Bad Thoughts

Bad Thoughts

32 Page Chapbook

$1.50 or Trade

 

This is a one shot collection of dark poems by Juan Maldonado, nicely illustrated by D "Bone" Jameson (RIP), both inmates. I would probably like this better if I could read it. The combination of cursive writing and poor photocopying is too much for my tired old eyes. The parts I could read I liked. You can gage the content by the poem titles; I am the Enemy, Fear Factory, Nine Lives Can't Save You Today Mr Cat, Pork Master, Ode to Jeffery Dahmer, Blood Red, and so forth.

 

James N Dawson

PO Box 613

Redwood Valley CA 95470

 

 

 

 

dorothea 1

 

 

 

dorothea 1

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 31, 2007

(mike baker)
1/4 letter; 40 pages; $1.00
gomek@comcast.net

written after his mother died, mark dealt with at least some of his feelings through the stories in this zine. sad at times and full of people in transition, this zine can be tough at times to read. mark's phenomenal writing definitely keeps you reading, though.

 

 

 

The Participatory Book Series

The Participatory Book Series by Marianne R. Petit

via Small Press Newsroom by -AF on Aug 30, 2007

Marrianne R. Petit has collected and drawn some facinating stories from people that have shared parts of their lives. Digest size, color covers, black and white interiors, 30 pages. Working Nine to Fine, vol 1 and vol 2, I Smell and Remember, Fells Like the First Time, I Don't Love You Anymore, and the free book when you order 3 or more: Make-A-Monster Paper Dolls and Puppet Theater.

This is from the books: "The Participatory Book Series began in January 2007. I decided I wanted to make some books and in my head I could see them, but I didn't have any content to actually make them. Life had been complicated for really long time and I didn't want to use any of my own stories. The truth is, I was sort of tired of myself and figured other people might have stories way more interesting than my own.

So I started a blog that asked questions. Have you ever had a smell trigger a memory? Do you believe in an interventionist God? Has the mental health of other people had an influence in your life? Do you remember your first love? Can you tell me the story of a breakup?

And then I asked some friends to participate."

I loved these books and I recommend them to everyone. The stories are a page turner, you can't wait to see what happens next. The art is simple but fits the stories nicely and helps tie all the books together in a nice series. I even sent in some of my stories! (5 stars out of 5) See more about Marianne HERE, and order the books at: http://www.mariannepetit.com/books/

thirteenth story #2

 

 

 

thirteenth story #2

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 30, 2007

(jaye frisina)
1/4 letter; 16 pages
jaye@thritheenthstory.com

i loved this art zine ... great photos and drawings, plus a great short history of skywriting. small in stature but mighty in content, it's definitely a great zine to pick up.

 

 

 

 

$100 Dollars and a T-Shirt

$100 Dollars and a T-Shirt

DVD $8

is a wonderful documentary chronicling the Portland Oregon zine scene circa 2004. There are tons of interesting interview snippets with zinesters that exemplify the diversity of motivation for and approaches to do-it-yourself publishing, and a little zine history and lore going back as far as Martin Luther. My one observation which might not be obvious to the uninitiated is that the world of zines, mail art, and DYI is even more vast and diverse than represented here. The Portland zine community tends to lean punk, grunge, anarchist, riot grrrl, slacker, etc. While that's delightful, it would be just plain wrong to think or suggest said package of values, though common enough, are in any way inherent to self publishing. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want a copy of this DVD. they should be playing this on PBS. $8 to Microcosm Publishing. Order on line.

Microcosm Publishing

222 South Rogers Street

Bloomington IN 47404

or order on line

www.microcosmpublishing.com

the east village INKY no.34

the east village INKY no.34 (April 2007)
40 Pages, pocket size, $3

I have mixed feelings. On the up side, this delightfully produced momzine is completely hand written and illustrated. It's friendly, wry, witty, and unpretentious. Stories include the kids' buzz-cuts and piercings, the author's touristy excursions into the local scene, and daily family stuff. On the down side, I don't like the writing as much as I want to. Ayun's chatty style and clever phraseology are great in small doses, but harder to stay focused on for the longer narratives. I actually enjoyed reading her bio on her website and the blurbs about her various works more. Still, it's a bargain at $3.

the east village INKY
Ayun Halliday
PO Box 22754
Brooklyn NY 11202
www.ayunhalliday.com

Junk Zine #4

Junk Zine #4:
July 2007
6 Pages, Newsletter Format
$.58 SASE




This is a quirky, eclectic mix. There’s a little bit of everything in here; editorial, letters, fiction, essay/article, poetry, perspective, humor and classifieds. It’s not stated overtly, but there’s a noticeable inmate presence going on here; more than one writer alludes to time being served. Dawson also appears to be involved in a number of other semi-fringe projects. While the writing here is decidedly amateurish, it’s not bad, and there is cohesion to the package as a whole. I get the impression that Dawson knows exactly what he’s trying to do, even if I don’t quite get it.



