This Is Cher, A Cher Zine #3: It’s been a long time between drinks, roughly eight years and a lot has changed in editor Mary McCray’s life (as explained in her editorial). But the one thing that HASN’T changed is her obsessive love for Cher. As a massive non-Cher fan, I still found a disturbing amount of interesting material to absorb. Like Cher’s tenure with Casablanca Records in the late 70s – including her flirtation with disco, heavy rock (with her band Black Rose), pioneering music videos and…Gene Simmons. Or the making of her obscure 60s hippie flick Chastity (which I somehow managed to see on an Aussie regional TV station when I was a kid). The lengthy piece on Cher’s infomercial career jumps the shark (nine pages…seriously?). But this zine did the near-impossible for me, it made me care about Cher. Hell, I may even pick up her Black Rose CD off eBay now. Mary McCray, 116 Verano Loop, Santa Fe, NM, 87508, mary@cherscholar.com, www.cherscholar.com[$8, Can./Mex. $10, elsewhere $12, or trade, 80M, 2:00+]– Dann Lennard
Blather& Malarkey #1: Prose zine. Interesting short story about a vampire. Some ranting. Depressing poetry. Left me feeling kinda“meh” afterwards. Tarnation Collins, PO Box 4377, Tulsa, OK, 74159, msprobam@gmail.com, msprobam.tumblr.com[$3, 36S, 0:20] – Dann Lennard
Suitable 4 Framin’ #8: A zine for fans of old-school graffiti (y’know, the stuff that looks like art, not the godawful “tagging”that’s the human equivalent to dogs pissing on a fire hydrant). There are interviews with graffiti artists that I’ve never heard of, but tons of nice B&W pics of quality art. It’s still illegal vandalism in my eyes, but…y’know…I can see why some people appreciate this stuff. Iqvinder P.S., PO Box 53, St Boni., MN, 55375, iqvinder@hotmail.com[$5 or trade, 44S, 0:20] – Dann Lennard
Dithering Doodles #1: As the title suggests, this is a doodles-filled perzine highlighted by a coupla entertaing yarns about Steve’s record-collecting exploits. There’s also an illustrated piece on how he got into doodling. I found it charming. Steven Anderson, 259 E. 700 S., Apt. #9, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111, premiumdeluxe@hotmail.com[$3, 32S, 0:15] – Dann Lennard
Gun Nut Funnies: A truly disturbing, paranoia-filled, pro-gun rant masquerading as a self-help manual. Yep, if you spend your life walking round a’feared that you may have to shoot someone dead one day, then deal with “the corrupt system” afterwards…well, this comic’s for you. Befriending lawyers on gun ranges, carrying a video camera pen on your person, life’s just a bed of roses for this idiot. I don’t know what happened to“Karno” in the past, but it’s totally fucked up his outlook on life – I would NOT want to live inside his head. Kjartan Arnorsson, 3938 E. Grant Rd, #472, Tucson, AZ, 85712, kjartana@comcast.net[$2.50, Can. $3.50, Mex. $4.50, elsewhere $4, FTP, 16S, 0:10] – Dann Lennard
Financially Hard Times #6: Wow, give someone access to a photocopier and they think they can bang any old drivel together and put out a“zine” – it’s both the positive and the negative about zining in 2012. If only Tom had something (anything!) worthwhile to say – sadly, he doesn’t. Tom Casson, 53 Downs Park Road, Dalston, Hackney, London, E8 2HY, ENGLAND, tom_cas@hotmail.com[email for prices, 12S, 0:03] – Dann Lennard
Turning The Tide Vol. 24 No. 5: A special “Occupy Wall Street” edition of a strident, oh-so-righteous “newspaper” that makes this bitter old journalist weep bitter tears of frustration. Poorly laid out, badly written and, worst of all, utterly boring. The idea, folks, is to attract NEW people to your cause(s), not scare them away with massive blocks of dull text and political rants masquerading as facts. This isn’t journalism, it’s self-important, arrogant preaching to the converted. However, I was tickled by the concept of Native Americans running an (Un)occupy Alburquerque protest – as the city’s already occupied by the white man, ya dig? Anti-Racist Action Publishers, PO Box 1055, Culver City, CA, 90232, antiracistaction_la@yahoo.com, www.antiracist.org[email for prices, 8L, 0:10 but much longer if you’re interested enough to wade through the dense text] – Dann Lennard
ZYX #57: Literally the worst poetry zine I’ve ever encountered. Everyone involved with this publication should be marched out into a courtyard, blindfolded, lined up against a wall, then told, “Stop it. Just stop it.” However, if you’re a masochist, here are the contact details. ZYX, 58-09 205th Street, Bayside, NY [snail mail for prices…wow, they REALLY don’t want anyone to buy this zine, 10M, 0:01] – Dann Lennard
Watch The Closing Door #57: With Sydney about to lose its monorail (thanks, State Government), it’s nice to read a zine that celebrates the greatness of elevated subways around the world. Fred’s heavily illustrated zine is quirky, fun, well-written…everything a good zine should be, frankly. Fred Argoff, Penthouse L, 1170 Ocean Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY, 11230-4060 [write for prices, 24S, 0:20] – Dann Lennard
Local Comics #69F: I’ve seen Michael’s one-panel toons published in many places over the years, most noticeably in the excellentRoctober. Frankly, I don’t see the appeal of his childish artwork and uninspired, unfunny puns. It looks like it’s produced by a mentally deficient person. But clearly there’s an audience for his work. Michael Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford, IL, 61108\ [$1 or write for overseas prices, 16S, 0:01] –Dann Lennard
