Taking The Lane super pack!

Taking The Lane super pack!
Ellie Blue
http://takingthelane.com/shop/    --- each issue is 6 inches v 4 inches
I ended up with a whole mess of Taking The Lane back issues:
Vol. 7 BikeSexuality (40 pages, silver print cover, $4, July 2012)
Vol. 8 Childhood (40 pages, color cover, $4, October 2012)
Vol. 9 Disaster $5* (40 pages, two-color cover, $4, January 2013)
Vol. 10 Bikes in Space : A Feminist Science Fiction Anthology (56 pages, color cover, $6, May 2013)

plus the copy of
Vol. 12 Religion $5 (40 pages, three-color cover, $5, December 2013), which I received from backing Ellie Blue's publishing Kickstarter project a while ago.

Here's the thing at which I marveled for quite some time: these are all rad anthologies with cool themes (always about bikes) in fantastic book forms. Each issue of Taking The Lane is this wee work of art, whether it's a "feminist-leaning & bicycle focused" fiction collection about bikes in space (yes, really; it's awesome), bicycling and disaster, biking as a child, biking and religion (I was curious and skeptical of this one, I confess, but it's actually quite good), and so on. The titles are clear, the layout and design impeccable, and I can't recommend them enough. I confess, I yelped with glee when I found them in my review pack, because I just dig 'em that much. Highly recommended -- even if (and maybe especially if) you're not someone who's all that into biking. The writing's captivating, and it's really tough to put one down once you've started reading.

* This particular issue is actually available on a self-selected honor system, sliding scale, which is pretty much one of the smartest things I've seen in a while. From the website: "The sliding scale pricing is on the honor system and totally up to you — no need to explain or ask permission for your choice of price! The options available, in all their incomplete imperfection, are based on the average U.S. wage gap.."  (check out the listing for more details and links)

KING-CAT COMIX and STORIES #74

review from Anne: KING-CAT COMIX and STORIES #74

28 pages, 1/2 page (5.5 x8.5 inches), $4 US, $? CAN/MAX, $? world, trades ? Nov 2013
John Porcellino

Spit & a Half

PO Box 142

So. Beloit, IL 61080

www.king-cat.net

I gotta confess: I let out a little yelp of glee when I found a King-Cat in my review stack. Some years ago, someone gifted me a subscription to King-Cat, which I found out when the first (and, sadly, only) issue arrived, and I kinda love the crisp lines and the stark drawings; there's a certain charm there. There's a bat story in this issue that's totally charming, and apparently Porcellino's got a whole slate of amazing stuff happening in 2014 (which is the 25th anniversary of King-Cat, natch) with new titles, new issues, and a King-Cat movie. Porcellino's work is solid; it's straightforward and evocative, and though the drawing seems simple and uncluttered, there's beauty in it and the storytelling pace is pretty much perfect. It seems dreamlike in some ways (the Tennessee driving story) and almost mundane in others (the series of drawings of the local bridges is pretty great).

I would be astonished to find someone who hasn't heard of King-Cat, but if that's you, don't wait to get your hands on this issue. It's well worth tracking down.

EDIT, June 2017: Here's how awesome John Porcellino is. He read this review & got in touch to offer make-up issues for my gift subscription that somehow went out into the ether! (If that doesn't convince you to get going and order some King-Cat, I'm not sure what will. But you should.)

Review by Anne -- MAGIC FOREST #1

MAGIC FOREST #1 (Zombre #2.5) October 2013

16 full-color pages, 5 inches x 6 inches, $4 US, $5 CAN/MAX, $6 world, trades no

Ansis Purins

siransalot@gmail.com

ansispurins.tumblr.com

"State Park is actually a magic forest run by a wizard" says the description, which helps out a little -- it's a full-color romp with mermaids, a baffled park ranger, some goofy elves (I think they're elves, anyway), a bear eating among the bees, some terrifying looking spiders (in a story involving a different park ranger called the Magic Forest Guardian), and a devil on the back cover. I'll be damned if I can tell you what these different things have to do with one another (same magic forest, no doubt) but the art's solid and the layout is well done, plus it has been a mighty long time since I've seen a comic come through in full color. If you like weird, this one's for you for sure. I can't wait to see the next issue to see how some of these things link!)

review from Anne: BROOKLYN #82 and #83

review from Anne: BROOKLYN #82 and #83

24 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 $10 for a 4 issue subscription
(PAYMENT IN CASH! & Fred adds: US currency please!)
Fred Argoff
Penthouse L
1170 Ocean Parkway
Brooklyn NY 11230

More Brooklyn reviews! Say it with me, people: “The name of this zine is BROOKLYN and that's also what the zine is about, Fred's beloved borough of Brooklyn."

I love that these appear in my mailbox and I'm always curious as to what Fred will use for stamps (they're always frm zazzle.com and are --no surprise here -- Brooklyn related. (Make sure you don't miss them!) Brooklyn is always a combination of history, photography, and other Brooklyn related things (can we just marvel that there are eighty-three issues!); #82 contains a visit to Coney Island (as part of the neighborhood exploration series), mention of the Brooklyn World Tour (surely you didn't think it was only in New York), the "BROOKLYN LEXICON & PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE #66" (one of my favorite features, I admit), plus a feature on Brooklyn crowds, and a hilarious telling of the fable of the First Thanksgiving in Brooklyn and some other gems.

#83 includes It Happened In Brooklyn, pictures of various Brooklyn locales (including the Under the Tracks Playground in Gowanus) and residents (a raccoon, for one, and some Monk's parrots), and a neighborhood tour of Victorian Flatbush, plus Duck Island (you'll have to order the issue for that one!)

Always, always a fun read worth your time. So, whaddya waitin' for? Read some Brooklyn already!