Blue Okoye #1

from Randy Spaghetti by noreply@blogger.com (Randy Spaghetti)

Blue Okoye! #1
$1
973 Crescent Street #2
Brooklyn, NY 11208
This is an interesting first issue in that has a lot of potential, but as it stands, is a bit empty. I’m not trying to be condescending to the author when I say, “He’s almost there”, but that’s how this zine felt for me. The stories start strong, feel like they are going somewhere, and then abruptly end. They then seem more like poems and less like stories, and I don’t think that’s what the author was trying to do. He’s a good writer and given time I think this zine could really stand out. This issue also has some of his illustrations that are really well done. Blue Okoye is a talented guy, and although the stories didn’t develop the way that I would have preferred, they did leave me wanting more.

Yeast Hoist 16

No Hope #5

from Blackguard

52 pages, magazine size, by Jason Dean, 5 St. Dials Road, Old Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 3AN, UK +++ deanjason143(at)aol.com
Knowing the kind of dark and complex work Jason produces (at his best), the cover of his new issue really fucked with me. I stared for a long time at that drawing, trying to find some menacing element. There's none. Later, having finished reading the whole book, I found the answer in the final story. It's a happy family picnic drawn like a children's comic, with puzzles and colouring-in activities along the way. Then it gets real nasty. You will never see that cover the same way again.
Let's get the art out of the way first before moving on to the stories, because it's the first thing you notice. Jason's art is technically shit fucking hot. To put so much time into each page, the content has gotta be up to it, and in No Hope #5 it definitely is. And it's a helluva ride, with one-page strips devoted to death-dealing fantasies ('I Wish I Had A Kalashnikov') and fashion ('The Aborted Human Fetus'), and longer strips re-imagining death and funerals ('The Funeral'); a psychotic breakdown of a stick figure ('The Disturbing Dream Of A Depressed Overworked Designer Of Pictorial Symbols'); and a terrific adaption of a story from the book Stalkers by Jean Ritchie [Harper Collins, 1994] ('Every Minute Of The Day').
Then there's the final story, 'Let's Have A Picnic', which the cover is a snapshot of, before things take a turn for the ugly, shall we say.
This is absolutely essential for those of you, who know who you are.

Zine Showcase #4 (reviews) by Sophie

Zine Showcase #4

from Oh My Clumsy Heart by sophie@ohmyclumsyheart.com (Sophie)

Gareth Brookes
Website // Blog
The Smell Of The Wild // £1.50 + shipping

This 16 page, black and white book with a hand stencilled front cover poetically describes the beauty of the English countryside alongside stunning illustrations. Gareth Brookes was the winner of Best Overall Book with this entry into the Aberfeldy Artist Book Festival in 2008.

Lucia Quevedo
Website
What Would I Do Without You

Lucia Quevedo's work intrigues me; she "looks into the role of adaptation with a constant interest to integrate within it, believing this applies to everything including humans and their possessions". Familiar objects feature heavily within Lucia Quevedo's work and 'What Would I Do Without You' perfectly demonstrates this approach. The interest in familiar possessions is they exist for a specific reason, at some point they have been "justified to be made for an individual use that has been witnessed as important and necessary." To me this zine is perfect; the simple lines and minimalistic approach speaks volumes.

Chris Piascik
Website // Shop
Typostruction // £5 + shipping

Chris Piascik reigns supreme when it comes to fun, boisterous typography; this self-published zine from, Print Brigade, contains twenty five drawings on neon paper bright enough to damage your sight. Fantastic, enthusiastic and playful, Chris Piascik's typography skills are devilishly good. Lucky for me I get to work with him thanks to the wonderful Peculiar Bliss collaboration.

Erd Yakingun
Website // Blog // Shop
Shoreditch Misery // Limited Quantity

With more than a nod of recognition to Channel 4's Nathan Barley, this gorgeously packaged giclée printed zine with acetate cover deals with the misery of East End life in a heavily satirical, tongue-in-cheek manner. It takes a light-hearted stab at the current trends of London living and will have you laughing and cringing in equal measures.

