zine, [zeen] noun. 1. abbr. of fanzine; 2. any amateurly-published periodical. Oxford Reference

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Knocked 'Em by Patrick Dean

 
 

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via file under other by shannon.smith@cgi.com (Shannon Smith) on 5/15/09

Big Deal Comics & Stories No. 10 "Knocked 'Em" by Patrick Dean.
Huge tabloid sized single story comic book. Hand painted with spot coloring.

One of the main things I look forward to at each year's Fluke show is getting Patrick Dean's latest comic. Patrick's Big Deal collections usually contain short stories and strips full of wacky robots, monsters and hillbillies but this edition of Big Deal is a big departure. Big as in huge. You really have to see the thing. "Tabloid" does not properly describe it. It is very tall. It is a great looking book with an awesome color cover. The interiors are black and white with some red in the appropriately gruesome spots.
Patrick's style is a fusion of all the best lurid elements of silver age sci-fi and horror comics fused together with all the best lurid elements of men's magazine gag comics. Most of his comics are packed with jokes and clever banter but this book is a more serious silent piece. Still, it's got the wacky situations and monsters I expect in an issue of Big Deal. I don't want to say too much about the story because it would ruin the wicked ending but I'll just say that it explores a situation where two lovers are hiding things from each other... and monsters. It is a really fun read and every panel is beautiful. It's the type of book you will want to flip through over and over again each time you pass by it.
We are only about five months into 2009 but I already think that this book is going to be one of the must have minicomics of 2009. I seldom tell my readers how to spend their money but I seriously recommend you visit Dean's website and request a copy. He was only charging five bucks at Fluke but really, he should be charging at least twice that. While you are there you can check out some of his other Big Deal stories. Enjoy.

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

 
 

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at 5:41 PM 0 Comments

MONGREL ZINE

 
 

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It's been my experience that a zine that has an art focus is a dicey prospect because art, for some reason, often has a side eff ... #3, 48 pgs., $?

 
 

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TCAF: THE GOODS!

 
 

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via SAME HAT! SAME HAT! by ryan on 5/24/09

[RSS readers, this post features galleries using PictoBrowser; Please click through to the blog to view them!]

As with any zine fest or comic con, the best moments of the experience come days later, back at home as you pore over all the trades and new finds from walking the aisles. I purposely avoided any books I could grab back home, like Fantagraphics or Drawn & Quarterly books, and focused on new zines and minis from all over (and especially folks from around Toronto).

Here is a recap w/capsule reviews of the haul from TCAF 2009. [For previous TCAF posts, including a round-up of the event and all things Tatsumi, click here!]

+ Michael DeForge zines

I've talked about Michael a few times on here, but this was the first time I got my hands on paper copies of his zines. The three zines were Gags, The Seed Stirs, and another whose name I can't decipher. The books include a smattering of splash drawings, gags and experimental strips, and paneled comics. This young dude is scary talented, one of the most prolific and interesting artists working right now!



Check out more of his art on his site, King Trash.

+ Toronto comics newspaper zines


Courtesy of printmaker Jesjit Gill, I got my hands on these free (or damn near) newsprint comics zine. Jesjit organizes a new Toronto paper called "FREE DRAWINGS" which includes folks from all over Toronto flexing their chops. The right-most paper in this photo is from a groupd show by Jesjit, Michael DeForge and Steph Davidson called "Neighborhood Sacrifice". I found out from Jesjit that the price to print these is often just like 15 cents per copy!

I am working on a longer post for the EAZB just about newsprint comics and how they are the perfect format for 2009 recession community comics... I was really excited by these, both the format and the art.

+ Open Spaces, Closed Places #3 by saicoink

I put up a thing recently on my twitter, but OSCP by Saicoink is the perfect comic for folks that love Antique Bakery AND Suehiro Maruo (like me!). He style is influenced heavily by 60s and 70s romance manga, and her tale of high school love drama is hilarious and fun. I strongly recommend you check it out, the newest book is longer and perfect bound by hand :) (Saicoink also contributoed a great page to the body horror jam comic Electric Ant #2)



+ Ghana Movie Posters

From Buenaventura Press, this is a gallery catalog featuring hand-painted movies posters from Ghana, along with interesting essays about the industry and practice. It was a bit steep but worth it for repeated viewings.



