Indy Media Reviews

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Zine Review - That's what Friends are For

November 7th 2008 17:03

A simple, narrative comic zine, That’s what friends are for is the story of a young girl named Misty who starts a music camp. It’s a very simple, concise storyzine of only a few pages, made by young Emma Lane (author of Harry Potter Trekies). Hand-bound in chenille, it’s a very cool little read. Tastes like: A sugar wafer.

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Zine Review - The Cheese Stands Alone

November 5th 2008 16:45

Franco’s perzine looks like a photo-rich layout of his personal journal, his adventures and missteps. It’s actually a bit deeper than that, as he’s organized it into stories, which give it a nice litzine taste. In, “One Weekend” we learn how not planning something leads to a perfect circumstance, although there is an aftermath, but it’s up to the reader whether or not to read it, for it is clearly delineated. A series of shorter episodes follow, “Hallmark can wipe my ass”, “This is how it’s done” followed by, “While I eat my Chicken”. There are many, many more stories like these. My personal favorite is the EDS Work Journal – this piece of prose is pretty meaty, giving us lots of tasty tidbits about Franco’s work like. He ends with a nifty two-page piece cut & pasted on music sheets, “Do you really care what I listened to while putting this together?” Neat little per/litzine, and I’m looking forward to Number Two. Tastes like: Brie.

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Zine Review - Walking Man Comics Presents #62

November 3rd 2008 16:26

This digest sized comic/zine is full of Matt's wonderful storytelling. His whimisical look on the world is evident in each and every page. He begins with a brief notation on the nature of creation, then enters into a longer discusson of the how's and why's of the medium he uses. He looks at his own work unabashadly with a critical eye, something few artists seem to be able to do. Rather than allow himself to be bound by his chosen medium, he embraces it. This entire issue is like that, with simple thoughts and introspections about the nature of the comics, and rubber stamping medium, interspliced with simple words used to dramatic effect. The next story is completely hand-drawn, yet still recieves the same poetic treatment. It's simplicity is its' charm. When we look at a story such as, 'The Why' and the way that it's told, with it's angular panels, and simple text, Matt allows us to see a tiny peek inside his mind. I liken his work to Bob Ross's mentality of, 'happy little trees'. Because Matt is unafraid of making a mistake, the entire project becomes a blend into the full tapestry of a well told story. My favourite story is, 'Over Coming Realities' where Matt is forced to deal with a limitation imposed upon him. To quote, "Y'do what y'can, and y'learn to like it."

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Zine Review - Walking Man Comics Presents #44

November 1st 2008 16:17

Matt Levin’s quiet, philosophical storytelling is very clear in this issue. “Climbing the Walls” the feature story is deep, talking about many issues and obstacles that face all of us – using one single metaphor of climbing walls to discuss just about any problem you may be encountering in your life. Tastes like: A light salad that stays on the palette.

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Zine Review - Sisyphean Task #8

November 1st 2008 16:11

Sisyphean Task, by Michael Faris is a powerful piece of perzine. Michael’s writing is direct and powerful, and from the introduction alone, I found it no ordinary zine. He speaks bluntly about his own lofty self-made mind games as a child, aspiring to be the archangel Michael – and yet tried to remain meek. His own dichotomy of feelings and emotions provide fruit for his life. This is Michael’s first zine as an Oregonian, and I wish there were more. He leads with his most powerful of pieces, “Threads”. This essay alone is worth the zine; it’s descriptions of growing up with his grandmother’s quilts, and how her life changes as she embraces certain pieces of technology is fascinating all own it’s own. The “F” words poem is interesting as is the “Crossing Borders”. Faris’ work is stable throughout the zine, with no less than nine separate entries of prose and poetry. What I like is how someone so highly educated as Faris can make his words resound to a variety of people – it’s like you’re sitting down for coffee with an old friend that you haven’t seen for years. Even the end piece – “On Mania and Melancholy” is powerful, yet accessible. Filled with good stuff to make you think and feel, Sisyphean Task is a great read. Digest sized, 40 pages, Three bucks plus postage.

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Zine Review - Walking Man Comics Presents No 28

October 30th 2008 15:50

Matt Levin’s “Flights of Fancy”. Matt’s whimsy is heavy in this issue, he talks about faith, changes in perspective and how those things cause us to imagine, and allow us to create. A simple little bit of prose, but one that doesn’t fail to make you smile. This particular work caused me to think of the work and legacy of Fred Rogers. Another fine work from Matt. Tastes like: popcorn with cheese on it

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Zine Review - The Temple of Sinew & Other Short Stories

October 28th 2008 15:45

Of Zeben’s work I’ve seen, this one I favor the most. The nice torn letter cover makes a powerful, graphical impression. This one has a bit more art on it, much of it reminds me of some of the works found in Equilibrium. The text is varied in size and format, and lends more interest to the eyes. Again, blunt, uncut, unedited, stream-of-consciousness style writing is Zeben’s forte. Tastes like:Almond M&M’s

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Zine Review - The Quick and the Dead, August 2006

October 26th 2008 15:37

Hannah Ridge’s per/litzine, The Quick and the Dead is a fun little read. It’s quarter-sized and begins by thanking the reader for being there. I always like to see this in a zine, because our community is so small, we need to give respect to those that support it. Her handwriting is clear and easy to read, and then transfers to text. Hannah’s writing is clear, and emotional, she talks a lot about being unnecessarily shielded, and about true and genuine anger. I liked her segment about haircutting and how it can be very cathartic, and the segments after that deal with more emotions. Hannah’s a really enjoyable writer, and her work, while mostly in the first person, is refreshing on the eyes. This is a British Zine, a very good one at that

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Zine Review - The Cia makes science fiction unexcitinig No 1

October 24th 2008 15:33

A Detailed, in-depth zine which critically examines the political and sociological rammifications of the King shooting, this small (1/4) zine really gives you a lot of bang for you dollar. From its' humble introduction, with commentary about how it's attempting to sound objective without sounding like a conspiracy, to its' meaty interior with definitions of terms such as, 'Cointelpro', it only goes in deeper with a brief biography of James Earl Ray. Discussion of "Raol" a shady character never fully actualized by the mass media, as well as 'official' reports from the Police attempt to give us a well rounded picture of the Assassination without actually creating mindless media. Great reading, highly reccomended. 22 pages

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