2007-09-24 Nice Introduction

I spent my teen years devouring music zines, and now in my mid-30s although I'm still a fan of the form, I rarely check them out any more. Nonetheless, I find myself thinking about starting one, so this seemed like a great book to check out. It's certainly true that blogging software has dramatically eased one's ability to present one's thoughts to the entire world. However, blogs have other limitations and for people like me, there's really no substitute for the satisfaction of having a tactile object. This book is a very nice basic introduction to the nuts and bolts of starting a zine (or mini-comic), covering all aspects, from writing to collaboration, cartooning, postage, printing, photocopier tricks, binding and assembly, and finally distribution. There's plenty of step-by-step diagrams, and technical terms are clearly defined, all of which make it a really good resource for teens. Personally, I could have used a little more detail on certain elements -- for example, more on binding would have been nice -- but the editors probably made the right call to keep the book a manageable size. One thing I'm not totally keen on is the design -- it's put together in a zinelike format, three-color printing with sloppy typewriter-style text and tons of handwritten text, all of which make for occasionally confusing reading. Personally, I cleaner and crisper design -- even for zines -- but the book certainly captures the spirit of the zine world and is definitely inspirational.