Doodles and dontdles

Doodles and dontdles

by Will Conway / tastes of ink


A7 zine fold from A4. Colour printed.


£1.50

Doodles and dontdles is another pocket sized zine by Will Conway. This one is a series of handwritten jokes, clever word play, and puns, accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations. It's a witty celebration of word and image, a gateway into Will's work - work that sits confidently between comedy, poetry, comic books, and illustration. More of Will's work is reviewed here, and while you can buy individual zines on his Etsy shop, I recommend taking advantage of the 'Buy any 5 for £5' offer. There are plenty of zines to choose from - if you can't decide, just pick a few at random, you'll be rewarded with a little pile of zines with a unique and funny perspective. 

Doodles and dontdles is available to buy here: etsy.com/uk/listing/647355283/doodles-and-dontdles-will-conway


And this is Will's Etsy shop: etsy.com/uk/shop/WilconWayBooklets



Review by Nathan Penlington

More Snippets

More Snippets
by Will Conway

A7 zine fold from A4. Coloured print. 

£1.50

More Snippets by Will Conway is a pocket sized cut & paste zine with a healthy dose of wordplay. It's tough to review, not because I didn't enjoy it - I did - it's just hard to give a sense or sample of the contents without giving anything away. But think witty aphorisms with a poetic sensibility. My favourite is the bike one, you'll know it when you read it.


Buy your copy on Etsy for only £1.50: etsy.com/uk/listing/580032896/more-snippets-booklet-will-conway

And while you are there check out the rest of Will's zines (some of which are reviewed here).


Review by Nathan Penlington

Were Stan and Ollie Anarchists?

Were Stan and Ollie Anarchists?

Readers Digress! #9


12 pages, cardboard cover, a5

£/$: exchange encouraged, and/or stamps to cover postage

An interview between the infamous Radical Slapstick magazine and Oxbridge Milhaven whose spill-all book My Life in Hollywood exposes the 'true' secret history of the Golden Age of Comedy. 

Were Stan & Ollie Anarchists? What was the real motivation for the anrcho-surrealist political prankster Buster Keaton? Was Mae West a true libertarian?

This zine is another welcome addition to the Readers Digress! series, the former incarnation of The Bubblegum Dada Corporation. The series is intelligent, sharp, witty, playful, very much in the tradition of the dadaists, absurdists, and the 20th century avant-garde. 


The B.D.C. is a curiously offline enterprise based on the coast of England, but if you'd like a copy of Were Stan and Ollie Anarchists? 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

Back of the gig #1

Back of the gig #1

2017

A6, 8 pages.

25p + 75p p&p (or trades)

Don't be fooled by the title - Back of the Gig has nothing to do with music. But don't let that put you off, it's a sweet pocket sized handwritten zine (complete with corssing crossing outs) filled with anecdotes and observations about haircuts & supermarkets, funny asides and musings about the mystery of the man at the roundabout. 

And 25p, what is to lose?! I look forward to issue #2. 

And while you're buying this issue pick up the greatest hits of Drink the Sunshine for no extra postage. 


To buy visit backofthegigzines.bigcartel.com/product/back-of-the-gig-issue-1 


Or if you'd like to trade email backofthegig at yahoo [dot] com


Review by Nathan Penlington

Tales of the Celestial Shamrock

Tales of the Celestial Shamrock

Readers Digress! #16

A7, landscape, 40 pages, cardboard cover

£/$: creative exchange/stamps to cover postage

'A collection of comic wisdom from the laughing monks of the Sho Ping Temple' is how this zine from Readers Digress! describes itself. 

It is formed from a series of zen-like stories and poems that: 

gleefully celebrate the fact that in a godless universe there is nothing more glorious than the sound of poetic laughter.

Like previous Readers Digress! publications there are various levels of reality, playfulness, allusion, and theft, being carried out - this issue is an unapologetic homage to the comic genius of Tommy Cooper. The re-appropriation of the material into a cultural other is more than a dadaist act however, and encourages the reader to consider the text in other ways - that is as well as being a small tribute to the grand cosmic joke. 

As I've said before I've been enjoying immensely the output of The Bubble Dada Corporation (formerly Readers Digress!) - it is always varied, surprising, and its work is based on a diverse set of cultural references. So if you like the sound of this publication you'll definitely like the rest of their work. You can read my reviews of previous Bubblegum Dada publications here.

The Bubblegum Dada Corporation is a curiously offline enterprise based on the coast of England. But if you'd like a copy of Tales of the Celestial Shamrock 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

Tubby Hitchcock is...The Donor

Tubby Hitchcock is...The Donor
by Galton Simpkins / Bubblegum Dada Publications #002

2017

24 pages, cardboard cover,15cm x 17cm

£/$: creative exchange/stamps to cover postage

The latest a series of prolific publications by The Bubblegum Dada Corporation (formerly Readers Digress!) re-imagines the classic Tony Hancock episode The Blood Donor, which was first broadcast on the BBC in 1961. 

This vintage skit by the great comedy scriptwriter Galton Simpkins sees Hitchcock attempting to do his thing for humanity by donating his seed to the local fertility clinic. What follows is an absurdist romp of misunderstandings, at once a critique of idiocy and bureaucracy. 

I've been enjoying immensely the output of the B.D.C - its always varied, surprising, and its work is based on a diverse set of references. So if you like the sound of this publication you'll definitely like the rest of their work. You can read my reviews of previous Bubblegum Dada publications here.


The Bubblegum Dada Corporation is a curiously offline enterprise based on the coast of England. But if you'd like a copy of The Donor 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

Every Human Being...#1

Every Human Being...#1

Alex Canwell

A7 zine fold from a4

£1 + p&p

The first in a series of zines that looks at things every person does. I don't really want to reveal what that thing is for issue #1 - but just be careful at what might fall out! 

The zine is formed from a collection of funny euphemisms and imaginative slang phrases illustrated with line drawings. I look forward to seeing how this series unfolds.


UPDATE: at the time of writing this zine is now sold out, so its best to contact Alex just in case this issue will be reprinted. 


Buy your copy here: http://sicksissy.bigcartel.com/product/every-human-being-mini-zine-issue-1-limited-edition-run-of-50

BEARQUEFT Comix #2

BEARQUEFT Comix #2
Charlie Haggard and other artists

40 Pages
Size: Digest
Cardstock - bound with staples
$5.00 + Shipping

Charlie Haggard comes back with a punch with the second issue in the BEARQUEFT series.

Digest size and bound with cardstock and staples, Haggard manages to bring back his darkly humored (in a good way!) comics while also showcasing some new artists to look out for!

While this is a more collaborative work than the first, Haggard does an amazing job at finding artwork that strongly fits in with the overall theme that this comic strives for.

The phony ads and original characters of the first did not disappoint, and added some light to where the series is going.

That being said, I am looking for to seeing other collaborative works in this series and trust Haggard will do an amazing job at reeling it all together.

Purchase a copy here!

Also, check out the review of the first issue here!

Review by Daniel Peralta
Complete on 09/15/2017; 2:45 PM EST