this collection of short stories, and comic strip vignettes, that reflect the absurdity of everyday life and the unexpected moments that we store as tender memories: his Gran wearing a Tesco carrier bag as a substitute hood, and hanging sweary punk t-shirts on the washing line; his Grandad's relationship with Paxo, and a catalogue of his tattoos.

Rum Lad #12 is also an unflinching chronicle of his grandparents' decline - the failing bodies, and reversing of roles, that we all have to face as we age. 

Rum Lad has a trademark style of art - a combination of breathtakingly detailed line drawings that sit alongside more comic book style illustration. The writing in this issue reminds me most of Simon Moreton's Minor Leagues, not just the themes of memory and loss, they are both told with a similar warmth and humour. 

It's a no-brainer. Not only is it just £3, it's one of the best things you'll read this year.

Buy via Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/644672935/rum-lad-zine-12-comic-perzine

And visit Steve's site for more of his incredible illustrations: SteveLarder.co.uk

Review by Nathan Penlington

Forever And Everything #3

Forever And Everything #3

By Kyle Bravo

14cm x 21.5cm, 46 pages, 

$10 (plus shipping)

Forever and Everything chronicles fragments of everyday life with a young family, the struggles and joys of creating a new life and new art. We join Kyle and his family when their first child is a toddler, with another child on the way. As a dad of a two year old, there is a lot in Forever and Everything that speaks directly to my personal experience: the difficulties of explaining the world, and having to psychologically accept a psychotic range of emotional outbursts at any given moment. But there is a lot here for anyone, parent or not, who is a fan of the Chris Ware end of the comic spectrum. 

The stories are full of emotion and humour, wry observation, and an honestly that is beguiling. The simplicity of the drawing style contributes to the tone - going on one of the fragments in this issue they seem to be drawn with a ball pen, which is also part of the charm. 

It's hard to believe that Kyle only started making comics when his first child was born, Forever and Everything #3 is a confident and considered comic worthy of your time and attention. 

Buy a copy via Etsy: etsy.com/listing/640787451/forever-and-everything-3

You can also check out some of Kyle's stories on Tumblr - most of the comics in Forever and Everything #3 are brand new, and have not been published elsewhere, but this will give you a great introduction to his work.  foreverandeverything.tumblr.com

Review by Nathan Penlington

Wastes of Ink

Wastes of Ink

by Will Conway / tastes of ink

A7 zine fold from A4. B&W print on coloured paper. 

£1.50

Wastes of Ink is a hand-drawn and hand-written pocket sized zine, each page containing a witty play on words with a related illustration. Out of Will's work I've reviewed of previously, this zine is closest in style to More Snippets - as this too contains witty aphorisms with a poetic sensibility, think smart one-liners. 

Once again its difficult to give details of the content without giving anything away, but hopefully it'll suffice to say its pithy, irreverent, funny, smart, and well illustrated. 


Wastes of Ink is available to buy from Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/647353561/wastes-of-ink-will-conway

While you are there check out Will's other pocket money priced zines, more of Will's work is reviewed here.



Review by Nathan Penlington

The American Indian Ready to Wear Catalog 2018

American Indian Ready to Wear Catalog 2018 
by Joey Clift, illustrations by Janet Myer 

14cm x 21.6cm, 12 pages. Colour cover, black and white pages. 

$5 or $1 digital* copy

You only need to have a very rudimentary knowledge of American history to be aware of the horrific atrocities carried out on native tribes by 'settlers' of the 'new land'. Even at this point in history discrimination against indigenous people in American is ongoing, and in many cases codified into law. 

American Indian Ready to Wear Catalog 2018 is written by Joey Clift, a registered member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, who grew up on the the Tulalip Indian Reservation. In correspondence Joey said this about his zine:

"Working in the entertainment industry, it frustrates me to no end to see how little representation actual native culture has in popular media. When we do get representation, it's almost always based on a very specific image of native people that hasn't been accurate for hundreds of years, if not just a straight up racist stereotype, the goal is to shine a light on that"

The American Indian Ready to Wear Catalogue 2018 is a biting satire which leaves no appropriator of Native American culture unscathed: Disney; The Native Sports Mascot; a well known butter manufacturer; Hollywood actors; sports team owners; male and female retired New Agers; and middle-class hipsters. 

