Zines A-M

My buddy over at Antiquated Future, Joshua James Amberson, has always put out good zines.  And he doesn’t need any help selling them, but out of a love for him and his work I just had to add something from his catalog to mycatalog.  So I picked up his latest issue of Basic Paper Airplane, his perzine.  This issue is subtitled “Book Tour,” and is, in fact, about him touring around the country to support two different books he recently published.  (One of those books is titled Staring Contest, and I am currently reading it, and currently loving it.)

This zine tells about the strangeness and unexpected events that come with any tour, how one night he is doing a reading in between screenings of local films, the next night he might share the stage with an improv group.  It also has all the expected “tour stories,” when some nights the turnout is good, some night it isn’t, but there are always memorable experiences when talking to audience members after the show.

Josh also gets into the psychology of reading.  Should it be new, and fresh and spontaneous every night?  Or should he read the same thing over and over to different crowds, perfecting his “performance?”  Great zine, great look at the creative process, and a great chance to get become more familiar with one of the strongest pillars of our zine community.

Quarter-size, 32 pages, B&W with a blue cover.

 I'm obsessed with language and how it weaves in and out of our culture,  and one aspect I find interesting is when a brand name product becomes a generic term.  There are a lot more of them than you might think.  So I started looking into them and giving a brief history.  I love  educational zines!

I did all the writing, and then a rad new friend of mine, named Sully, did the illustrations.  Check out their stuff here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/kaijucabal/?etsrc=sdt

This zine is half-size, 16 pages long, with red and  black on every page.  It tells a brief, but true, story of 11 different  products whose names we commonly use as generic terms.  Things like  Rollerblade and Xerox.

The first print-run was 300, back in Dec  of 2022.  We sold out of those in about 3 months.  This is the second  printing, of an additional 300.  For $4 it's all yours, a great price  which includes shipping.  Enjoy!          

K. Ratticus, author of Ornery Cuss, is a huge fan of horror and sci-fi movies, as shown by this little brick of a zine.  This zine wanders through her obsession as if we are following her stream of consciousness as it runs through a dark and haunted forest.  “Oh, that reminds me of another movie, have you ever heard of ______?”  Although I love movies, horror is not my favorite genre, but even I had fun reading this, as the zine not only talks about movies, but also TV shows, related cultural phenomena, and her own personal memories along the way.  Although there are lots of movie reviews, this is written like a per-zine about horror movies.

Quarter-size, B&W, 88 pages!

More of the same, which is a good thing!  Horror movies, TV episodes, and even a review of a “horror” video game!  That alone made this issue reading for me, to read about one of my favorite games, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, in a horror-zine.  Find out why Krystle loves horror, and you’ll end up loving it, too.  If you prefer weird, hard-to-find movies over the blockbuster mainstream stuff, then you’ll love this weird zine.  And it’s only two bucks??  What?!

Quarter-size, B&W, 112 pages!

The country’s #1 underground sci-fi and horror fanzine!  Yes, I said it.  If you love gore, horror, space aliens, conspiracies, vampires, werewolves, fantasy, books, movies, comics, or video games, then YOU NEED THIS ZINE.  I have told Krystle 100 times that she needs to be charging $4 or $5 for this thing, but she won’t do it.

This issue includes a deep dive on the movie Repo Man, a history of Dracula, and a book review from yours truly.  My favorite part, however, was the incredibly perzine-style “intermission” by SM Piotrowski, detailing her adventures moving to Chicago after recently giving a baby up for adoption.  But this whole zine is great.

Quarter-size, B&W, 112 pages.  (For only $2!!)

Cigarettes I've Smoked is a pocket-sized  zine where East Coast Ed literally reviews every different type of  cigarette he's ever smoked.  Now, me?  I've maybe smoked 2 or 3  cigarettes in my entire life, so I don't know Marlboro from Lucky  Strikes.  This isn't a zine for people who love cigarettes, though that  probably adds an extra layer.  No, this is a zine for people who like  REVIEWS.  Ed talks about the cost, the flavor, where they are made, and  other random tidbits of information mixed with opinion.  This is also a  zine for people who like graphic design and product comparison, as each  2-page spread shows a full-color image of the pack of smokes, alongside  the review.

Cool, weird, quirky zine.  You'll love it.

Quarter-size, full color, 36 pages.          

Danny Noonan has put together a fun and interesting look at our United States of America.  He found 50 different people to write about the 50 different states, using only 50 words each.  Yours truly (Billy McCall) wrote the short piece about New Mexico!  With so many different writers, you have every style of writing imaginable, with every emotion as well.  Great project.

Half-size, B&W, 28 pages.

Donna Ramone, renowned punk rocker and rockstar writer for Razorcake Magazine, brings us the REAL story of Christmas in America. With her sarcastic charm and forehead-slapping incredulousness, Donna explains the origins of Christmas in America, a holiday that has only been around for 150 years. Did you know that celebrating Christmas used to be illegal in Boston? Well, now you know. Just one of the many fun facts that will destroy your notion of America's most beloved holiday.
 

