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Xerography Debt is a review zine for zine readers by zine writers (and readers). It is a hybrid of review zine and personal zine (the ancestor to many blogs). The paper version has been around since 1999. This blog thing is are attempt to bridge the gap between Web 2.0 and Paper 1.0. Print is not dead, but it is becoming more pixelated.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

NON MONOGAMY 101

A primer for questioning compulsory monogamy

38 pages (some blank), 4 x 5, $5 US, (does not include s/h) $?? CAN/MEX / $?? world, FREE, ?? to trades
Adelaide Barton
Troy NY 12180
ladygardens00@gmail.com
Sold at ladygardens.etsy.com (start here for ordering)

This zine is pretty much exactly what it describes itself as: a primer for questioning compulsory monogamy. It's an illustrated introduction. It's a beginning resource guide, including a glossary, further reading, and definition of terms, plus a works cited page, so you can do some further reading and research on your own. The zine composition is clear and easy to read; it's handwritten and legible, and there are illustrations as well. If this is subject matter that's interesting to you, this zine is very much worth a read. It covers a lot of topics within non monogamy, fields a few questions, and overall gives a good introduction to the topic. Worth checking out.

Souvenirs From Weirdos #1 (2016) and KID COVERS


Souvenirs From Weirdos #1
by Cat Raia
22 pages, color cover, 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches, $5 US, $7 CAN/MEX/World, no trades

 

KID COVERS (Spring 2014)
by Karl Noyes
22 pages, all color, 8.5 inches x 5.5. inches, $3 US, $7 CAN/MEX/World, no trades


contact for both: Karl Roosterhouse
3052 Elliot Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55407
zineia.com or roosterhouse.org

Both of these came in from Karl Roosterhouse, but they're very different zines. Souvenirs from Weirdos is a non-fiction illustrated travel journal through Europe, and Kid Covers is a collection of book covers created by children (don't believe the cover! It looks like it's for a book called Next Door by Ruth Harden, but it's not!). It's actually a found-art zine from a closed school, where the author says he "found these in a pile of discarded books. The covers were created by students of the schools." There's some you'd expect, like Peter Pan, Father Brown Mystery Stories, and some others, but there's one for the Fisherman's Field Guide and The World of the Grizzly Bear (it's all claw, let me tell you). Souvenirs from Weirdos, which has cool color covers from what looks like a print or woodblock, and is printed on heavier card stock, and it's a travel journal with illustrations. "The following is the first installment of the zine ... an in depth travel log of my time spent hitchhiking from Berlin, Germany, to the Sahara Desert in Morocco and back over two months during my time spent living abroad in 2014." It's a much heavier read than than KID COVERS, but it's interesting. If you're into travel journals, you'll be interested. I don't know about the rest of the series, but Roosterhouse seems to be a collective or distro with these and other titles, and the website has clear design and a range of titles.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

NEW HEARTS, NEW BONES #21

review from Anne: NEW HEARTS, NEW BONES  (#21 / Spring 2016)

22 pages, 4 x 5, $0 US, $0 CAN/MEX / $0 world, FREE, yes to trades
Stephanie Renner / Cheering and Waving Press
1553 Monmouth St. Apt D 
Lancaster OH 43130
cheeringandwavingpress@gmail.com


A clear and accurate author-written description for this zine: "current state of affairs in USA through a social justice lens." It's a cut & paste style zine that touches on wealth and politics with a generally clean and clear layout and includes links for folks to read more (it's tough to get very in-depth with gigantic issues in a short zine, so including other resources makes a great deal of sense). There's references to spoken word pieces and the issue also reproduces some of Chelsea Manning's writings. Overall, it's worth checking out.

King-Cat Comics #76

KING-CAT COMICS #76

32 pages, digest pages (5.5 x 8.5 inches) , $5 ppd in USA
John Porcellino
PO Box 142
South Beloit, IL 61080
trades? better write and ask first
www.spitandahalf.com

"Here's the new King-Cat! (IT'S A WEIRD ONE)" ends the introduction to #76, and he's not wrong.  The previous issue of King-Cat is all about Maisie, the author's late cat (it's really good and worth your time to track down), and this one is sort of back to the regular not-themed content; some drawings and some retellings, some travel and some snow; lots and lots of letter pages. As always, the layout is clean and crisp, and the line drawings are lovely. If for some reason you've missed King-Cat until now, it's well worth your time to start reading (and you can get subscriptions! more info is available through the address above.) There's also a King-Cat Top 40 in this issue, which is delightful. All in all, I'm always excited when these issues appear in my mailbox; it's worth your time to check it out. (And 76 issues is nothing to sneeze at either!) 

