This anthology contains seven short comic stories by artist and writer Soren Lundi, spanning time periods and mythologies, featuring mad princes, immortal wooden dolls, and chainsmoking androids. Trade paperback, 150 pp.
$11.50 US/$14.70 International $7.50 US/$10.70 International
Courtney's (Muse) anti-love letter to Alabama was written after she packed up and moved from North Carolina to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to attend library science school. The move came with an unexpected downside in the racist and conservative attitudes of some of her classmates. While certainly not indicting all Alabamans, Courtney describes the self-silencing she must go through to be safe in her new location, from being forced to tear a pro-choice sticker off her car to having to check her political ideals at the door in order to have at least a few friends. There's also a piece about the underfunded and underutilized recycling program in Tuscaloosa, and how its mismanagement by clueless city officials has had devastating consequences for the working-class community who must live next to the plant. I've never moved to a drastically different geographical location (yet), but as someone who grew up in a more conservative area the themes of alienation rang true, and I think this would be a great zine for anyone who feels out of step with their surroundings, whether they're a native or a newcomer. Quarter-sized, 36 pages.
$2.35 US/$2.75 International
This issue of Matthew Reidsma’s daily diary comic strip covers July 2008 and part of August. Both the concept and execution remind me of James Kochalka’s American Elf, and since Kochalka is possibly my favorite cartoonist that is high praise indeed. This is a neat little look into a month of someone else’s life. Quarter-sized, 40 pages.
$3.35 US/$3.75 International
What if the rapture happened… and you weren’t totally sure you’d accepted Jesus into your heart? Matthew Reidsma’s cute cartoons provide a sharp contrast to a tale of childhood religious indoctrination. Quarter-sized, 28 pages.
$3.35 US/$3.75 International
Ocean's personal zine is a text-heavy meditation on such topics as sobriety, coming out, tough girls, and voluntary spinsterhood, all wrapped up in a scrappy cut-and-paste layout. The highlight of the zine, for me, is an incredibly moving piece about a childhood encounter with a homeless AIDS victim, and how it has shaped Ocean's sense of social justice. This is a great read for anyone who likes content-heavy zines that expertly splice life stories with broader political ideas. Half-sized, 24 pages.
$1.35 US/$1.75 International
This split between Ocean and her penpal Matt, who is incarcerated. Meeting through a prisoner book program, they compiled this zine without ever having met, and the result is a zine on a diverse number of topics. In her articles, Ocean relates an attempt by her boss to create a Jackson Pollock painting, revisits 1997, and provides haiku book reviews. Matt's contributions tend toward the philosophical, as he questions what it means for something to be counterfeit, opines on philosophical zombies, and writes a "love letter" to Folsom Prison. I haven't read very many zines by prisoners, and this one was an eye-opener, providing just a glimmer of insight about what it is actually like to be incarcerated, and the many trials Matt will have to face even when "released." Half-sized, 40 pages.
$2.70 US/$3.50 International.
Bird (Leann from “Eighteen Long Days”) and her partner Hunk team up to bring you hourly comics, an abortive salvia divinorum experience, and caricatures galore. Quarter-sized, 24 pages.
$1.35 US/$1.75 International
Shae's (The Road of Sand, Paingiver, Tragikotatos) new personal zine is built around three separate "dialogues," which can be told apart by their typography. The computer-typed sections are an interview with Shae's "dead Romanian poet lover" Tristan Tzara, where she and "he" talk about writing, politics, religion, etc. The typewritten parts are stream-of-consciousness vignettes about Shae's past (both the real past and the dream past), favorite things, and secrets. Handwritten parts comprise the introduction and a list of definitions, each like its own little one-line poem. Shae sometimes doesn't like it when people say this, but there really are not any other zines like hers out there: raw, honest, intellectual, and gorgeously written and laid out, this is yet another classic perzine from one of my favorite zinesters and people. Quarter-sized, 40 pages.
$2.35 US/$2.75 International
John lost his long-lived feline friend Maisie before writing this issue, which lends it a tinge of sadness. A drive in a moving van leads to an attempt to dictate a comic to his wife, with mixed results. Later, a series of comics chronicle the adventures of Diogenes the Cynic, the original punk rock philosopher. Simply drawn and always heartfelt, a classic comic perzine. Half-sized, 36 pages.
$3.70 US/$4.50 International
Much of this issue is concerned with the adoption of two new cats after the loss of John's longtime companion Maisie. Stories of kitty hijinks follow, along with metalhead memories, reader response, the Top-40 list (a King-Cat fixture!), and introspective poem-like pieces, all illustrated with John's basic-yet-evocative drawings. King-Cat is a definite must-read for any comix fan. Half-sized, 32 pages.
$3.70 US/$4.50 International
The newest issue of John Porcellino's renowned personal comic kicks off with a reflection on sobriety. Later on, a teenaged John and pals perpetrate an ill-fated copy scam. More stories in this classic comics zine focus on a return to Trinidad, depression, wisdom tooth removal, and a paean to the suburbs. Twenty years after John's first issue, King-Cat remains one of the best comics zines around. Half-sized, 36 pages.
$3.70 US/$4.50 International
This is a really fun zine to read! Morgan's layout is intricate, with handwritten parts alternating with foreign advertisements and tons of random clip art. Eclectic both in visual style and in subject, Morgan talks about childhood memories of auction barns and bluegrass festivals, having the swine flu, getting her zine featured on the Readymade blog, and her fascination with teeth. Longer pieces are interspersed with paragraph-sized story chunks, and the effect is much like reading someone's scrapbook. This is an inspiring zine that will make you want to grab an illustration book and a Sharpie and write your own. Half-legal, 40 pages.
$2.70 US/$3.50 International