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OUT OF THE BLUE #15

($3.00 from Larned Justin / PO Box 471 / House Springs, MO / 63051 USA. Web: http://candidcartoons.com)

This new issue of Out of the Blue contains columns by Steve Skeates (tales of the comic book industry), Joseph Shea (about a batty neighbor) and Christoph Meyer (funny anecdotes about his young son); an autobio piece by Matt Holdaway about his first crush; an interview with cartoonist Yul Tolbert; comix/art by Kel Crum, Tolbert, Meyer, Joel Orff, Andy Nukes and others; and 17 reviews of comics and zines (with cover/art repros). Larned says the next issue will be all comics and stories.

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< zine:music >

RIOT! issue 2+2

(Liz Worth / 157 Delta St. / Toronto, ON / M8W 4E4 / CANADA. E-mail)

Riot! is a music zine with a few other tidbits thrown in for good measure. In this one: interviews with hip hop artist Admiral Crumple and punk band Bankrupt, tips on making a cat toy, a few pages about the My Little Pony line of toys (probably my favorite bit, based purely on the nostalgic geek factor), a bit of poetry, a bad trip, a personal account of a Jello Biafra performance and several pages of show and CD reviews. My copy came with a hand-drawn (in crayon!) cover, too, which is a nice touch.

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< comics/x >



SYNTHETIC UNIVERSE #3

($3.95 US/$5.95 CAN ppd from Hardcut Publishing / PO Box 291700 / Los Angeles, CA / 90029 USA. Web: www.hardcutpublishing.com. For Mature Readers)

Have you seen the Hi-Horse comix anthology? It occurs to me that Alison Elizabeth Taylor's work would be right at home in its pages. I'm not exactly sure why except that much of this issue is fairly surreal, looks at the human experience and her artwork is something of a cross between Andrice Arp and Bishakh Som (two of that anthology's primary contributors).

For me, the standout stories in this issue are: "Killing Time" (written by Andrew Hunter) because it has a nice twist ending and is about a sideshow troupe of freaks (or Very Special People, if you prefer); and "Bad Made Good Happen", an amusing take on the Fall of Man and how Eve actually did us all a favor. It's certainly no more far-fetched than the Bible itself.

The book itself is nicely-designed and both covers feature striking paintings that incorporate Taylor's unique and unusual wood-panel technique (the front cover moreso than the back), more of which may be found on the Hardcut website. If you're reading this and wondering where you've heard the name, you may have seen her her mini-comics such as The Perfect Job or her contributions to The Advocate, Bust or the Expo anthology. Although I enjoyed more than the covers and the two stories referenced above, those are certainly worth the price of admission.

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< zine:resource >



THE FREE PRESS DEATH SHIP #3

(free – donations accepted – from Violet Jones / PO Box 55336 / Hayward, CA / 94545 USA)

The central focus of the Death Ship is individual freedom. To that end editor Violet Jones includes in this issue an essay on the power of the printed word; much discussion and background regarding ISBN numbers; excerpts from B. Traven's The Brickburner; an enthralling letters section (this zine offers much for discussion); an interview with Fred Woodworth of the Anarchist zine, The Match!; an introduction to mail art by Ken Miller and Vittore Baroni; an inspiring description of the process of and equipment used to produce this zine (no computers); and over 200 reviews of zines of all types (plus smart excerpts from several of them). My copy also came with a separate booklet, a reprinting of I.R. Ybarra's Rent: An Injustice, originally published by The Match!. The Death Ship is a fascinating read (some of it even astonishing) and I give it my highest recommendation. Violet charges nothing for subscriptions, but accepts donations and by "standard" zine pricing (based on size, page count, added color, etc.) , I'd put this one at four bucks, easy. So send what you can. If any of the above description interests you, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[ My computer has bitten the dust – in fact, the only reason I'm able to post this is because I'm out of town at the moment – so thanks to Clint Marsh of Wonderella for providing the cover scan. Please forgive any uneven posting over the next couple of weeks or so until I get my computer woes resolved. I'll either have to pay to have it fixed or buy a new one. Donations to the cause would be humbly accepted. ]

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< video >



NOVEL AMUSEMENTS #3

($5.00 ppd from Jim Munroe / 10 Trellanock Ave. / Toronto, ON / M1C 5B5 / CANADA. Web: www.novelamusements.org)

We don't currently have cable tv in our house and one of the benefits/downsides to living in the country is that we only have three local channels to choose from (on which there's rarely anything worth watching). So tonight I watched the 16 short films and animations that comprise this edition of Novel Amusements. And, as with the previous one, I really enjoyed it.

My favorite piece is "My Trip to Liberty City" by editor Jim Munroe. It's sort of a travelogue that utilizes footage from the Grand Theft Auto computer game. It's narrated in a deadpan style that amuses me greatly and I enjoyed the tour of the game's environment. Clearly, absurdity goes a long way with me. Others I like quite a lot include Amy Lockhart's "Walk for Walk" featuring creepy animated characters (that voice!) drawn with a very Fort Thunder sort of aesthetic (Marc Bell's Paul character makes an appearance, too); Susan Bustos' "Beverly Dolls", a goofy animation starring Beverly Hills 90210 paper dolls; "Hoodies" by Sandy Plotnikoff, which is just an odd video collage of this guy with an endless supply of hoodies in a variety of amusing and striking photographs; and "Salsa Crisis" by Patricio Davila, an interesting look at gender roles, salsa dancing and how they relate to one another.

I don't remember if I said this the last time I reviewed Novel Amusements, but it's a bit like a video version of the radio show This American Life, only a little edgier maybe. It's essentially a collection of stories and performance art that serves to remind us (well, me) that life is what we make of it. Recommended.

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