ASK A CAT

review from Anne: ASK A CAT  (2015)

24 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 $2 US (? CAN/MEX / ? world), no trades
Charles Brubaker
247 Redbud Cir.
Martin, TN 38237

The description for this book is pretty accurate and straightforward: "A collection of "Ask A Cat" comic strips. A cartoon cat answers letters sent in by readers." The questions range from the existential ("meow meow meow meow?") to the specific ("What should I make for dinner?") to the hilarious ("What should we do with a drunken sailor?"). You can get it on the fun by emailing cbrubaker@gmail.com with your Ask A Cat questions as well. It's a quick read but it's fun-- possibly not for all ages (there's a few no-pants jokes) but that's up to you. I'm not sure how long it's been going on or if this is the most recent edition (most of the strips are dated 2014 and the collection's dated 2015) but cats are rad and it's a quick, fun read.

aw yeah BROOKLYN! (#90 and 92)

review from Anne: BROOKLYN: (#90 and 92)

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

You know it, you love it: “The name of this zine is BROOKLYN and that's also what the zine is about, Fred's beloved borough of Brooklyn."Issues generally tend to be more photography based, which is cool since Fred has a great eye for capturing slice-of-life images. There's a whole lot of fascinating Brooklyn history ("no such thing as too much history!") packed into every single issue,  so if you like history, architecture, Brooklyn, urban spaces, etc. you'll absolutely want to check out this series -- aaaand I'm pleased to report that the lexicon, one of my favorite things about this series (i.e. You haven't subscribed yet? Wat the hell? You crazy, or wat?), appears again in #92.  
Did you know Jell-O was invented in Brooklyn? Me either! Three states have three Brooklyns each (#90 will hip you to them; one of them is in fact NEW YORK), and two states have two.  Brooklyn MANIA!!!

If you're new to all this, you should know that BROOKLYN is a long-standing awesome series that's a fun read even if you're never been to Brooklyn and maybe never will. It's all about Brooklyn (no surprise there), but it's always a combination of history, photography, and other Brooklyn related things, including Brooklyn-related zazzle.com stamps. Fred obviously spends a lot of time sweating the details, and the overall effect is very cool. I've been reading for a while now and I really enjoy it; I'd very much recommend a subscription to get the full effect & a full dose of BROOKLYN. (Please note: Fred wants you to pay in US cash!) Overall, it's a fun read (whether you're from Brooklyn or not), and there are subscriber perks (like the special issues). The layout is crisp and easy to follow, and it's delightful to read about Brooklyn from someone who obviously loves the place. Always, always a fun read worth your time. So, whaddya waitin' for? Read some Brooklyn already!

Monday, April 18, 2016

Escapist Artist Zine

review from Anne: a whole heap of Escapist Artist Zines

The Escapist Artist Zine Presents: "Color a Comic Coloring Book" (Sept 2015)
$2 US, $3 Can/Mex, $4 World, trades OK, 14 pages
Digest size (8.5 x 5.5)

The Escapist Artist Zine Presents: "Comedians Coloring & Activity Book" (Sept 2015)
$2 US, $3 Can/Mex, $4 World, trades OK, 20 pages
Digest size (8.5 x 5.5)

The Escapist Artist #23 (Nov 2014)
$2 US, $3 Can/Mex, $4 World, trades OK, 16 pages
Digest size (8.5 x 5.5)

The Escapist Artist #32 (Sept 2015)
$2 US, $3 Can/Mex, $4 World, trades OK, 20 pages
Digest size (8.5 x 5.5)

all available from
Jolie Ruin
625 West Division St
Union City, IN 473990
MrsNoggle@yahoo.com
TheEscapistArtist.Etsy.com

So, obviously, you can see the thread that runs through these: Jolie digs comedians. The "Color A Comic" coloring book has 6 different comedians repeated twice (including Amy Schumer and Margaret Cho) that were drawn by her husband Jamie and compiled into a book. Similarly, the "Comedians Coloring & Activity Book" has drawings to color in, mazes, dot-to-dot, and other things. Obviously, these are not for kids and aren't kid safe (think boobs and middle fingers and the like), so, you know, heads up. If you like comedy, these are totally for you.