+ The Good Samaritan by Shawn Cheng

A lovely and short mini by Shawn Cheng featuring what looks like hand-screened pages throughout. Shawn's style is super unique, and his color layering (on peach-paper!) adds a strange alien quality to what's a funny (and tragic) little tale. I also highly recommend his mini, The Would-Be Bridegrooms.



+ Remake by Lamar Abrams

I was recommend REMAKE by Lamar Abrams by my buddy Mickey, and was pumped to find it at the AdHouse booth at TCAF. I don't know much about Lamar, but this fucking crazy book is a great distillation of Japanese 4koma sensibilities with the best of Adult Swim style irreverence. The art gets tighter as the book goes on, but remains wild throughout. I highly recommend this.



+ Comics Comics #3 & #4

After following Comics Comics blog for a while, I finally got my hands on two issues of their comics crit/lit newspaper. Frank Santoro hooked me up with these directly, and it turns out that he is as chill annd generous in person as he is ferocious and knowledgeable in online postings. Comics fans have known about these papers (compiled by PictureBox's Dan Nadel, Tim Holder, Frank, and other friends) for a while, but it wasn't 'til reading the hard copies that I got what they are doing. These (along with some other newsprint publications mentioned here) really got my head spinning about the format. Also: Check out that article about Berserk in issue 4!



+ Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton


I don't have much to add to the already loud chorus of folks in love with Kate Beaton's history webcomics. Aside from Bryan Lee O'Malley and Tatsumi, Kate was the belle of the TCAF ball-- I heard she sold out of 200 copies of this self-published book on the first day! Dizamn.

+ Wowee Zonk #1 and #2



As I'm working on issue 2 of Electric Ant, I've been thinking more and more about zines and collaboration. Wowee Zonk is a zine made by 3 friends (Chris Kuzma, Ginette Lapalme, and Patrick Kyle), which expanded to include comics by their friends in issue 2. Both issues are packed-full and interesting, but I was especially taken with #2, which was pretty dense with comics but in a lightweight tabloid format featuring newsprint interiors and a glossy cover. Toronto has a pretty fresh zine scene, and the Wowee Zonk crew especially is doing cool things. Check them out!

+ Rat Cliff by Andrei Georgescu, from Wowee Zonk #2


Special shout out to Andrei's totally badass comic. A knife through the neck of your homeroom teacher never looked so good.

+ College Type Funnies by Chris Kuzma & Patrick Kyle



More goodies from the Wowee Zonk crew, this feature a crazy short by Chris, and a longer tale of undead punk cred by Patrick. Yeah, I LOL'd

+ Beastlord by Chris Kuzma



Last thing from the Wowees, I grabbed this TMNT-meets-Frazetta mini from Chris. See more of Chris Kuzma's art on his personal site.

+ Amazing Facts... and Beyond! collection by Kevin Huizenga, Dan Zettwoch, and Ted May


A great collection of this weekly strip out of St. Louis. It runs in some alt-weeklies, but it's especially nice to get a super-dense mini of a few months' worth of comics in one package. Hilarious stuff.

+ Tramp and Stamp Postcard Series by Leif Goldberg and It's Sexy When People Know Your Name by Lisa Hanawalt


More expensive but worthy minis from Buenaventura. These screen-printed postcards are freakishly intricate and weird, while Lisa Hanawalt's mini was short and sweet. Lisa's pencil work is delightful and creepy, and I can't wait for a longer comic from her. She is also planned to take part in Electric Ant #2 (can't believe my luck!).

+ you are i am magic by Lark Pien


A lush and lovely mini from Bay Area comic maven Lark Pien. Her book featured effortless and pretty colors and textures, and a short and fantastical story-- a la a fanciful European children's book.

+ Michael Comeau's collage newspaper Parade of Humanity



Non-narrative, but taking advantage of the huge-ass newsprint format, I dug this dirty paper by Michael Comeau. It was only a few bucks from Koyama Press, and further cemented some weird ideas I had about the awesomeness of newsprint. Also, did I mention it's hella dirty?

Okay, that's the end of TCAF posts. I hope folks found some things they were digging in this post and take the time to get in touch with the artists. Here's to the next TCAF in 2011...

 
 

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NEW SHINTARO KAGO MANGA RELEASED

 
 

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via SAME HAT! SAME HAT! by ryan on 6/11/09

The second piece of Shintaro Kago news? His latest manga collection was released in Japan. Details and cover are taken from his site's main page.


