Railroad Semantics #1

Railroad Semantics #1: Eugene, Portland, Pocatello, and Back! 
By Aaron Dactyl / Microcosm Publishing

14cm x 18cm, 64 pages

Cost: offered as part of Microcosm Publishing sliding scale pricing $5.95-$9.95

Semantics is a branch of linguistics concerned with changes in meaning. Railroad Semantics - apart from being just a great sounding and looking zine name - is concerned ultimately with American railroads, and their place and meaning, both within a subculture and the wider cultural expanse. 

As Aaron explains in the introduction the zine is:

"a compliment to the off the grid lifestyle train hopping represents". 

Railroad Semantics is mostly comprised of first hand accounts documenting Aaron's journeys across the vast landscapes of America riding cars of huge freight trains - complete with near misses, and close calls - accompanied by his black and white photographs of landscapes, graffiti, and fellow riders. Interspersed are newspaper clippings of related interest - train disasters, train fanatics, and a fascinating piece about a town called Bill. And of more cryptic origin, handwritten letters from a fellow rail traveller. 

The content overlaps and shifts the ground, almost like sifting the mythology of the great American railroad through a fine grid. Earlier this year I reviewed Adam Void's zine about riding the American railroad, this zine has obvious parallels, and if you like that zine, you'll love this one too.

The production and design quality of Railroad Semantics is fantastic too, right down to a soft matt finish to the cover. 

Even if the closest you'll get to jumping the rails is being crushed while standing on a late running daily commute, Railroad Semantics will help pull focus on the cultural landscape of the train. I can't wait to read other issues. 

Buy Railroad Semantics #1 here: microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3620

The first four issues are even available as a box set (there is something I find deeply satisfying about that): microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/6478


Review by Nathan Penlington

Simple History Series #1

Simple History Series #1: Christopher Columbus & his expeditions to America

J. Gerlach

Microcosm Publishing

10.7cm x 14cm, 36 pages

$4

This is #1 of a series of short, pocket sized guides to the events and personalities that dominate history. First published in 2006, these have been reprinted with updated illustrations by Microcosm. While I am a huge fan of Microcosm's zine compilations I think the benefit of this series being in cheap individual editions is in allowing students of history a focused look at individual topics. 

J. Gerlach states in the introduction:

"We are taught that we, as humans, are always moving forward - that the mistakes and prejudices of the past have been overcome. The embarrassing details about our heroes are glossed over or completely omitted from the story. Because of these tendencies, the history we are taught doesn't make sense with the world we see around us."

As Columbus is taught as a kind of hero figure in the USA (only one of two individuals to have a national holiday named in his honour), it's fitting that the series begins by taking a look at the reality of his four voyages 'west to go east'. The text also gives an overview of his ambition, goals, and motivations, which add up to traits that merely reflect a desire for fame and fortune. 

The text is well written, concise and to the point, and also includes a bibliography of source material and further reading. While the illustrations help enliven the zine, the maps help clarify the voyages in a straightforward manner. 

If you're looking for a critical overview of a historical figure prone to being eulogised - for $4 it's a no-brainer. And if you want a zine to fit in your pocket that helps expand your world view, this series is a good place to start. As J. Gerlach says:

"We have to ask ourselves, what kind of heroes do we really want?"

Buy a copy here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/1920



Review by Nathan Penlington

The CIA makes Science Fiction Unexciting

The CIA makes Science Fiction Unexciting

Series edited by Joe Biel

Microcosm Publishing

18cm x 11cm, 160 pages

Cost: offered as part of Microcosm Publishing sliding scale pricing $7.95-$11.95 USD

Microcosm Publishing excels in producing a diverse array of zines, and perhaps more importantly also produces compilation publications that collate together and reprint series of zines that would otherwise be unobtainable. 

The CIA makes Science Fiction Unexciting is an updated compilation of the first 5 zines in the series, which were originally written ten years ago. Subtitled 'Dark Deeds & Derring Do from 1950 to Today', it examines the secret history of the CIA and the shadowy world of American politics. Looking at the USA today, its a publication that has never been more relevant. 

Broken down into chapters that concentrate on separate events or topics: The assassination on Martin Luther King Jr; AIDS & biological weapons; how the PATRIOT act infringed upon basic American rights; the assassination of Puerto Rican independence leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios; and the reality behind Iran-Contra. 