This is a perfect example of the tone and style of Joey's zine:

For satire to work it needs to be funny and simultaneously make a political point, this zine does both of those things extremely well - that it needs to do so proves the tragic state of American culture.

I'm a sucker for cross generational collaboration, so the fact this zine is illustrated by Joey's mum is an added joy. Janet's drawing contributes considerably to the look and humour of the zine. She's a professional artist in her own right, some more examples of her work can be found on her artist facebook page. 

So, to know what not to wear this, or any, season go and buy a copy of the zine here: Redcatpress.com

*Please note we do not endorse digital zines at Syndicated Zine Reviews!


Review by Nathan Penlington 

On Subbing: the first four years

On Subbing: the first four years
by Dave Roche

18cm x 13cm, 128 pages

Cost: offered as part of Microcosm Publishing sliding scale pricing $4-$6

Another of Microcosm's excellent zine compilations. On Subbing collects together four years worth of zines by Dave Roche that chronicle his experiences in special education classrooms. 

At 25 Dave felt he needed a change - like many people he'd fallen into a rut of a permanent temporary job which he hated. "I wanted a job where I felt like I was doing something worthwhile", he explains in the introduction. A surprisingly easy job interview later and he was hired as a substitute Education Assistant. 

The range of behaviours of students in special education classes vary from kids from troubled backgrounds, those with autism, and certain children unable to feel or move their body from the neck down. Ages range from pre-kindergarten, to post high-school life skills transition classes with young adults up to twenty-one years old. The varying degrees of educational needs, and age ranges, puts a huge demand on the abilities of the EA, and the nature of subbing means you might not have any clue where you'll be helping out until the phone rings that morning.

Dave had no prior experience before his first day of subbing, so we get an inside view of Dave's progression in the class room over the years, his ability to cope with difficult situations with humility and patience, or at the very least an outer veneer of patience. 

Dave's writing is full of charm, and his honesty is disarming, both for the reader and clearly for even the most difficult of kids. He's funny, willing to play the fool, full of heart and empathy, and completely unafraid to put himself on the ambiguous line morally to act in a way he believes is right. 

This is the 3rd edition of this compilation, and quite rightly, it's truly a great zine. 

You can order a copy direct from Microcosm: microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/1010

Review by Nathan Penlington 

Keep Playing

Keep Playing
by Will Conway

A7 zine fold from A4. Coloured print. 

£1.50

Do you remember the advert for that awful board game called The Game of Life?

"Be a winner at the game of life, 

 Get a job - have money maybe

 Get married - have a baby..."

(You can find the advert on YouTube)

If anyone is compiling a Top 5 Pieces of Propaganda list, that game has to make it in surely. 

Thankfully, Will Conway has corrected the board game mechanism for real life, the result is the pocket sized satire Keep Playing. I can't say too much more without revealing the content, except to say it's funny and nicely produced - complete with hand drawn illustrations. A perfect zine to gift to fellow struggling game of lifers. 

You can pick up a copy on Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/607352139/keep-playing-a-board-game-booklet-will

While you are there check out Will's other pocket money priced zines, more of Will's work is reviewed here.

Review by Nathan Penlington

Flies on the wall

Flies on the wall

by Zeppelinmoon

A5 - 40 pages, b&w and colour, perfect bound. 

£2.50 plus postage

This debut zine by zeppelinmoon consists of a series of comic exchanges between flies observing the emotionally tragic lives of the human family whose walls they rest on. A couple of appearances by sloths, dogs, and seals aside, the flies on the wall operate as a minimalist comic in which each page works as an individual panel - but also helps build an implied larger narrative. 

