Art School - Adam Void

Art School

by Adam Void

Approx 21cm x 27cm, zine fold into 7cm x 10.5cm.

One page double sided b&w on orchid stock

$1

A visual mash-up, collage, cut & paste mini zine from prolific artist and zine maker Adam Void. It's a kind of cool little zine, and a perfect example of Adam's seemingly ceaseless creation and his view on art - specifically art school. 

In Adam's own words: 

"Well, not just any art school. It's a remix of illustrations from the 2018 School of the Alternative handbook. So more like art school in the woods with spraypaint, bears, and a bunch of weirdos."

I've reviewed a few of Adam's other zines in the past - which you can find here. I've always valued his work, so I'm excited to see Adam's new venture, a partnership with Chelsea Ragan, called Cut in the Fence. 

Cut in the Fence is a zine producer and distro with a focus on graffiti, underground, and folk art. Go visit the website and you'll see some great looking stuff - I've been sent a few more things for review, which will be posted soon. I also really think the pricing is set at a level that is accessible. For that reason, be aware that lot of Cut in the Fence publications are limited edition, so if you see something you like, don't hang around. 

Buy the Art School mini zine here: cutinthefence.com/product/art-school-adamvoid

www.cutinthefence.com



Review by Nathan Penlington

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

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

What Cubehead Thinks

What Cubehead thinks (souls)

by Will Conway / tastes of ink

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

£1.50

The third issue of What Cubehead Thinks tackles the shadowy spectre of souls. 

I know, you're thinking that perhaps you don't need to listen to what a man with a cube for a head has to say about a topic religious scholars have been arguing about for centuries. But, within just eight pages, Cubehead pulls apart whole belief systems with a robust, smart, witty logic.

I can honestly say that even after only three issues Cubehead is becoming one of my favourite alternative comic characters, one that's perfectly suited to a pocket sized zine format. I look forward to more. 



You can pick up a copy on etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/647357237/what-cubehead-thinks-will-conway-first

While you are there check out Will's other Cubehead zines - both of which (and more) are reviewed here.


Review by Nathan Penlington

What Cubehead Thinks

What Cubehead thinks (chickens & eggs)

by Will Conway / tastes of ink

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

£1.50

Another outing for the enigmatic philosophiser Cubehead. This time he turns the age old conundrum of chicken and egg on its head. If you think you've heard all the smart answers already, trust me, you haven't. 

Don't let the size of this little comic deceive you, it is smart, witty, and irreverent - its a must buy. 



You can pick up a copy on Etsy etsy.com/uk/listing/633526996/what-cubehead-thinks-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

Finding your way to Dylan Thomas

Finding your way to Dylan Thomas

by Jeremy Dixon / Hazard Press

A4 zine fold, colour printed. 

£3 

A charming little literary zine, a homage to the work of Dylan Thomas and a poem about place. 

The micro-book rests on a simple idea: a series of photographs of the signs that lead to Dylan Thomas' boathouse in Laugharne,  South Wales - a place that directly inspired one of Dylan's most famous works Under Milk Wood. 

Simple thought it might be, this little publication is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts. Finding your way to Dylan Thomas indirectly asks the question that all tourist pilgrimages must ultimately confront - what is it you've ultimately come to see? There is a melancholy in the locations of the heritage signs that ultimately must face the inevitable. 

Fan of Dylan Thomas or not (and how can you really be a not?) it's an engaging publication from a press with many other intriguing literary experiments to explore. 

To buy a copy, or to check out more of Jeremy's work visit: www.hazardpress.co.uk

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

Arc 1-4

Arc 1-4

by Will Conway

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

£5 for four issues. 

A sci-fi saga told through a four part series of linked zines. 

Expect interplanetary warfare, artificial intelligence, hybrid technology, and the ongoing stupidity of humanity. The perfect elements for a juicy, witty epic. 

Each page is illustrated by a combination of collage, pen & ink drawings, and paint.  



Buy the set of four via Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/589031460/arc-1-4-bundle-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

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

What Cubehead thinks

What Cubehead thinks 
by Will Conway

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

£1.50

A short comic from Will Conway in which the enigmatic Cubehead ponders the problems surrounding zombie reproduction, energy conversion versus decomposition, before ultimately questioning what it means to be wanted. 

Cubehead as a zombie? I'd be f***ing terrified. 

You can pick up a copy on etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/593512650/what-cubehead-thinks-a-comic-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

How to make this booklet

How to make this booklet

by Will Conway

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

£1.50

The ultimate in self-referential artist-book meta-zines, or a practical how-to guide for those wanting to see how you make a small booklet from one piece of paper with no glue or staples. I'll be honest, I'm on the fence - perhaps it is both simultaneously, like a kind of Schrödinger zine. 

Either way, each page offers simple, illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to make the object you hold in your hands.  

Buy a copy, and pass it on - you might just help encourage a new zine maker. Or just take pleasure from the philosophical conundrum.

Buy now from Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/593330423/how-to-make-this-booklet-will-conway



Review by Nathan Penlington

Land Slide Dreams - Adam Void

Land Slide Dreams 

by Adam Void

Approx 21cm x 27cm, zine fold into 7cm x 10.5cm mini zine. 

$/£: trades encouraged

Another mini-zine by prolific artist and zine maker Adam Void, creator of the great Nirvana Rules and Misadventures & Musings from the Train Brain zines reviewed elsewhere on SZR. 

Landside Dreams opens out into a cut & paste collage that illustrates a handwritten text on the reverse side: 

These memories, brought back by a brief dream I awoke from just a moment before. The bed was just cold enough to not make it back. Sometimes you just can't make it back. 

Like the best kind of zines it's confessional and artful, drawing you in to another's vivid world. 


If you'd like a copy contact Adam at adam_void (at) yahoo (dot) com - trades are encouraged. If you ask nicely he might also send you some other goodies. 

Adam's been making zines since 2003. Check out his past publications page: adamvoid.com/index.php?/ongoing/publications - now THAT is a zine maker.



Review by Nathan Penlington