While some of these topics are certainly in the area of conspiracy theory, we are living in a time where political conspiracy is revealed on a daily basis. Nothing in this publication is beyond the scope of a government with global power and the wealth of the 1% as its key motivators. 

The content is extremely well written, leading the reader through the relevant terms and key players, building compelling arguments with thorough research, incontrovertible facts and data, examining and eliminating secondary sources where necessary. If you want to dig deeper each chapter has its own list of further reading and references. 

While incidental to the text, it's stylishly designed and illustrated, and just goes to prove Microcosm's attention to detail.

The CIA makes Science Fiction Unexciting is a book that will fit in your pocket. Buy it, carry it with you - and if you ever disbelieve the way the US is heading, have a look at where it's been.

Buy your copy here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3903

Review by Nathan Penlington

Break the Chain, Volume 2

 A5, 44 black and white pages

£2.90 (+£3.62 p&p)

The second volume of Break the Chain is a battle cry from the Jacksonville punk scene. Sequels are always tricky, and so I was eager to see if zine maker Matt Sessions could pull it off.

The first interview is with Dawn Ray’d, a black metal band from the north of England (my neck of the woods, how exciting!). Reading through this interview, I was a little disappointed with myself; my surprise at the band’s articulation and love of poetry (their band name comes from a poem by Voltairine de Cleyre) spoke volumes about my own preconceptions of heavy metal bands. Much of their interview was an exploration of the power and beauty of words, and yet it ended with a reminder of the anarchy at their core - “Fuck the pigs, smash the Nazis”.

This volume also offered fantastic artwork from Matt Jaffe. His images have been created with thousands of dots, each one carefully placed, each one a crucial part of a bigger picture. Jaffe’s artwork is sharply evocative, but more importantly it teases one’s curiosity – each image bears a strange caption (“alienergy”, “sickened”, “radiate”), none of which make sense straight away.

It’s clear that Sessions has held onto the same punk ethos that birthed the fist volume of Break the Chain, and he’s built on this significantly in the second volume. The pages are crammed full of content, each item fitting well within the theme of angry protest whilst offering their own distinct point of view.

Sadly, some items fall a little short. Ed Dantès’ essay “In Prisons We Trust (part one)” is full of angry commentary, but unfortunately offers very little depth or intelligent examination of the points he is criticising. I was really rooting for Dantès – his argument started off well, gained momentum, but the deathblow never came (perhaps it arrives in part two).

This volume is a gripping read, and I think this has a lot to do with Sessions’ obvious love for the music scene in his area. It’s clear that he doesn’t make Break the Chain for profit or notoriety (you won’t find his name anywhere in these pages), but because he loves the Jacksonville scene.

On the whole, the second volume of Break the Chain is a triumph. It it builds on the themes of protest and angst introduced by its predecessor and the result is a zine which is polished and cohesive – clearly, Sessions is finding his groove.

Volume two of Break the Chain can be bought here 

Review by J.L. Corbett

Misadventures & Musings from the Train Brain - Adam Void

Misadventures & Musings from the Train Brain

Adam Void, 2017

13cm x 18.5cm, 20 pages, cardboard cover, plus 8 small centre pages. 

$/£: trades encouraged

Post-industrial American folk culture has the mythology of the once great railway running straight through it. At once a symbol of power, exploitation and expansion, to those on the other side of the tracks the railway is also a symbol of subversion and freedom.

In Misadventures & Musings from the Train Brain Adam Void jumps the present day rails, and this is a catalogue of those journeys: the yearning for the vast expanse of landscape, the thrill and reality of riding open porches, the dust of experience. 

Adam's zines have a distinctive style, partly the result of the cut & paste of urgent typewriter. But the writing is compelling too, and brings to mind some of the early work of Cometbus - I guess the wanderlust of this issue also helps contribute to that. 

The centre pages reproduce contemporary railroad graffiti - long part of hobo tradition - a firm nod to the history of a largely unacknowledged counter culture. This is a really well put together zine documenting perfect misadventures. 


If you'd like a copy contact Adam at adam_void (at) yahoo (dot) com - trades are encouraged. 

Adam's been making zines since 2003. If you want to make yourself drool and/or make yourself feel envious check out his past publications page: adamvoid.com/index.php?/ongoing/publications - now THAT is a zine maker.



Review by Nathan Penlington