Remaining Fanzines and Magazines?

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

Oh , the irony . Let's continue something that was discussed at the MSA Old Home , namely , remaining print comic fanzines - And , for diversity , pro/semi-pro/" pro-zine " comics publications as well .

  CBG remains in business . The Comics Journal has now announced that they will come out annually , with " a 600-page plus " issue .

  I am Facebook friends with Jon B. Cooke but I haven't yet checked to see if his Comic Book Artist has managed to continue recently , post-its Old Home...

  Toomorrows , which indeed has itself a little nook/corner , with The Jack Kirby Collectore , Alter Ego , and Back Issue .

  Now , including the " fan " side too...........

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...As far as " music fans' zines " go , MSA , " baaccckk during the Nineties " there was a lot of publicity , too , regarding the sort of fanzine that originated from music culture , but wasn't nessacarily all that " about " pusic , especially ones that came from (cough cough ~ Sort of " inprecise "/general descriptions but it gets the concept across , more or less) " punk-indie-garage-hardcore-college rock " music)...Though I never saw the flick , I believe the film REALITY BITES referenced that sort of fanzine .

  Yes , of course , the Web has rather technologically outmoded , with its immediate gratification , fanzines such as we're discussing , especially those mostly about prose/words , not pictures .

  A couple years ago the New York Times had a feature about a " Fanzine Fest " being held in NYC at that time w/the article noting all this (& the " fanzine " concept's root in SF fandom and perhaps even " we " got mentioned :-)!!!!!!!!!!!) , but covering modern-day fanzines ~ Not comics ones , the " music/pfanzine (as Factsheet Five used to put it) " ones , and more " personal " (I've thought there seemed a paralell between blogs/what-have-you and what I understand the old " perzine " concept to be , but perhaps I'm the " newjack " here , and so non-knowing .) 

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I am again rushed for time (One reason for splitting my posts , MSA ,) but the other semi-comics pro thing I saw was a cosplay magazine called COSPLAY CULTURE , a first issue of a regular magazine - To get two things out of the way , not so much an excuse for soft-softcore girlie pics as you might think , and offering comics con coverage/ads - Including a contest for VIP San Jose tickets which , even after I bought it , I also haven't been able to find yet !!!!!!!!!!!:-(

  Sheesh .

[Rob Imes]

Last year, D. Blake Werts started up a mini-comics newszine called COPY THIS which may be of interest, featuring interviews with small-press creators and updates on what various creators are working on, as well as actual short strips in some of the issues.  Blake has been admirably prolific with this zine -- it comes out on a near-monthly basis.  It's in the form of a mini-comic, too, not a slick, print-on-demand type thing.  Just Google the phrases "D. Blake Werts" and "COPY THIS" to find the ordering info.

Blake is also involved with Richard Krauss' recent fanzine THE DIGEST ENTHUSIAST, which is a print-on-demand zine devoted to digest magazines (mainly prose digests, but there is also an article about Archie digests in the debut issue which came out a few months ago).

Robin Dale, who publishes the fanzine price guide, is coming out with a new magazine titled COMIC FANDOM QUARTERLY, which will be distributed by Diamond and can be ordered through the Previews catalog thru one's local comics shop.

I'm still currently the Chairman of the United Fanzine Organization (UFO), and just published the latest issue (#238) of our club's newsletter, Tetragrammaton Fragments, earlier this week.  One of the members, Alan Sissom, runs a group called the Collectors Club and publishes their newsletter, CCN (Collectors Club Newsletter) which is in digest zine format.  Alan also publishes a zine called THE IMAGINATION LINK about science fiction, comics, etc.

Martin Hirchak, with who I had the pleasure of having a short road trip visiting local comics shops last month, still publishes his zine, FANZINE FANTASY, devoted to comics.  (There hasn't yet been a new issue this year, though.)

I still publish DITKOMANIA, but I haven't published an issue since last May when issue #93 came out.  I hope to get the new issue out next month (fingers crossed).

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Thank you , Rob:-) !!!!!!!!!!!

  Can the addrsses all be found thru an online serch ?