Flies on the wall is a well produced zine in full colour - the pages that aren't flies on a white wall, obvs. It's smart, it's slick, it's crude, it's funny, and there is swearing. What's not to like? 

Check out  Zeppelinmoon on instagram for a look at current artwork, and then head over to Etsy to buy a copy.  

etsy.com/uk/listing/531688936/flies-on-the-wall-a-comic-cartoon-zine

For more artwork, and Zepplinmoon's shop full of original t-shirts, totes, pins, cards and more, visit: 
Zeppelinmoon.com


Review by Nathan Penlington

A pair of pissotières in Genesis

A pair of pissotières in Genesis

by Lord Bubblegum / Bubblegum Dada Publications #001

A5, 36 pages with cardboard cover

£/$: creative exchange/stamps to cover postage

Fans of Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi, the work of Raymond Roussel, and the comic sketches of William Burroughs, are in for a treat. This is the creation myth retold in the style that made Jarry infamous - but arguably A pair of pissotières in Genesis pushes the scathing wit, scatological humour, and well targeted iconoclasm further than Ubi. 

Subtitled as "a scatological cartoon for the mind", much of the action takes place inside a hole dug by Ovasmus to relieve his bowels. Unfortunately, he becomes stuck in the hole. Luckily for us, his arse is able to speak, more than that, his arse is also endowed with god-like abilities. 

If you are easily offended by swearing, sexual references, and the deconstruction of religious absurdities, then you should probably avoid this.  

The Bubblegum Dada Corporation is a curiously offline enterprise based on the coast of England. But if you'd like a copy of A pair of pissotières in Genesis you can now contact them at their newly acquired email address - bubblegumdadacorporation (at) gmail (dot) com - with offers to exchange creative endeavours, or an offer of stamps to cover postage. Please say we sent you. 

Review by Nathan Penlington

Notebookdrawings - Vol 2

Notebookdrawings - Vol 2
by Mette Norrie

2017 

A5, 38 pages, colour print.

50DKK (Danish Krone) or approx £5.80

Buy Vol 1 & Vol 2 for 85DKK (approx £10)

Following on from Notebookdrawings Vol 1 is a brand new volume of text and illustration from Danish artist Mette Norrie. For those new to her work it follows a minimalist format - each page is notebook style lined paper, over which have been drawn illustrations in pen and pencil, and captioned at the top in English. 

Some are witty play-on-words, others play-on-images - The Reviewer's Diary, Diary of a Social Media Manager - the illustrations are also sprinkled with literary references - T.S. Eliot's Calendar, Tender Buttons. 

But the pages that really strike a chord are those of a more melancholy, tender, quieter tone with titles like Failed Ideas, Forgotten Magicians, Lonely Gloves Club.  

Cumulatively Notebookdrawings form a kind of visual poetry that takes you outside the world as you see it. And like poetry they benefit from the time and space needed to experience in a physical form. 


The illustrations have been selected from Mette's blog - nbdrawings.tumblr.com. So, take a look, and then support her work by buying a copy of the zine. 

In her shop you can find copies of other zines too, alongside individual prints: norrieart.tictail.com/product/notebookdrawings-vol-2


www.MetteNorrie.com




Review by Nathan Penlington

Notebookdrawings - Vol 1

Notebookdrawings - Vol 1
by Mette Norrie

2016 

A5, 26 pages. 

50DKK (Danish Krone) or approx £5.80

Notebookdrawings is a charming zine by Danish artist Mette Norrie. It follows a simple, minimalist, format - each page is notebook style lined paper, over which have been drawn illustrations in pen and pencil captioned at the top in English. 

There is a wistful melancholy to many of the illustrations, but each page breathes freely with visual and verbal humour, together they form an enchanting take on the world. 

The illustrations have been selected from Mette's blog - nbdrawings.tumblr.com. So, take a look, and then support her work by buying a copy of the zine. 

In her shop you can find copies of other zines too, alongside individual prints: norrieart.tictail.com/product/notebookdrawings

www.MetteNorrie.com



Review by Nathan Penlington