James N Dawson
PO Box 613
Redwood Valley CA 95470

croq 8

 

 

 

croq 8

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 27, 2007

(comp zine)
1/2 letter; 52 pages; $4.00
croq.etsy.com

this great eighth issue covers the ins and outs of indie business, with articles on everything from indie craft fairs to crafting with kids to crafty resolutions. as always, there are tons of great projects and recipes throughout. if you're crafty, this is the zine for you.

 

 

 

chinese kitchen

 

 

 

chinese kitchen

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 24, 2007

(elise sampson)
1/2 letter; 32 pages; no price listed
www.itsmysite.com/chinesesweatshop

elise's tremendous zine is a work of art. hand-written with stapled-in additions like feathers and notes, the meat of the zine is a detailed description of the contents of her kitchen and of chinese markets. i honestly thought this would be the most boring zine ever, bu tit was actually super cute - each item has a memory and a story and is a little window into elise's world, and chinese culture in general (in some cases).

 

 

 

 

corduroy stars #3

 

 

 

corduroy stars #3

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 23, 2007

(laura)
1/4 letter; 48 pages
onesmallflicker.livejournal.com

inspired at the beginnings and the ends of love affairs, this zine's inspiration comes from the latter. super heavy and deep, this is a zine that'll take a few reads to get through but it's worth it. i loved her list of firsts, and found myself inspired to write my own! i'm not sure if/where you can pick this up, since it was written two years ago, but hunt it down!

 

 

 

 

beyond #4

 

 

 

beyond #4

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 23, 2007

(anke)
1/4 letter; 44 pages; no cost listed
linotteAThotmailDOTcom; linotte.livejournal.com

after over a year of waiting, anke finally gifts us with another issue of her zine. full of words and her drawings (gorgeous, amazing drawings), anke talks about how her life has changed since the last zine. from Germany, anke moves to London and most o the zine is about that transition: to college, to a new culture, to new friends. it's captivating and definitely worth picking up.

 

 

 

 

Death Accidental #1

Death Accidental #1-One Shot Productions

via Small Press Newsroom by -AF on Aug 23, 2007

Death Accidental #1- One Shot Productions. Full size comic, color covers, 52 pages, black and white with gray interior art.
Story by Jay W. Davis, Pencils and Ink by Curtis Rhodes.

This story pulls you in and carries you along for the ride. The art is dramatic and gives you all the information you need to follow the story. If Curtis keeps working on his comic art I'm sure he will be an artist to watch out for. His figure work is OK but could be better. He already has a knack for nice layouts and pacing the story well. His use of shading is also very experimental yet it works well with the story. The writing is great for the most part with only a small moments that didn't totally 'ring true' for me here and there. But the main thing is he keeps the reader wanting more! A true gift when it comes to comic writing.

The story is set in a small town where a series of murders have been taking place. We don't know who is responsible but have some people we suspect along the way. You'll just have to read it as I don't want to give anything away here.
Well worth the $5 price tag as this is a 52 page comic. A lot of time, and creative energy went into this project and it shows. I'd of done the lettering differently but that is another thing that will hopefully be improved as this company continues on in the future, as they look like they put out a lot of comics and if they stay with it, could very well hit on a winning series. Though from the looks of some of their covers (this book included) they could use some one with graphic design expertise to move them in a more professional stage of production.
(4 out of 5 stars)

$5 plus $2 shipping (I'm guessing) to: One Short Productions, 3125 S. Mendenhall #194, Memphis, TN 38115-2827 Web: www.oneshotproductions.com Jay W. Davis: jay@oneshotproductions.com, Curtis Rhodes: curtis@oneshotproductions.com

 

 

Roomates and Freeloaders #1

Roomates and Freeloaders #1-Carson/Thomsen

via Small Press Newsroom by -AF on Aug 23, 2007

Roomates and Freeloaders #1: The result of slackers in the real world. Written by Will Carson with artwork by Oliver Restorf-Thomsen. Full size comic, full color, 24 pages.

From the web site: Imagine waking up one day and realizing that all your roommates are either jobless, spend all their money on things non rent related, or were never invited to stay in your home. Then you don't have roommates. You have freeloaders. Now take a walk with Spazz as he employs some unconventional ways to cope with the blight you once referred to as roommates. Who knows, you may even walk away without any permanent emotional scars.

This is an online web comic that has been collected into a comic book. That explains why the art doesn't fit the comic pages I guess. This could be an addictive web comic once you meet the characters and if you are just starting out on your own and have friends that hang out too much. But otherwise the stories and art left me a little cold. But then I'm not just leaving home to get my first place on my own. So check out the site and judge for yourself. A nice touch is the behind the scenes in making a web comic section in the back of the comic. Great job there. Now if the artist can work more on his figure drawing and coloring skills a bit, and the writer can work out some more universal themes to the strips this could be more popular to a wider audience. If that is what they are after. (2 stars out of 5)

Get more info at: www.roomatesandfreeloaders.com no price on the comic. Email Will at: waking.of.the.gods@gmail.com or Oliver at: rudemates@arcor.de and there is another site at: www.clovenhand.com/webcomics/roomates-and-freeloaders

 

 

birthdays and christmas

 

 

 

birthdays and christmas

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 23, 2007

(alex wrekk)
1/2 legal; 24 pages
branscanzineATriseupDOTnet

alex put together this zine in about a week, discussing several of the birthdays and christmases that marked her life. i've always been a big fan of hers, the way she shares these glimpses into her world in succinct little snippets that hold so much. always prolific and generous with her sharing, this zine is the perfect intro for anyone who's never read her zines. all four of you that are left!