As someone who completely loves Christmas, let me tell you that this zine is flat out amazing. It has become a Christmas tradition in our house to read Donna's zine...WHILE DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS. Yes, it turns out that this whole holiday is a giant sham, a capitalistic ploy to boost the economy, but yo, I still love it! And I love this zine!
 

Half-size, 12 pages, color cover.  

The weirdest Christmas tradition you’ve never heard of!  There is a town in Sweden called Gavle, and every year for the past 6 decades they have built a giant wooden goat in the middle of town.  And every year someone burns it down.

Why do they build it?  Why do they burn it?  You’ll have to read this story to find out, but it’s pretty wild.  The town itself doesn’t want it to burn!  Imagine if some prankster ran up to the big tree in Rockefeller Center and burned it down!  People would freak out!  But it has become this weird tradition in Gavle where some people are TRYING to burn down the goat, and others are desperately trying to SAVE the goat.  You can even place bets online each year as to whether or not it will burn.

This zine is funny, weird, and even kind of sad.  But bizarre enough that you have to read it.  From our very own Donna Ramone, the punk rock grinch of the zine world!

Half-size, full color, 16 pages long.

Another issue of Creepy Ephemera, the best zine you've never heard of!   Donna Ramone, of Razorcake Magazine, tells us the history of American  children writing letters to Santa!  Who came up with this idea, anyway?   We don't write letters to the Easter Bunny, or to St. Patrick, or any  other imagined entity.  So why Santa!?

And where do those letters  go?  And do people respond to them?  Who responds?  Why would they  respond?  Or why WOULDN'T they respond?  So many questions, I know.

Learn  all about it in this hilarious zine, full of all the smart-ass  commentary you'd expect from Donna.  But also a lot of, "Well, duh, yes,  okay, I get it Donna, you are 100% right" type moments.  I love this  zine.  Informative and hilarious, a full history on something you've  never thought about before.

Half-size, 12 pages, color cover, with some color images inside.                  

EVI is one of those old school zines that has been around forever.  Imagine what happens when a wacky NY theater person, full of creative energy, decides to put out a zine!  She’s been documenting her life, and the life of her family, for decades.

This particular issue is the “Sports Issue,” and I love it.  Don’t you want to read about Ayun’s sports’ life when she was in middle-school?  How about drawings of her watersking?  Bowling?  Tennis?  I mean, all kinds of funny, exciting, and embarrassing stories, it’s great!

Quarter-size, B&W, 40 pages.

This issue is definitely one of my all time favorite issues of EVI, because it is all about mail!  She talks about her first experiences with mail, as a child.  She talks about penpals now, she gives tips on how to lower your mailing costs, she talks about postage stamps!  Also included is a discussion about mail art, as well as a “mail carrier’s hall of fame,” with really great illustrations to go with it.  If you love the USPS, you’ll love this zine!

Quarter-size, B&W, 40 pages.

Reflections on music, and on collections.  Why we collect what we do, what it means, what it means about us.  Why Bark Sparkles has saved all of his ticket stubs for all these years.  Issue #2 is more of the same, the author talking about concerts he went to as a kid.  Bands reviewed include Green Day, Silverchair, Candlebox, Ozzy Osbourne, The Cure, and others.  Ever been to a concert with your mom?  Then you might relate to some of this.  I know I did.

Quarter-size, mostly B&W with full-color images of the ticket stubs, 16 pages.

This issue starts off talking about “loudness.”  Different people turn the volume to different levels.  Different types of music sound better at louder volumes.  Why do we do it the way we do?  Many theories.  This issue is more concerts.  Bands include Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Local H, Depeche Mode, Lollapalooza ‘97, and more.  Ever stood outside a department store to buy a ticket from Dillard’s? Then this zine is for you.

Quarter-size, mostly B&W with full-color images of the ticket stubs, 16 pages.

Each issue of this zine is essentially “more of the same.”  It’s a dude going through old concert stubs and telling what he remembers about a show that happened 25 years ago.  Yet, the zine evolves from issue to issue, and certain themes start to form.  Issue #4 starts off talking about the psychology behind crowds.  Why some people love or hate them, what a crowd does once it has been formed, how concert managers try to control the situation, how a band might try to do the same.  It’s fun to think about.  Concerts in this issue include Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Soulfly, Deftones, Everclear, P.O.D., and more.  Oh, and using a coin toss to decide which concert to attend. Dangerous game.

Quarter-size, mostly B&W with full-color images of the ticket stubs, 16 pages.

More concerts!  We’ve reached the 2000s.  The first concert reviewed is Tool, from 2001.  Remember those times?  The author also gives some back ground info on Maynard James Keenan, which is cool to read.  Other bands include Incubus, Millencolin, Les Claypool, Warped Tour, Tom Petty, and others.  Some of these ticket stubs make me so jealous, while others make me roll my eyes.  “You went and saw them? What a waste of time!”  But the writing is fun and friendly, so even bands that are not quite my speed, it’s still fun to read about them.