The Escapist Artist is Jolie's personal zine, in which she writes about "racism, comedy shows I've gone to, details on the comedy zine I'm starting and the centerfold is coloring pages of Amy Schumer and Margaret Cho from the comedian coloring book collaboration with my husband Jamie!" #23 is an interview issues where Jolie interviews Sophie McMahan of "You Were Swell" and comedian Dave Attell. (The copy I got for review was missing pages 3-4 and 17-18, so there might be more to mention that my copy didn't have!)

All of her work is on Etsy along with other art, stickers, and lots of pins. Jolie's work is old school cut & paste, so TEA has a classic "zine feel" to it. If you're into that, you'll dig The Escapist Artist.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

review from Anne: "What's Up, Grim?": Haunted Hayriders In Their Own Words (October 2015)

54 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, $8 US, ? Can/Mex, ? world
white text on black ink with B&W photos and diagram

Adam Finchler
210 Cook St #302
Brooklyn NY 11206
www.adamfinchler.com
ginkner.bigcartel.com

The description that arrived with this book is both pretty straightforward and accurate: "This is a book of actual quotations recorded by the Grim Reader at a haunted hayride in New Jersey. Hundreds of off-the-cuff remarks made by haunted hayriders to Death and his legion of creeps are entombed in this sickening volume."

I'm not sure if I'd classify it as "sickening" but mostly the quotations fall into the "you're cute" category (mostly from teenage girls to the dude dressed up like the Grim Reaper) or into the "WTF" category (people apparently say all kinds of terrible stuff when they don't think people are listening, and there's some terrible stuff in here). People say all kinds of boneheaded things, apparently. The book itself is pretty slick: it's white text on black ink, so it's pretty appropriate for spooky stuff (and might explain the $8 cost as well). Information provided wasn't clear about trades or costs other than the US, so email and ask if you're interested; apparently you can also get the Grim Reaper to sign your copy if you're so inclined.

My favorites:

"He's from Star Wars.
No, he's the Grim Reaper.
I know he's the Grim Reaper!" -- 20 year old girls

"It's 70 degrees out. Last year I was freezin' my nuts off, now I'm sweatin' my ass off." -- Zombie Clarence

so much BROOKLYN! (#91 and 91 1/2)

review from Anne: BROOKLYN: (#91)

BROOKLYN --Special Issue: Signs of the Times (#91 1/2)

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

You know it, you love it: “The name of this zine is BROOKLYN and that's also what the zine is about, Fred's beloved borough of Brooklyn."Both of these issues are mostly photography based. There's a lot of Brooklyn history here,  If you like history, architecture, Brooklyn, urban spaces, etc. you'll want to check out this series -- aaaand I'm pleased to report that the lexicon, one of my favorite things about this series (i.e. You haven't subscribed yet? Wat the hell? You crazy, or wat?), appears again in #91.  


If you're new to all this, you should know that BROOKLYN is a long-standing awesome series that's a fun read even if you're never been to Brooklyn and maybe never will. It's all about Brooklyn (no surprise there), but it's always a combination of history, photography, and other Brooklyn related things, including Brooklyn-related zazzle.com stamps.  I've been reading for a while now and I really enjoy it; I'd recommend a subscription to get the full effect & a full dose of BROOKLYN. Overall, it's a fun read (whether you're from Brooklyn or not), and there are subscriber perks (like the special issues). The layout is crisp and easy to follow, and it's delightful to read about Brooklyn from someone who obviously loves the place. 
Always, always a fun read worth your time. So, whaddya waitin' for? Read some Brooklyn already!

STRATU'S DIARY COMIX

review from Anne: STRATU'S DIARY COMIX (Oct 2015)



10 pages,  11 inches x 8 inches, 3 US /3 Can/ 3 Mex / 3 World. Trades for comix
color cover, B&W inside with some color pages
Stuart Stratu
PO BOX 35 Marrickville NSW 2204 AUSTRALIA
sstratu@gmail.com

This is a diary comic in "about my real life" writes the author & artist. "Just like a diary, but with drawings!"  It's part of a longer series, which I've written about before, and this issue covers all of October. These are daily three-panel strips (well, except for one -- okay, two --  illness-fueled long weekends). Beer and crossword puzzles are frequent in the diary comics (including new vocabulary words, like "shebeen"), and the challenge as far as I understand it, is for one year's worth of daily comics. You gotta hand it to someone who gives it a try; I absolutely can not do any daily anything that involves comics (believe me; I have tried) or drawing or any of that, so it's neat to see how this comic is developing. It's a lot to tackle (as evidenced at one point where Stratu yells "I"m three weeks behind with my diary comics!" and his partner-in-challenge says that he's only TWO weeks behind...).  It's a fun read and worth checking out if you like diary comics.