from LCRW no.
9
Zine Reviews, Mostly
I've bought more zines than I've
read recently. Where did the time go? Some of these aren't even zines.
Pangea's catalog definitely isn't, but it comes out relatively regularly,
it's filled with cool stuff, and I read it cover to cover. Isn't that
the definition of a good zine?
The Baffler, #14: Good
design and interesting stuff. Although I've hardly read any of this
one. I should just subscribe, but I like looking for it. Soon after
this issue went to press, their office caught fire. Can you imagine
what that must have been like? Hopefully they've recovered and more
issues will appear forthwith. $7.50, 120pp. PO Box 378293, Chicago,
IL 60637 thebaffler.com
Comb-Over, #2: Comix zine
with a funny story about Frodo and Bilbo (or similar folks), a horrid
story about toe-flakes, and some good art and stories besides. Includes
a free sticker, which in my bibliophiliac mode I supposed was a bookmark,
oops. $2, 36pp. Combover, c/o Dave n Joe, 19 Taft St., #1, Dorchester,
MA 02125
Doris, #18: Recipes (round
white cookies, ginger snaps), letters, and how to deal with your mother's
death. #12, $1.50, 4Óx5,Ó 52pp. Saunas, abortions, living around the
country, bright orange cover. $1.50, 4"x5," 48pp. Doris,
PO Box 1734. Asheville, NC 28802
The Fairest Fowl, Portraits
of Champion Chickens, photographs by Tamara Staples, essay by
Ira Glass. These chickens are luminous. They look like old-style movie
stars, like Coco Chanel, like Bluto from Popeye. They sport Dr. Seuss
pompadours. Brainy looking chickens, brawny chickens, bouffant chickens.
Some look like Chinese dragons, others more like Anne McCaffrey dragons,
some just like the chicken next door. Fall in love. $14.95, 106pp,
Chronicle Books
Go Metric, #12: Beatle
Bob (c'mon, surely you've heard of him?), band interviews (no, I'm
not saying who with), loads of music reviews (most of bands that have
yet to crack a chart, never mind the top ten), a Wilco fanatic confesses,
and the newsletter of S.P.E.C.T.R.E $2, 44pp. Mike Faloon 2609L Village
Ct., Raleigh NC 27607
Hearsay, Greg Cook: A book
with no words. If you haven't been to Highwater Books website, now's
a good time. They do a bunch of good books. I love what I've seen
of their stuff. It's characterized by strong lines and very individual
artists. 4"x5," 48pp. Greg Cook. 79 Riggs St., Gloucester,
MA 01930 highwaterbooks.com
Hey Mister, #s 5, 7,8:
Comic with some overtones and resonances from the crappier parts of
your life. But it's someone else's, not yours, so it's ok, it's even
funny. Hera comes down and messes people around, people work in supermarkets,
odd things occasionally happen. Not a superhero in sight. Kelly really
likes this one. $2.95-$3.50, 32pp. Pete Sickman-Garner, PO Box 8326,
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
The Luck of Roaring Camp
and Other Writings, Bret Harte:
The onetime bestselling author in the USA(!). Standouts are Condensed
Novels which hilariously parody J.F. Cooper, Dickens, and best of
all, Conan Doyle. $13, xxix, 302pp.
Match, #10: The editors
claim Match "Should be read on a porch for full effect."
They're right. Dr. Filth gives musical advice (be not afraid, offer
yourself up) and someone gives ten reasons to live in the RVA zone
(kind of Wu Tang Clannish, but ineffably different). $1, 36pp. Match,
PO Box 14831, Richmond, VA 23221
The Misfit Clique, Juliette
Torrez, illustrated by David Lasky. Illustrated collection of poems.
Liked the b&w illustrations more than the poems, but I liked them
enough to mean to investigate further Kapow books in the future. Well
made, too. 4Óx5,Ó $4, 20pp. Kapow, 3128 16th St., PMB 213, San Francisco,
CA, 94103
Moo-Cow Fan Club Newsletter,
#11: Mix of cartoons, recipes, and a history of shampoo. A good
zine to introduce your young cousin to the world of making your own
publication. $2.50, 24pp. MCFC, 10 Granite St., Apt. B., Peterborough,
NH 03458
No Depression, #33: I had
to include this just to point out that price and pagecount, you can
tell they have a lot of advertising! Lucinda Williams, Cowboy Junkies.
More traditional stuff than I was interested in, but pretty good anyway.
$3.95, 144pp.
ObZine, Sept. '01: "Free
Monthly Alternative News" with ads, event info, book reviews,
an interview with fetish diva, Midori, and enough naughty picks to
justify the ink on your fingers. Free, 36pp. Dacri Inc., PO Box 37492
Phila., PA 19148 obzinenews.com
Pangea's Vegan Products, Spring/Summer
2001: Everything from shoes and soaps, to Opus t-shirts, to cleaning
stuff, make-up not tested in rabbit's eyes, all the way to vegan chocolateÑtried,
tasted, and fully approved. Free, 56pp. Pangea, 2381 Lewis Ave., Rockville,
MD 20851 veganstore.com
A Pocket Guide to the Identification
of First Editions, Sixth Revised Edition compiled by Bill McBride:
This is for the pockets (of the multiply-pocketed jackets of the)
more anal-retentive bibliophiles among you. It's kind of a trade secret,
so don't tell them I sent you. $12.95, 112pp. McBride/Publisher, 585
Prospect Ave., West Hartford, CT 06105 jumpingfrog.com
Radio: An Illustrated Guide,
Jessica Abel and Ira Glass: Comic that covers an episode of Public
Radio International's This American Life. If you're a fan of the radio
show, you have to get this. 32pp, artbabe.com
Sweatshop Watch, v7n2:
Keep updated on the fight to get decent wages for a day's work. Are
Nike honoring their commitments? (No); will Hollander Home Fashions
ever give retirement benefits to line workers? (Yes!). Free (or join
at $20/year), 6pp. Sweatshop Watch, 310 Eighth St., Suite 309, Oakland,
CA 94607 510-834-8990 www.sweatshopwatch.org
Train Grease Panty Line:
Self-conscious Goodbye to All That-style zine as writer leaves
Portland, OR for the last time. Five-day stretch for being caught
on railway property -- jumping trains is still a popular mode of transport,
and this is a girl who really loves trains. $1, 28pp. Miriam, PO Box
2624, PDZ, OR 97208
The World is Broken, #5:Zine
taken from a journal about travel up and down the west coast in 1998.
Good illos -- and apparently has good rates for illustrating your
zine/t-shirt/patches. $1, 20pp. Bri, 85 Scituate Ave, Scituate, MA
02066
More Reviews
from LCRW no.
9