Website // Blog // Shop
Minutiae #1 // $3.00 + shipping
This is the first zine in a series about the details of daily life and moments that captured the imagination of Aijung Kim on her arrival in Portland, Oregon. A 20 page, black and white zine printed on recycled paper; the gorgeously intricate, image-heavy content describes beautifully life in Rose City.

Xerography Debt #27

from Randy Spaghetti by noreply@blogger.com (Randy Spaghetti)

Xerography Debt #27
$3
POB 11064
Baltimore, MD 21212
Beginning with the great cover art by Hai Anxieti, this issue of Xerography Debt is top notch through and through. For years Xerography Debt has been promoting and spotlighting the world of independent publishing and zines in a truly dignified way and this issue is no exception. With Davida Gypsy Breier at the helm and a host of veteran zinesters as columnists and reviewers, this can’t help but be awesome. I really enjoyed reading the “Where are they now” piece about ex-zine writers, as I often wonder (and have wondered aloud in the early stages of this blog) as to the whereabouts of many of my old pen pals. I could also relate to Jeff Somers’s (of The Inner Swine) column about getting older, drinking, and repeating oneself in print. If you’ve never read XD before, it’s essentially a zine-review zine with big personalities behind the reviews, columns, and interviews. Excellent.

Fast Pace

|| ISSUE 4\\

We are currently changing our online stores at the moment, so if you want to get yourself a copy of the new issue please email -

ROCCOFASTPACEZINE@GMAIL.COM

Sorry!

We are also sold out of our previous issues. So if you would like to get one, just download it from the online issues.

Herbal Healing for Piercings and Tattoos: Organic Aftercare for Everyone

Herbal Healing for Piercings and Tattoos: Organic Aftercare for Everyone by Anastasia Weedsmith
digest, 37 pages, $3
I don't have piercings or tattoos, nor do I plan on getting any in the near or distant future, still I found this zine quite interesting and informative. Stacy really knows her stuff and has produced a thorough and incredibly useful zine about caring for tattoos and piercings so that you don't end up regretting your decision or cursing your luck when things go wrong. She starts by explaining the healing process and then goes into detail about various products and nutrients that are useful in the aftercare of a piercing or tattoo as well as warning about products that shouldn't be used. Along the way she offers instructions on how to use the products she recommends and when to use them. Also included are recipes on how to make useful things like soaps, moisturizers, and infused oils. Finally, she includes a list and descriptions of some organic jewelry products. I really appreciate the emphasis on natural and organic products as that is something I would promote as well. This is definitely a zine that I would recommend to anyone and everyone who plans on getting pierced or tattooed.
weedsmith@live.com
http://www.anastasiaweedsmith.wordpress.com/

Tales of Good Ol' Snoop Doggy Dogg

Tales Of Good Ol' Snoop Doggy Dogg by J.T. Yost
5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 12 pages, $3.00
Brown recycled cover with B&W interior
Strange little comic detailing three short dreams that the author had involving Snoop Dogg. Also included is a sweet, little story about how the author was first introduced to Snoop Dogg's music as a gawky, geeky young kid at a party for cool kids. The party didn't end well for young J.T., but at least he discovered some new tunes.
www.birdcagebottombooks.com
www.jtyost.com
www.theholyyost.blogspot.com

Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales

Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales by J.T. Yost
6 5/8" x 10 1/4", 56 pages, $6.95

Perfect Bound with Full-Color Cover, B&W interior
Very nice collection of beautifully illustrated stories. The main feature is "Old Man Winter" about a lonely, old widower waiting around to die. "All Is Forgiven" is an equally sad and tragic story involving a man who experiments on animals. "Logging Sanjay" provides some comic relief; you'll have to read it yourself to find out what "logging" refers to in this case. The last two "sordid tales" involve more animal abuse, and they will definitely move you.

http://www.birdcagebottombooks.com

http://www.jtyost.com/

http://www.theholyyost.blogspot.com/

world's largest zine collection?