TITLE: アリ地獄vsバラバラ少女 (Arijogoku vs. Barbara Shojo aka Doodlebug vs. Brokedown Girl(?))
PUBLISHER: Kubo Ama Shoten
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2009
PRICE: 1260 Yen

DESCRIPTION: A horror collection, featuring splatter horror stories from Horror M and gag manga style horror from Young Jump.

Anyone heading to TACOche in the next little while? :)

 
 

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at 5:35 PM 3 Comments

‘ROOTS TO FRUITS’ by APAK

 
 

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via ARTHUR MAGAZINE - WE FOUND THE OTHERS by Floating World on 6/10/09

APAK is Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland. They are husband and wife tag team artists who live among the furry conifer giants in a little cottage on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. They create artwork together as a way of exploring the beauty, mystery, and magic of life as well as expressing their love for life and for each other. It is their hope that their work sparkles your eyes and brings you a warm smile.  Click on image for full size.

rootstofruitsweb

'Roots to Fruits' is a little limited edition zine made for "Story Motel"  @ Owl & Lion Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. An exhibition of zines and multiple publishing.

Show Dates: 14th May - 12th June, 2009


 
 

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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

 
 

And then there's the ever-controversial Mykel Board, masturbating while watching the presidential election results come in. ... #309, $4 U.S. and Canada, 8 ½ x 11", newsprint.

 
 

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MONGREL ZINE

 
 

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Overall, this is a solid zine that still seems lukewarm to me, possibly because it is lacking a unifying theme. ... #4, $?, 9" x 7", copied, 84 pgs.

 
 

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NEGATIVE REACTION

 
 

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I'm sorry, but if you write on your cover that you have an interview with Anthrax and it's not the same Anthrax we all know and ... £4, 8 ½" x 11", printed, 32 pgs.

 
 

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NO FUTURE

 
 

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You're better off going online and reading whatever news stories you want at your own discretion. ... #2, 2 ½" x 8 ½", 11 pgs., full-color

 
 

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OUR LIVES!

 
 

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the bulk of the material is blurted out, writing about coffee'd-up nights with friends and visits to vegan cafes. Nothing new th ... #1, $4, Photocopied, 5.5" x 8.5", 32 Pgs.

 
 

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ROADKILL

 
 

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 it's more a piece of overlooked modern Americana than just a zine. ... #5, $?, 7" x 7", copied, 22 pgs.

 
 

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ROADKILL

 
 

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Many zines go through a transitional period before they find their stride. Such is definitely the case with Roadkill. ... Vol. 1 Issues 1-4, free with donation of your soul, 7" x 8 ½", copied, avg. 30 p

 
 

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SCENE TRASH

 
 

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You ain't got the clout to get that interview with Fall Out Boy, but keep giving them good reviews and name-dropping them in art ... #29, $?, 5 ½" x 8 ½", copied, 36 pgs.

 
 

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Zine - Tumble & Fall - $6.00

 
 

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via gracialouise on 5/13/09

Tumble & Fall, a small zine by Gracia Haby. A 10.5 X 15cm, 17 page colour zine with a peacock-blue cover card and black card spine, with a cardboard backing. Includes four black linen-paper pages with hand-cut smattering of stars. Featuring Tumble and Fall collages I through XII. Remote and incandescent, stars hang in the night sky, luminous and fixed, held by their own gravity. Billions of years old, you can look upon them for a little celestial navigation and orientation, and you can even make a wish upon one. All zines are wrapped in an envelope with cardboard insert to ensure arrival of a smooth zine to your door. Zine proportions: 10.5 cm X 15 cm. Glean a little more here. {Please note: price shown in Australian dollars.} {Please note (also): much adored polar bear ornament not included.}

 
 

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Academic Year Re-cap

 
 

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via Barnard Zine Library on 5/13/09


reprinted with permission

For the first summer in a long time, I am not going to be here, instead pursuing vague plans in Europe and Boston that will hopefully involve me getting a job, the prospects of which are tenuous at best.  (The wonderous Lucy takes my place!)

This is just to say, so long, and also to provide a recap of all that was September-May at the Barnard Zine Library:

We got lots of new donations from incredible people!  (Megan Gendell, Celia Perez, Thad Harvey, Sharon Druck...)

We were mentioned in another college publication!

Our development policy changed to be more inclusive!

Zines circulated like crazy!