Goth Dream Slave Requiem #1: Disturbing collages, nonsensical rants and misogynistic sex fantasies by presidential assassin wannabe Francisco Duran. Equal parts disturbing and awful – and he’s got lazy, too, recycling one of his sex stories from a previous zine. Avoid…unless you’re the sorta guy who likes to collect John Wayne Gacy paintings. Francisco Duran, PO Box 6000, MESA Alpha Federal Correctional Inst., Florence, CO, 81226-6000, [Write for prices or trade, 36S, 0:10] – Dann Lennard
Goth Dream Slave Requiem #2: More of the same, this time with a vague zombie theme. Your tax dollar at work, I guess. Francisco Duran, PO Box 6000, MESA Alpha Federal Correctional Inst., Florence, CO, 81226-6000, [Write for prices or trade, 36S, 0:10] – Dann Lennard
Retain Parts, Destroy Parts #7: I wanted to hate this zine for its juvenile celebration of misogyny and man-child misbehaviour, but Matt’s strength as a writer finally won me over. And I can understand why he’s such a tragic figure– everyone around him has grown up and entered the real world, while he’s rooted in an emotionally stunted place where he still thinks and acts like he’s 17. No wonder he tries to talk himself up as some kinda tough guy. He must be very lonely. M. Abramson, 31815 120thAve SE, Auburn, WA, 98092, retainthisdestroythis@gmail.com[$2, 32XS, 0:15]– Dann Lennard
Basic Paper Airplane #5: Josh is a beautiful writer, but this zine was too short for me. I would’ve liked to have read more about his travels around America, and seen more of his photos. The quirky, non-perzine articles were OK– I just wanted to read more about Josh’s adventures. Joshua James Amberson, PO Box 2645, Oympia, WA, 98507, joshuajamberson@gmail.com, www.msvalerieparkdistro.com[$3, outside US $4, 20S, 0:20] – Dann Lennard
You’re An Angel, You Li’l Devil #5: Brad Foster! I should’ve guessed – if a zine requires a sexy “bad” girl on the cover, you can guaran-damn-tee the veteran indie comic-book artist will be there. His saucy devil woman illo is the highlight of this issue, which also features numerous devil chick toons and photos, plus hellish fiction AND Olivia Munn. Recommended! Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131, narcolepsypresszine@hotmail.com[email for prices, 32XS, 0:15] – Dann Lennard
The Image Scrimmage: Teenagers discuss body image issues as part of the IPRC’s Media Action Project in Portland, Oregon. Not much of a zine, but it’s the ideas behind it that count. Iprc.org[check for prices, 20XS, 0:05] – Dann Lennard
Kung Fu Grip! Special No. 1: Octopussy: One of the more bizarre offerings to come my way, this zine celebrates...the octopus, including classical Japanese octopus pornographic art of the late 18th/early 19th century. Elsewhere, editor Paco writes some gorgeous haikus about strippers and relates a moving tale about his unrequited internet relationship with a female homie. It’s quite heartbreaking in parts. The zine comes with a swapcard and mini-zine Octopussy Companion: The Pocket Pussy. Needless to say, this zine is verrrrrrry adults only. Paco D. Taylor, 7730 East Broadway #925, Tucson, AZ, 85710, paco@kungfugripzine.com[$3.50/email for overseas prices, 56S, 0:30] – Dann Lennard
Page After Page: A photo-zine dedicated to the immortal Bettie Page, including a brief essay on the pin-up legend. The pix are gorgeous, giving this zine a timeless quality. Paco D. Taylor, 7730 East Broadway #925, Tucson, AZ, 85710, paco@kungfugripzine.com[$5.95/email for overseas prices, 56S, 0:10] – Dann Lennard
Pornhounds #2: Writer Sharon starts where she left off last issue, relating her daily life as a porn mag staffer but, halfway through this amazing autobiographical comic, it detours into darker territory when she discovers she has breast cancer. Sharon relates her tale of shock, acceptance and eventual triumph with humour, dignity and emotional force. She’s ably assisted by a talented, eclectic group of artists, the notable (in my eyes) being Ed Piskor and Danny Hellman. If you like Harvey Pekar’s work, then you should really seek out Pornhounds.pornhounds@yahoo.com, www.pornhounds.net[email for prices, 64M, 0:30] – Dann Lennard
Word Balloons #13: If you want to get a feel for the Australian comics scene, this zine is a perfect starting point. This issue interviews current indy star Mandy Ord. Next is an in-depth chat with Fysh Rutherford, the creator of 1970s political satire/superhero pisstake newspaper stripIron Outlaw. Phil reviews several Australian-made comics before rounding out the issue with the recollections of comic-collecting geek Dann Lennard. Hey! Wait! How’d he get in there? Philip Bentley, PO Box 286, Sandringham, Vic, 3191, AUSTRALIA, secondshore@yahoo.com, secondshore.blogspot.com[AUD$10/email for overseas prices, 32M, :60] –Dann Lennard
King Street, Newtown: Sydney’s most bohemian district is revealed in minute detail by local resident and veteran zinester Chris Mikul in this entertaining, heavily illustrated zine. More than 180 years of fascinating local history are covered, along with classic characters who inhabited the suburb and iconic shops and buildings (many now sadly gone). Even if you live on the other side of the world, Mikul’s writing will draw you in with one fascinating anecdote after another. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zip.com.au[email for prices, 40S, :40] – Dann Lennard
