Zine Reviews: September 2014

This is a guest post by Ann-Marie.  Ann-Marie likes tea, cats, collecting junk and being creative. She blogs about her adventures over at www.lettersfromlimboo.blogspot.com  

She also has a fun facebook page where she posts regularly about zines and cats!  www.facebook.com/kittenbreathdistro

Witch's Hat
Esther McManus, London
www.esthermcmanus.co.uk

There is so much to love about this zine! It had all my favourite things in it- like crows, cats, a gnarly old witch, its set in a wild enchanted forest and of course there's Esther's magical art work too! Witch's Hat is a joyfully spooky zine that makes you curious about the strange doings of birds and beasts..and witch's too. The more you look at this zine, the more details you notice hiding amongst the foliage. Esther's work is always top notch quality stuff. Looking at it you can see its made with loads and loads of love and care and magic witchy powers. A fantastic zine that I would definitely recommend.

Recycled Air
Jenny Harkins, Edinburgh
www.etsy.com/shop/luckyscissors

This is a lovely autobiographical/art minizine by Jenny, a Scottish artist based in Edinburgh. She says it's about "breathing in on a sunday night", which has a nice poetry all of its own. The zine mixes some black and white photos that Jenny took on a bus journey to Glasgow, with bright, bold illustrations in colour. I like to think the illustrations are of things Jenny found in her bag while she was looking for something else.. The things that were tangled in her headphones.. I really like the powerful little details she selected to draw.. It's a short zine but communicates a lot in its 8 pages.

Haphephobia
Ellice Weaver, Bristol
www.elliceweaverillustration.wordpress.com

This is a funny and interesting collection of autobiographical comics. It's a revealingly personal, sweet and eccentric zine where we get to know Ellice quite well. The artwork has a nice nervous energy about it that I liked a lot and suited her misadventure stories. The zine is peppered with Ellice's random thoughts that are often hilarious. It's an offbeat dark comedy that mixes the mundane and the surreal in a charming and entertaining way.

Teagle Comics 1

Jack Teagle, Cornwall

www.jackteagle.co.uk

I love Jack Teagle. This zine collects some damn fine new comics by Jack. There's a lot of fun heroic fantasy action and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the stories. Jack's characters are eternally fighting! Fighting for a better world, and to protect the vulnerable. There are some colourful entities in this - hero's, misfits, and monsters.. It's hard to pick a favourite but Catheadarmman is pretty awesome! I have no idea where Jack will go with these stories and I can't wait till the next issue. Im completely hooked.

Super Smooth
Emma Ahlqvist, Edinburgh

www.emmaahlqvist.com

This is an earlier comic of Emma's but also the first one I checked out. I was drawn to the dreamy water colour artwork. Emma is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Edinburgh. She says her comics are inspired by growing up in Sweden. This zine is about a young guy who struggles to find his way in life and decides to leave home and live in isolation. It's a cool zine and funny in an offbeat way. Emma is a talented writer as well as a great artist. The story is easy to slip into and you wont regret it if you check it out.

Elderflower 1
Sarah, Staffordshire

www.etsy.com/shop/elderflowershop

This is a sweet and lovely perzine in which Sarah introduces herself to her readers. She's a happy sad misfit who is learning to look after herself and to cope with her problems. She writes about her mental and physical health, useless doctors and lots of little things that make her happy, as well as things that make her feel bad. It's very much like reading a letter from a new (and very cool!) penpal. Sarah is a sensitive, magical, creative person who is full of love and sadness. I enjoyed this zine a lot and you will too, so check it out!