Clock Tower Nine #13

Clock Tower Nine #13
28 pages, digest
$4.50 delivered (US)

This issue by Danny Noonan is mostly a story about a long ago road trip, starting in Cleveland, dropping through the south, and ending in Portland. A slightly nerdy punk rocker roadie and a girl skateboarder. My favorite line was, “On the open road nothing is a non sequitur.” which I find borderline prophetic.

Another good one, “If I had known how close we had been to the border with Arizona I would have kept driving the night before. Only so we could wake up someplace besides Texas.”

There’s a couple bits of filler, one of which are answers to the question, “What is the last record you would sell?”

Reader 1: Scream Dracula Scream by Rocket from the Crypt
Reader 2: Weight Loss Plann 7” by G-Whiz.

I’ve never heard of either of these bands so I ripped them from Youtube and am listening to them now.

Extra points for multiple Cleveland references.

Danny c/o Spin Cycle
5403, 321 Broadway E.
Seattle, WA 98102

or

http://www.antiquatedfuture.com/zines/clock-tower-nine-13/


Review by Jack Cheiky

Cheeky Monkey

16.5cm x 24cm, 32 colour pages, colour cover.

£3.50 p&p

One of the great things about zines is that they can be about absolutely anything. Having said that, I was rather taken aback recently when a guy approached my stall at Leeds Zine Fair and handed me what appeared to be a zine geared towards children.

Cheeky Monkey follows its eponymous character and his raccoon sidekick on their bizarre, occasionally psychedelic quest to uncover the truth about unseen character Ali-Ra-Ra, and why he’s pestering the entire jungle community for avocados. The story manages to be zany enough for kids to enjoy, whilst remaining sufficiently wholesome to keep their parents happy.

The creators (Fred Morris and Dominic Linton of King Louie's Lab) have clearly done their homework with Cheeky Monkey. They’ve borrowed devices from kids’ television programmes and made them work on the page. The narrative voice is reminiscent of the speaking style from currently popular cartoons such as Peppa Pig or We Bare Bears, and the main characters pose on the back cover like they’re in the opening credits of a kids’ TV show.

It’s a good effort from the South London zine-makers, especially considering that they’re treading new ground in marketing their zines to children. With luck, Cheeky Monkey could be a gateway for younger readers discovering the world of zines.

Cheeky Monkey is available for purchase here.


Review by JL Corbett.

Stratu’s Diary Comix March-April (self-published, 2017) ***¼

[Review by Dann Lennard - originally appeared 4 June 2017 at his blog Kirby Your Enthusiasm]

I love Stu and this is a fascinating exercise of self-discipline, but the cupboard is bare when it comes to intellectual or entertaining reading material. Friending and blocking people on Instagram, internet shopping, TV shows or films he’s watched, vaping...there’s just not a lot of depth in what’s purportedly a “diary”. And I understand that dilemma – when I briefly did my own diary comic last year, I gave up because I was unwilling to share my most intimate thoughts to strangers. So what I was left with was the mediocre, mundane (and occasionally interesting) minutae of day-to-day living. The few times Stu explores more personal territory – like hanging out with his aunt or talking about how a certain person has let him down or helped him or whatever, then the zine gets more interesting. But those moments are a few and far between. That said, I did appreciate Stu’s mention of Seoul Station (the anime prequel to the excellent South Korean zombie flick Train To Busun. It encouraged me to buy it). I appreciate Stu’s work ethic and artwork (the personalised cover on the March issue was lovely). I note that he’s changed the format for April, turning it into an A6 digest (maybe for monetary reasons?). Either way, this zine is fine if you’re a friend of Stu’s and want to know how he keeps himself busy every day, but I wish it was so much more.

It's All Downhill From Fear by Gerard Ashworth [September 2016]

 

20 pages, $3.00, by Gerard Ashworth [Contact [???] Gerard is hard to contact, being as he is out of the loop, technologically. If you want a copy, contact sstratu [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll make sure he gets your message.]

It took a while to get around to reading this [could be my quote of 2016] - Gerard gave this to me when we shared a table at the Manly Zine Fair back in September. Historically, I go into a new Ashworth production with a sick sense of dread. They can be so dense and inscrutable! Really hard to understand! And to add insult to psychological trauma/injury, he makes fun of the reader constantly for his or her limited intelligence! *Blub!* But this one is easy to read! ...Or maybe I've gotten smarter? No, impossible! In short, I could say not only do I not remember the last time I enjoyed an Ashworth comic so much, but I do not remember the last time I enjoyed an Ashworth comic. ... Amongst the really great autobiographical stuff where he exposes his 'quirks and idiosyncrasies', there are also terrific comic stripped versions of a Godley & Creme song, 'I Pity Inanimate Objects'; and Gerard's 'girlfriend' Sabrina reciting "the greatest Beat poem of them all", 'Tomorrow Is A Drag', from the 1958 movie 'High School Confidential'.