Matt has just purchased the bulk of Fact Sheet 5's zine collection. Those 12,000 zines and comics plus his already sizable collection probably makes this the largest zine collection in the world. He guesses he has at least 20,000 zines.

Sophie's Zine Showcase #3

Zine Showcase #3

from Oh My Clumsy Heart by sophie@ohmyclumsyheart.com (Sophie)

Alyssa
Blog // Shop
Pardon Me But What Pickup Line Works Best For You // $3 + shipping

This is a fantastic quarter sized zine featuring twenty-two illustrations of the most ridiculous pickup lines; Alyssa has the most wonderful sense of humour. 'Pardon Me But What Pickup Line Works Best For You' had me smiling and laughing out loud - "If you were a laser you would be set on stunning." This is a definite favourite in my collection and I would absolutely recommend purchasing it. However, I do wonder whether any of them actually work..

Isis
Website // Shop
The Little Tea Zine // $5.00 + shipping

A limited print run of a 40 page zine all about tea featuring recipes, stories, reviews and craft ideas. Tea lovers will adore this thoroughly enjoyable collaborative zine. Suggestions for infusing your own tea with fruit or spices, the reviews of various blends along with the a brief history of tea drinking itself is particularly interesting. For anybody who enjoys a lovely cup of tea I would highly recommend taking a look at this wonderful little zine.

Gemma Correll
Website // Shop
Treasures of Sky Mall // £3.50 + shipping

In her own words Gemma Correll has attempted to convey the feeling of joy and relaxation she gets from visiting Sky Mall in this 12 page, black and white zine. If you don't know who Gemma Correll is by now.. where have you been? Gemma's distinct illustrative style infused with a light-hearted humour is a winning combination. Peruse these baffling items and laugh at their utter uselessness.

Maxime Francout & Café Royal
Website // Catalogue // Blog
Hello / Goodbye // Sold Out

A black and white, 24 page zine limited to fifty copies featuring a blend of photography and illustrative work. A source of inspiration if you have a passion for hand drawn patterns, geometric shapes and an appreciation of skateboarding.

Adrian Curcher
Blog // Tumblr
Gig Etiquette
I received this zine in a trade at The London Zine Symposium from Adrian himself and it quickly became very popular amongst my (at the time) small collection of zines. I love everything about it from the "do's and don't's" etiquette advice to the collage style imagery - I really do think it is fantastic

Hours Zine

OWT #3

Narcolepsy Press Review #6

from Blackguard

40 pages, digest size, $3.00, stamps or a decent letter >>> Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim CA 92817-7131, USA +++ narcolepsypresszine (at) hotmail.com
I bust out the 30-can slab o' VB whenever a new Narcolepsy Press Review arrives in my mailbox because it's so bitchin', it means it's time to party!
This time around, Randy's got some cool cover art by Schirm (I never heard of him, but he's welcome in the pages of Blackguard any day.) ... Wait a minute, I just remembered I wrote this review up about a week ago using real actual pen and paper while waiting for the internet to come back on. Here's what I wrote:

So great to receive a new issue of NPR! Randy describes his reviews as "comprehensive and opinionated", and he's not bullshitting. It's one of the coolest things about this zine. I was on the bus reading it this morning and had to underline this part, the end of a review of a zine called Twilight World:
"I'm gonna throw in one critique and say that somebody has got to fuckin' proofread all these myriad goddam spelling errors!"
Aside from the pages and pages of great zine reviews, Randy also writes about what he got up to during the summer, like seeing The Donnas, and going to HempCon); a page of book reviews (ten of his favourite books he read since the last issue); his Top Ten 25 songs he's been listening to (great to see Dinosaur Jr in there!); loads of readers' letters, mostly from prisoners; some cool Pokemon drawings from Randy's son Tanner; the usual atheist quotes, and a whole bunch of zine ads in the back in true zine spirit. Does anybody else even do that any more?
NPR fuckin' rocks, man. One of the best zines out there.

Psychic Violence #1