Making Comic Zines
Eddy Atoms
Silver Sprocket
NonFiction, YA? Creativity/Graphic Novel/Humorous Nonfiction
Themes: Books and Libraries
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Description
Have you ever had a little idea you wanted to share with the world - a poem, a comic strip, a story, a thought - but didn't know how? Does creating a full-blown novel or comic book seem too intimidating? Why not try making your own zine? These short, small-run, self-published magazines are a great way to begin creating. They can be anything from a folded page to a stapled or sewn-together booklet, and you don't need to be a full-fledged artist or writer to get started. All you need is a little time, a little motivation, and a little idea... and some of the basics outlined here.
Review
In the interest of full disclosure, I once was part of a fanzine; my father was part of a long-running
amateur press association (APA), and for many years I had reviews and the odd thoughts as a "coattail
zine" in his entries (admittedly to help boost his page count). I'm not even sure if that APA is still
around; we lost touch when Dad's dementia worsened to the point where he could no longer continue to
publish, and there seemed no real point in me continuing on my own in what was essentially his circle of
friends and associates. So when I found this while randomly browsing my library's Hoopla offerings for
something that wasn't ridiculously dark and/or part of a larger franchise or multiverse, it tickled a
little wisp of nostalgia.
On the plus side, Making Comic Zines brims with can-do, go-for-it energy, emphasizing that one
doesn't need to be a Picasso or a Stephen King to create or have something worth saying. If you wait to
be someone else to begin, someone smarter or better or more experienced or what-have-you, you'll never do
anything. Start where you are. The bar for entry to zines is very low, and Atoms offers tips on keeping
things cheap (or free) and accessible, especially useful to those of limited means and/or minors. It's
quite encouraging and empowering, and it openly admits that this is just a launchpad; at 40 pages, it
doesn't even try to be in depth, but goes over the basics of coming up with an idea, figuring out layout,
printing, and distribution.
On the minus side, though, there's a heck of a lot that's glossed over or ignored, making it a bit too
simplistic. Yes, parodies and satires of popular franchises are generally considered safe under "fair
use," but big companies can and will bankrupt you proving it if they decided to push their claim, and not
even minors are safe from that. There's also no mention of where the line between plagiarism or theft and
homage lies, which can also get one into trouble. Further, I'm a bit skeptical of advice to distribute
home-printed zines to local libraries; ask first, as not all libraries can or will take such donations.
(Guerilla distribution of zines might be a safer bet, to be honest, leaving copies where people you think
might enjoy them will find them; just be careful what kind of personal information you include in
anything you create... and the same warning goes for fandoms in general. Many people are trustworthy, but
there are dark corners in even the most benign-seeming groups.) And, of course, there's the ravenous
kaiju elephant beast of AI that's not even addressed, a threat that not even zines are safe from. (As a
minor unrelated note, in the section on printing, Atoms skips over the fact that many printers these days
can collate your copies for you, saving you a step. It's one of several points where a little more
practical nuts-and-bolts information could save newcomers a lot of time, tears, and frustration.)
For all that, though, it's a fun little zine with lots of energy and optimism, and it brought back some
nice memories.