I turned 21!  (Okay, that's not technically Barnard Zine related news)

We blogged lots of recipes and fun facts and feminist news!

Jenna spoke at conferences and presented lots of different information about archives and women and zines! and there was a Zine Library (un)conference!

We had an incredible intern, who is smart and funny and amazing!

We made the cataloguing process more accessible to patrons by shelving zines before abstracting and archiving them!

I'll be back in September, and I hope everyone enjoys their summer.  Signing off for now, trusty zine readers, writers, and supporters.  Thanks for a great year!


 
 

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Two books from Z Metro Tales reviewed at Poopsheet Foundation.

 
 

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via file under other by shannon.smith@cgi.com (Shannon Smith) on 5/13/09


Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

 
 

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May 13 & 14: Back-to-Back Showpaper Benefits in Brooklyn

 
 

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via ARTHUR MAGAZINE - WE FOUND THE OTHERS by Emilie Friedlander on 5/13/09

issue52narwhalz1
Showpaper #52, Brian Blomerth, Narwhaltz of Sound

Showpaper, the free, biweekly foldout of DIY, all-ages concert listings in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, has revolutionized (or, more aptly, de-virtualized) the way a lot of us find out about shows. Rather than spend hours clicking away on the internet, music lovers can now walk into favorite comic store or falafel joint and pick up a single sheet of newsprint that lists all of these events in one place. Better yet, Showpaper is also its own physical souvenir–each issue doubles as a limited edition poster print of an original artist's work, which you can tack up in your living room for all to see or simply revisit once in a while to remind yourself of a good week in musical time gone by. Perhaps you were too busy concert-hopping to notice, but this month marks the publication's two-year anniversary, as well as a handful of fun Showpaper benefits to help keep the publication going strong. Showpaper is 100% advertising free, and relies on the public sponsorship and volunteered labor-time of readers like you in order to stick around in your neighborhood.

If you are not already booked up with other Showpaper listings, kindly check out these two awesome fundraiser events in Brooklyn this week:


MVT: MUSIC VIDEO TIME
(videos curated by ARTICLE / Nick Chatfield-Taylor)
Ninjasonik "Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant" (PREMIERE)
Titus Andronicus "Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape and the Fall of Icarus"
by Mike Reynolds (PREMIERE)
Japanther "Radical Businessman" (PREMIERE)
Animal Collective "My Girls"
Matt and Kim "Lessons Learned"
Screaming Females "Bell"
by Biz Lynch
Future Islands "Beach Foam"
by Joe Stakun
Len Lye's Swinging the Lambeth Walk (From 1940)
Punk Tree (Japanther Documentary)
by Chad Van Nau
2 short docs on The Eskalators' Subway Show
by Charlie Ahearn and Flip Switch Productions
more vids tba / q&a after each vid

ALSO obscure and hilarious advertisements in between music videos curated by FREE DANGER / Jay Buim

8PM / $5-20 (sliding scale) / ALL AGES (duh!)
Wednesday May 13th @ Monster Island Basement (map)
[ G > Lorimer / L > Bedford / JMZ > Marcy ]

========

From Benefit Posters
NOISE @ SILENT BARN
(music/media curated by Nick Nauman)
IN
Holy Spirits
The Derelicts
Visual Projections by Ivy Meadows and Ashley May

8PM / $5-20 (sliding scale) / ALL AGES (duh!)
Thursday, May 14th @ The Silent Barn (map)
[ L > Halsey / M > Myrtle-Wyckoff ]

Also performing at the Silent Barn show on the 14th, the mighty psych-rock outfit Behavior, who, after appearing basically out of nowhere, have been eliciting ear-to-ear grins all over New York City with their inspired mix of taught melodica and high-gravity jam outros that are messy as all hell.
may14th2009-1

For more information on upcoming benefits, sign up for the Showpaper mailing list here


 
 

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Let's Burn 1-4, Sweden 1984-85.

 
 

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via punks is hippies - the blog! by Slobodan Burgher on 5/13/09




Mikael Sorling:

Max Thornell was only 14 years old when he put out the first issue of Let's Burn fanzine in 1984. A year later the young punk from Växjö had managed to put out another three issues plus a bunch of compilation tapes. Let's Burn was focused on Swedish bands and wrote about known bands such as DNA, The Bristles, Kurt i kuvös, Raped Teenagers, Slam, Avskum, Absurd and Existenz. But Max spiced it also with (for me) unknown hooligans such as for example the Bollnäs-band Gunnar & The Gangster (anyone heard of them?) and a share of British punk like The Expelled, Antisocial, Cult Maniax, Broken Bones and - very surprisingly - The 4-Skins. But he also wrote about punk from Finland, Belgium, Brazil and Germany. And many articles about vivisection.

