When no one will listen to your voice, you must make them listen. A fundamental part of zine and DIY culture is that it provides a space for marginalized people to meet others like them and be heard. While self-publishing comes with its own hurdles—many of them financial—zines are special because even if the paper…
Fresh Romance Is the Romance Zine of Your Dreams
Fresh Romance, the romantic comics zine from Rosy Press, is a real treat to read. It feels like meeting your best friend. You’ll catch yourself thinking, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I’m so glad I found you!
Zine Review: Sawdust Press’ Blood Root: Issue Three
Blood Root: Issue Three Canaries by Haan Lee, Jezinkas by Noel Franklin (Writer and Artist) and CB Webb (Letterer), Dead Rain by Ram V (Writer and Letterer), Kishore Mohan (Artist), and Merryn John (Letterer), Cover Art by Aatmaja Pandya and Interior Cover Art by Shing Yin Khor Sawdust Press Limits are good. Limits are also bad. These are contradictory truths with which…
3 Takes On Island #2
Island #2 Ed. Brandon Graham and Emma Rios Robin Bougie, Brandon Graham, Will Kirkby, Ludroe, Emma Rios, Simon Roy, and Miguel Alberto Woodward Image Comics August 19, 2015 Island is a new comic magazine edited by Brandon Graham and Emma Rios. The magazine includes prose, illustration, done-in-one, and serialized comics. We reviewed Island #1 here….
How to Tell Your Story: SMOO Comics Series by Simon Moreton
SMOO is an autobiographical comics series from Simon Moreton, one of the most exciting artists on the UK small press scene and co-founder of Bristol Comics and Zine Fair. SMOO is hauntingly brilliant, a series of comics self-published by UK artist Simon Moreton, they make for addictive reading. Whether you start at the beginning (SMOO…
Better Together: Autostraddle’s Rad Gay Zines
Better Together Zine Series Curated by Riese Bernard, Laneia Jones, Dannielle Owens-Reid, and Kristin Russo Edited by Alyse Knorr Illustrations by Sophie Argetsinger (Issue #1), Amanda Matthews (Issue #2), Rory Midhani (Issue #3) Zines started for gays. Ok, maybe that’s not true. I would hesitate to say that there’s one true origin of the zine,…
Zine Review: Nia King’s ArtLife #2: Don’t Quit Yr Day Job!
ArtLife #2 Nia King Nia King has an uncanny ability to make her readers feel cared for and welcome. I imagine an interview with Nia would be cozy and natural; she would find you a comfortable chair, make you coffee, and give you that rare feeling that she’s really, actually listening.
Button-Zines and More: Chicago’s Zine Fest
It’s about zines. It’s an independent event. It’s like an indie convention. It’s about accessibility. And art. And sharing. It’s free. It’s about small presses and independent publishers. It’s about DIY. And community. And it’s really super cool. Chicago Zine Fest was started in 2010, took place at Columbia College and Quimby’s Bookstore, and has…
Kickstarter of the Week: Fight!
Feature image artwork by Baptiste Pagani and Kali Ciesemier. This week I’d like to share a Kickstarter I’ve been looking forward to for a while now: Fight! The Fight Zine is a project started by Jenn Woodall and brings together 36 artists for 44 full-color pages of incredible, video-game inspired art. Contributing illustrators include Sam…
Zlumber Party: Quimby’s All Night Zine-Making Event
Last weekend I went to a sleepover. As an adult I don’t get to enjoy many of these sorts of activities anymore, so it was a real delight. Particularly because it was a sleepover with a purpose: zine-making. Quimby’s is a great comic shop in Chicago that organizes all sorts of interesting events, including the “Zlumber…
harlequin creature: One of a Kind Literary Experience
*Cover art is the manifesto by Alvey Jones, Jade Fusco, Gustave Morin, Meghan Forbes, Ian Mclellan Davis, Hannah McMurray* I am a lover of literature, and of the special literary treasure that is the lit mag. Lit mags, literary journals, zines, and some graphic novels have so much overlap — and it is the publications…