  Speaking of a variant of digest size , what about comics/zines in that seemingly universal " chapbook/fanzine " format _ I have been meaning to write something about some I bought while in Seattle , a couple fanzine comics and a more fully pro level (and stocked on the " regular " comics rack , reflecting that , not on a separated zines/small press one) ~ One was a company putting out quite a number of titles in a retro-Silver Age/horror manner , another a rather Beavis & Butthead-ish " nasty Archie " parody titled BARCHIE (Coming out of Chicago , MSA ! And judging from some references , possibly early 00s-ish in its date .) , and a 70s underground-ish (only Mature Audiences , really) called something like CAFE , or DINER , something like that (Yes , I've lost them all :-()...........

[Mr. Silver Age]

Thanks for the update, Rob! I'm still a subscriber to several fanzines, although I'm only reminded of that when one shows up in my mailbox every couple of years. I still get a kick out of that format. I do receive FADEAWAY from Rob Jennings every other month regularly, but it's more about pulp books, old-time radio, boys' book series and occasionally comics.

ED, I picked up the first two issues of COSPLAY CULTURE this weekend at C2E2 in Chicago and chatted with the publisher for a few minutes. In traditional comics fashion, the first issue (in March) has the number Vol. 15 #20 on it, while the second issue (coming out in early May) is #21. It's got interviews, how-tos and features on various costumes. It's definitely a big market these days, with lots of people getting really elaborate. It'll be interesting to see if it can make it, given how many ideas for costumes you can readily find must by reading online Con reports.

-- MSA

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Thank you , MSA . It is affiliated with the 80s-era hip hop fan/music magazine , WORD UP ! , as that incidia shows .

  I don't know , maybe it's part of a " periodic one-shots " series and , FOUR COLOR-like , the intended first issue is being issued as part of the FC-like series .  

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

..." CAFE/DINER " was the fully pro one , done by someone in Portland OR?? but issued by a company from Brooklyn .

[Mr. Silver Age]

No, the publisher explained that it's a comic-book kind of deal--they picked up the numbering from something else for some reason. They intend for it to be bimonthly, with the next issue (with a takeoff on Alex Ross's Joker-Harley Quinn cover) out in early May and the next in July. It looks kind of interesting, but I don't know if that market buys stuff off the newsstand.

-- MSA

[Mr. Silver Age]

In the wrong thread, ED asked me:

...MSA , did you run into the publisher of COSPLAY CULTURE and buy his mags post-myinitial posting about it ?

  This (I haven't looked at the date yet , am in yet another mega-hurry typing wise now .) con has been in the last week or so , ja ? Post- , as I said , my initial post on this site re: " CC " ?

To which I reply:

You posted Thursday night, and I saw your post the next morning before leaving for the show. I saw the CC's booth and stopped to talk with them. I probably would have anyway, but I figured I could find out if they were planning on a long run and report back.

Why are you so interested in the timing that you needed to ask about it when you're in such a mega-hurry? Besides the fact that you always seem to be in a hurry when you're posting?

-- MSA

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I was interested !!!!!!!!!!! Y'silly .

  'Sides which , I HADDA know that I'd " inspired " you...been FIRSTEST with the MOSTEST !!!!!!!!!!! 

  Hee hee hee . :-)

  The post regarded the Chicago con , yes ?

[Mr. Silver Age]

It was about the conversation we were having here, so I switched it over, rather than have magazines suddenly be discussed in the Trivia Quiz thread AND here both. I'm glad it didn't throw you.

I wouldn't say I was inspired to look them up because I saw your post. But when I saw them, I realized they were the mag you had mentioned. But I'm always interested in new comics magazines, so it was a natural booth to stop and check out, so if you hadn't mentioned it then, I would've in the next few days. I hope they do well; he said they had good advertiser response to the first issue, but it's tough to maintain that.

-- MSA

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I saw the first-to-me (apparently not the first) issue of another new , slick , lots of comics-based stuff , with enough acknowledgement of actual comics be acceptable , mag in Walgreens .

  It's titled GEEK OUT .

  I bought one of the two covers , Ledger/Bats rather than Darth , seems nice , haven't read it yet .

  The editor's a woman . I haven't seen that cosplay mag again since my above posts .