 

 

 

barrelhouse 2

 

 

 

barrelhouse 2

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 21, 2007

(r. lee)
1/2 letter; 24 pages; $2.00
po box 1421; oshkosh, wi; 54903

in this second issue, our protagonist gets a job with the most frustratingly nice man he's ever met. in a combination of handwritten story and phenomenal drawing, an intricate and surreal tale is told. definitely worth reading, even if i didn't think it was my sort of tale.

 

 

 

the juniper 6

 

 

 

the juniper 6

via she reviews zines by Robyn on Aug 21, 2007

(dan murphy)
1/2 letter; 12 pages; free with stamp
juniperjournalAThotmailDOTcom

from discussions of trickle-down effect to the consequences of the quest for cheaper food, this issue hits some difficult issues. the essay on local buying, coupled with the discussion of "five acres of freedom" makes this zine one to pick up for sure.

 

 

 

Journalsong #6

Journalsong #6:
96 Pages Pocket Size
$2



A perzine from Steve in Portland. Steve is articulate and somewhat insightful, but not all that interesting. The writing is morose and self indulgent, with little compensation to the reader. Quit drinking. Start drinking. Letter from ex-girlfriend. On the road. Gigs. Nice drawings, cool translucent cover. “You know where all the commas and semi-colons go. You don’t have to rely on spell-check all the time. Run-on sentences have been split up into bite-size twos and threes. You’ve got a crystal clear thesis, a chunky ass body, and a conclusion like a judge’s gavel. But somehow there isn’t as much to be said, now that you know how to say it so nicely.” That’s as good as it gets.



Microcosm Publishing
222 S Rogers ST
Bloomington IN 47404
www.microcosmpublishing.com
or contact Steve directly @
journalsong at hotmail.com

Anchorage Anarchy #9

Anchorage Anarchy #9
12 Page, Half Legal
$1



The title says it all. This is a serious and humorless rant zine that attacks all government without prejudice of party affiliation. Overall, it is well written and packaged. While a chunk of it is nothing new or different, there's a decent three page rant on the incestuous and insane relationship between religion and government, despite our alleged intent to separate them. Otherwise, this is likely of interest primarily to those already invested in the anarchist point of view.





Joe Peacott
Bad Press
PO Box 230332
Anchorage AK 99523-0332
bbrigade at world.std.com
world.std.com/~bbrigade

Emerge and See Unity #2

Emerge and See Unity #2
44 Pages, Chapbook
$2 and Prearranged Trades


I really like this, though, I couldn't agree less with Dakota about his anarchist anti-establishment views. He comes from a nice, progressive, multi-cultural family, but he was obsessed with military stuff as a boy, finds the power-establishment to blame for that, and is now trying to be a better person. What I like is he's sincere, a good writer, and capable of grappling with the issues he writes about. He uses the same measure of culpability on himself as he does on The Man, and is not simply parroting any party line. He's extremely well read, and gives generous synopses and opinions of much of it; it's like getting the Cliff notes on cool obscure stuff I probably won't ever read. Lots of cool artwork.




Dakota Phoenix
PO Box 271
Bausman PA 17540
psilint51@yahoo.com

MISHAP #21

MISHAP #21
52 Pages, Chapbook
$3 or Trade

"It's not a fanzine," MISHAP editor Ryan
reminds us early on in issue #21 of this
nicely designed and wide-ranging
publication. And he's right. When I think of
a fanzine I think of the obsessive movie
publications that first introduced me to the
world of self-publishing. MISHAP aspires
to be far more than that and hits more than
it misses. In its 52 digest-sized pages you'll
find everything from the typical section of
book and zines reviews with punk and
political leanings to a series of cartoons
about a possum leaving Oregon because
he's tired of the abuse. Other features of
note include a report from a Death Metal
Fest in which the writer confronts one
band's singer over their on-stage
comments and attire, as well as a
straightforward interview with the
Finlandian Tolkien metal band Battlelore.
I'm probably getting too old and removed
from it for MISHAP's screeds about the
`punk' lifestyle but wouldn't hesitate to
recommend it for its writing, variety and
design.

PO Box 5841
Eugene OR 97405

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Reviewed by Dan Taylor, editor of
THE HUNGOVER GOURMET.
The brand new issue #10
features articles on competitive eating,
multi-tiered burgers, White Castle in
Harlem, In-N-Out Burger, pork rinds and
more. Single copies are $3 from PO Box
5531, Lutherville, MD 21094-5531 or order
on-line at hungovergourmet.com

+++++ +++++ +++++ +++++

This review first appeared in
XEROGRAPHY DEBT #21
Mail your check (payable to Davida Gypsy Breier), cash, or stamps to:
Davida Gypsy Breier, PO Box 11064, Baltimore, MD 21212

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