Quarter-size, mostly B&W with full-color images of the ticket stubs, 16 pages.

The last issue, maybe ever?  Starts off by discussing what it means to be in a band.  The social bonds and friendships that come out of playing music together.  Nice, long, intro, then music reviews!  U2, Nine Inch Nails, Death Cab for Cutie, Reverend Horton Heat, Hootie and the Blowfish, and so many more!  Great writing, great stories, a walk down a stranger’s memory lane,  yet why does it feel so familiar?

Quarter-size, mostly B&W with full-color images of the ticket stubs, 16 pages.

 Keith Helt has been writing Flotation Device off and on for almost 20 years now.  His writing style envelops the reader in memory, creating a dream-like state where sensation and feelings override traditional storytelling methods.  Most writers try to tell a linear story, where one thing leads to another, but Keith lets you soak into an emotion, then explains various events which lead to that emotion.

This particular issue explores the death of a close friend and bandmate by the name of Alex.  Keith doesn’t tell you step by step how and when he met Alex.  Keith shares a variety of stories about him, bringing us closer and closer to the memory of a person we already know is gone.  It’s a puzzle, coming together one piece at a time, until we finally get a glimpse of Keith’s heartache.


Half-size, B&W, printed on manila paper, 40 pages.

A collaborative zine with my friend, David! A fanzine about the greatest Christmas movie of all time, Home Alone. I watch this movie every December, and when I found out David was loved the movie just as much me (okay, actually a little bit more) I suggested we make a zine together!
In this zine we trade stories and reviews about our favorite movies. We give personal and in depth reviews of the first and second movies, the good ones. David also watched and review THE OTHER 4 HOME ALONE MOVIES YOU DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED! To balance things out, I played and reviewed the terrible Home Alone video games you never knew existed.
 

If you love Home Alone, you'll love this. If you love fanzines or reviews of pop culture, you'll love this.
 

Half-size, 24 pages, B&W, with a cute little hand-stamped red house on each cover.  

How Are You? is a cancer-survival zine, written by the seasoned zine-vet Moe Bowstern.  Moe is most well-known for her zine Xtra Tuf, and has also written zines about working on professional fishing boats.  This zine takes us on the emotional roller-coaster of a cancer diagnosis as she tries to navigate the best path for her health and her future.  “Stage One is when you tell your friends you are going to have surgery to get your slightly cancerous tits cut off and your friends say ‘What the fuck!’”  Moe tells it like it is, whether that means being thankful for good support and good friends, or that means being frustrated by a depression that never goes away.  I immediately ordered 2 copies for friends of mine who have gone through this, and then asked Moe if I could sell it through my distro as well.  This is a very emotional zine, sad at times, but shows that at the end of the day Moe will always be Xtra Tuf.  Half-size, B&W, 28 pages.

This fantastic zine was written by Mark Cunning, and tells the story of the time he picked up Alex Jones for an Uber-Ride.  But before we get to that part of the story, we are regaled with stories of Mark’s drug-dealer friend who was obsessed with conspiracy theories.  From 9/11 theories to gun violence, this friend of his had a seemingly simple answer to all of it.  And much of his info came from InfoWars, the media outlet run by Alex Jones.

So when Mark picks up Alex for an Uber, should Mark simply drive Alex to his destination?  Or should he drive that freaking car off the side of the cliff, killing them both?  Tough call, I know.  Pick up this zine to read more about the anguish of his decision.

Quarter-size, B&W, 36 pages.

This is another  amazing zine by Donna Ramone, the queen of researching weird shit.  But,  not only is this a well-researched history of the wrestling character  known as Undertaker, it is also a bit of a perzine.  Donna talks about  her relationship with wrestling, the love she had for Undertaker, then  her evolving mixed feelings about him as she grew older.  If you like a  well-written zine on a unique topic, then you'll like this zine.  If you  follow wrestling at all in any way, then YOU NEED THIS ZINE.

Half-size, 12 pages, color-cover with color pictures throughout.                  

Yet another wonderful zine from the brilliant mind of Sharaya O., this latest full-color zine is the snotty teenage inner-voice of an adult saying all the things she WISHES she could say to her conservative Christian parents.  Put yourself in the mindset of “Geez, mom!” and then read about swear words, premarital sex, movies, birthday parties, and the liberal agenda.  Hilarious commentary and so much that I 100% relate to.  If you’ve ever had a grown-up tell you how to live your life, you will love this zine.

Quarter-size, full-color, 16 pages.

I loved Rachel’s first issue, I love this one more.  She is once again documenting her travels as she moves across the country from farm to farm.  The loose theme of the first issue was the travel itself, whereas this issue’s theme is the animals she comes across as she travels.  Goats, cats, dogs, ducks…  She knows them, she names them, she loves them.  Not only are there lots of great stories about the animal-friends she encounters, but lots of full-color photos as well.  Quarter-size, full color, 24 pages.