Max Powers is the Atomic-Man! #1 [Fall 2015]

   

8 pages, 8.5" x 5.5", Alan Peters, PO Box 24276, Ventura CA 93001, USA

I wrote to Alan after seeing his great comics in a recent issue of Steve "The Dith Dood" Anderson's Dithering Doodles. I sent one of my diary comics hoping he was up for a trade, and my answer arrived a few months later [we operate on Small Press Time, you understand] in the form of three comics - this one [...Atomic-Man!]; The Future-Nauts [Summer 2014]; and The Incredibly Unstable Tromp [November 2013]

Political Correctoids are not invited to Alan's show, since one of his signature scenes [which I've seen appear three times already in the handful of comics I've seen of his] involves the heroine taking a shower.

One thing disturbs me and that is the dates on these comics - the most recent being from 2015. So unless I don't have the complete picture, the only recent work of his that can be seen is that appearing in Dithering Doodles. Hopefully we will see more new work from him soon!

Drawing Is Hard

Drawing is Hard
Michelle Smith

32 Pages
Printer Paper - black and white
Size: Mini (4.25" x 5.5")
$2.00 + Shipping

This is an art zine printed in black ink, with a cream-colored cover and white pages - all on regular printer paper.

When I first saw this zine, I was very intrigued by just the concept - a person with an art degree using minimalist tools and references to create an entire zine of art. Michelle Smith uses a black crayon to draw, from memory, an animal corresponding with every letter in the alphabet.

The layout is very simplistic, containing one animal per page, and as the letters get a little more tricky, Smith uses a little humorous variation (especially around "X") among the drawings. Looking through the zine, I felt very connected to the drawings in that the print quality is so good, you almost expect to feel the crayon under your fingers when you touch it.

I apologize for my dry skin haha

While there is definitely nothing edgy or extreme about this zine, it is definitely a nice little thing to browse through and giggle at when you need a break. This work doesn't take too much of the mind to process, and sometimes that's a good thing. There's no hidden messages or deeper meanings, just cute drawings in black crayon.

And, sometimes you need things like that. ~

Purchase a copy through BlackShellPress on Etsy: Drawing is Hard



Review by Daniel Peralta
Completed on 3/26/2017, 9:26 A.M. CST

DRUG.

DRUG.
Kate Berwanger

8 pages
Size: Mini
Parchment Paper
$3.25 + Shipping

DRUG. is a flash-fiction by Kate Berwanger which describes the momentous heart-beats directly after a huge break-up.The (now previous) significant other has just walked out the door, and the narrator is left kneeling on the rug that once held so many precious memories.

Kate manages to brilliantly describe these terrible moments of a rough break up in around 400 words and does so in a way that is both heartbreaking and personal, but very easy to relate to. The descriptions and emotions are brilliantly described in that you can feel the gut-wrenching sensation the narrator is feeling just as it is occurring. The narrator is left on their knees absorbing what just happened while also reliving the past in a way that is sure to leave you gasping for air.

Printed on folded parchment, with a picture of the rug printed on it, the text is in a cut-paste type format which really suits this feeling of disconnection, yet sound mindedness in a time when one's emotions are in a flurry..

In the end, DRUG. is flash-fiction that makes you remember and ache for someone that could so easily be yourself.

Purchase on Etsy:  DRUG.

Kate's social media are as follows: Instagram, Etsy

Review by Daniel Peralta
Completed 3/25/2017 12:56 A.M. CST

The Screever - Issue 9

The Screever - Issue 9, spring 2016

A6, 56 photocopied pages.

£1

This is the third issue of The Screever that I've read - my review of the last issue holds true: I still love The Screever. 

It is the perfect distillation of what makes zines great. Where else would you find - an interview with IDestroy, a RiotGrrl punk inspired band from Bristol; an interview with Dead Bride Comics artist Dan Barnes on his wrestling themed Blood Stained Canvas; instructions on how to make a pin-hole camera; a recipe for mini oat pizzas; a feature on the West Midlands skating scene; an interview with illustrator Bodie H. about his Choose Your Own Adventure inspired zines (which sound right up my street!); and a pile of reviews of old and new bands - all in one place? 

It is the belief in sharing a personal range of interests and issues, reaching out to other people who have something to say, and putting it out in the world to connect with others. That is what zines are about for me. And that is what The Screever does so well. And it does it all for £1. A pound! There isn't much that is great that you can buy for a pound. And of those things, a bag of Haribo, and The Screever, are at the top of the list.  

Buy a copy here

Visit The Screever Facebook page and The Screever Blogspot

Review by Nathan Penlington

Suspect Press (Denver's Underground) #8

Suspect Press (Denver's Underground) #8
32 pages, newsprint, 9 x 11        
Free or Trade

Artsy rag with a little attitude, doesn't take itself too seriously. Mostly written and produced by three people, though I don't think that's their goal. Seems to want to be an outlet for lesser know talent.. While somewhat bohemian, it doesn't appear to be specifically or especially underground. But hey, what do I know about Denver's underground? There's a variety of the usual suspects: fiction, comics, cool art, poetry, commentary, interviews, music and book reviews, lots of local ads, and 10 Reasons Why Keanu Reeves should come to my birthday party.

Better than average content for a zine.

denversuspectpress at gmail.com
suspectpress.blogsplot.com


review by Jack Cheiky