If you are new to Let's Burn you will perhaps know Max from a series of tugh bands that he's played with over the years: Max & The Chainsaws, Jesus Exercise, Dom Där, Morte Paura, Siniterror, Satanarchy and Furbowl are only a few of the bands. Today he's with death metal group Hearse.

Let's Burn #1 (1984)
The Expelled, DNA, Upright Citizens, AB Hjärntvätt, Terveet Kädet, Förortsbarn, Five go mad in Europe, Gunnar & The Gangsters, Trojne,

Let's Burn #2 (1985)
Sötlimpa, Slam, Cult Maniax, Avskum, Incharge, Svart Framtid, Antisocial, Strawd Dogs, The Beliers, Rövsvett, Rattus, The 4-Skins, Nervkollaps,

Let's Burn #3 (1985)
The Bristles, Kurt i kuvös, Broken Bones, Raped Teenagers, The Beliers, Undead, Absurd, Dead Scouts,

Let's Burn #4 (1985)
Existenz, Really Fast Records, Insolencia Publica, Patrull Grisskit, Dom där, DTAL, Upright Citizens, grekisk punk, Zyklome A, idolbild på Tatuerade Snutkukar,

(Click links for download).

 
 

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Review: Aurealis #41

 
 

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via HorrorScope by Mark Smith-Briggs on 5/27/09

Aurealis #41 showcases the talents of Australia's female speculative fiction writers with an all-female issue of the premier fantasy, horror, and sci-fi mag.

Featuring seven original stories from all spectrums of the speculative fiction genre – Aurealis #41 puts aside the usual contenders to showcase some of the country's up-and-coming talents. Horror, sci-fi, fantasy and humour are represented in equal measure showing a real diversity that doesn't pigeon-hole the authors into any clichés. Sure, many of the stories feature strong female characters, or bring a feminist take on a situation, but the "alternate view" brings an often refreshing spin to familiar themes or storylines.

LJ Hayward's "The Hounds of Wychwood" is the only story to use a male protagonist, but the period piece about a supernatural scholar who faces Fairy Hounds and Black Dogs in a quiet country village is a real treat. Helen Patrice's "Ladies Day" puts a fun twist on time travel with a comic tale about meddling in the lives of history's famous women writers, while Miranda Siemienowicz handles mythological tragedy just as well as she does horror with the beautifully penned "Aleph Mem Tav".

An essay by Patricia L O'Neill about her role in the discovery of the Ebola and HIV/Aids viruses is both educational and frightening, and poignant considering the recent swine flu outbreak.

The only real disappointment here is that Australia's female artists could not get the same look in as our writers, with all but one of the story illustrations done by men. Whether this highlights a shortage in speculative fiction female artists, I am not sure.

Aurealis #41 continues its run of good form and is well worth its cover price for those looking to see what our home grown girls have to offer.

Aurealis is a bi-annual magazine of Australian sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Buy a single issue or subscribe for an annual membership here.

 
 

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News: AntipodeanSF #132

 
 

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via HorrorScope by Talie Helene on 6/2/09

AntipodeanSF Issue 132 is now available on the net. Please visit for your monthly fix of fantastic flash fiction, another ten stories from everywhere around the world, and spanning subjects that stretch even further than that.

This month's flash stories are:

  • Squatters by Dean Grondo
  • Postcard From Castle Khozi by Jan Napier
  • The Wood Moths by David Kernot
  • The Monk by Ray O'Brien
  • Icarus Rising by Alison Pearce
  • A Matter of Choice by Shaun A. Saunders
  • Edison & Earth by Jonathan Gillen
  • A Future For Despair by Nicolas Sheppard
  • The Couch by Karen Maric
  • April by David Such

In addition to the usual crop of flash SF stories, you'll also find regular columns. In Going Critical Jan Napier gives Richard Morgan the treatment, and in Vide, Nuke goes flying in the strange universe Spirit, the latest novel by Gwyneth Jones. Finally, dig around a little more and you'll find two gem fifty-worders and a spot of poetry.

Source: Nuke, Editor

 
 

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