I READ ZINES [#1]

As You Were Issue #1

I have been trying to get hold of this 'punx comic anthology' FOREVER but have always been put off by the steep as fuck shipping charges that the publisher, Silver Sprocket, slap on for for UK shipping. Luckily I found some kid was selling a copy on Etsy and charged fuck all for UK shipping. SCORE! The zine did not disappoint. Compiled by one of my favourite artists, Mitch Clem, the theme of the issue is house shows and there are 20 or so strips by different artists. I particularly enjoyed the house show bingo strip by Nation of Amanda, so much of it rung true. I now to to find a crafty way to get hold of Issue #2 & #3 without paying all the shipping.


Good Lookin' South Issue #4

The first issue of this Brighton punk zine in eighteen months! I started reading this back when it began, you know, when I actually lived in Brighton. I don't live there any longer but I still like to keep up to date with 'the scene' (Although one issue every eighteen months isn't going to keep my very "up to date". Haha.) Either way, it has some good gig/album reviews and band interviews and such. I'd like to read more 'local' punk zines from other cities. If there are any. I'm sure there must be. I don't know. TO GOOGLE!

Open Pen Issue #8

This is a free open literature magazine that I picked up when I was in London a few weeks ago. (First of all... FREE ZINE! Two of my favourite words in the English language.) I didn't really know what to expect, quality wise, but it was actually fairly decent. There was no over-arcing theme to this collection of short stories, but they were all enjoyable. A particular highlight was the story about the death of a Jahovah's Witness which tickled me. Unfortunately, unless I am in London again any time soon I won't be able to pick this up elsewhere as it is only stocked in various independent bookshops around the capital (and, oddly, a library in Havana, Cuba... What?!?).


Hoax Issue #2

Hoax is another free zine (FREE ZINE!) that I picked up in London. This one describes itself as a "JOURNAL PRESENTING ALL FORMS OF CREATIVE, TEXT-BASED WORK AS EQUAL & REMOVING USELESS DEFINITIONS OF WHAT CREATIVE WORK CAN BE", or CTBW for short. Because everybody loves an acronym. It is a little more abstract (and a lot more pretentious) than the previous zine, but regardless, I really enjoyed at least 50% of the pieces in the collection.




Hand Job Issue #4

If Hoax is pretentious, then Hand Job is the complete opposite end of the scale. No bullshit, no façade, it is what it is. And what it is is a superb little zine; a collection of funny, touching and thought provoking literature. A celebration of British writing, with a comic strip and a quiz to boot! The editor, J.E.G will have a poem and short story featured in the next issue of Paper & Ink and I would love to do a split Paper & Ink/Hand Job zine someday. If only I wasn't so god damn slow at getting my zine together (J.E.G has produced four issues since Paper & Ink #1 was released. Dude makes me feel SUPER LAZY).


Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic zine to read whilst you stuff your face with chocolate!