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OUTSIDE IN #50
($2.00 from Bruce Chrislip / 2113 Endovalley Dr. / Cincinnati, OH / 45244 USA)
Outside In is a zine of artist self-portraits that was begun by Steve Willis (
Cranium Frenzy) in 1983 and has gone through several different publishers over the years. The most recent, Bruce Chrislip, has decided to bring the 20-year project to an end with issue number 50. Contributing self-portraits to this landmark issue are P. Williams (cover), Erik Sutter-Kaye, Lee Kennedy, Linda Vik, Billy McKay, Larned Justin, Matt Dembicki, Marc van Elburg, Ben T. Steckler, Christoph Meyer and Eric Reynolds – quite a diverse line-up. There's also a drawing of R. Crumb by editor Chrislip. My favorite self-portrait in this collection is Eric Reynolds'. I'm pretty sure he's
not actually a duck but it's a nice drawing just the same.
I don't know how to measure
Outside In's impact on the comix world but I can tell you it's an important project. I only wish I'd become aware of it prior to the late '80s as I'm still missing most of the early issues. It seems a shame to see it formally end but who knows, maybe someone else will be inspired to start a similar project one of these days. Any takers?
For more on the history of this long-running zine check out
this article.
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