Whatcha Mean What's a Zine?
By Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, and friends
Published by Graphia/Houghton Mifflin (June 2006)
Instructional Book
After hosting a zine-making workshop for kids, authors/editors Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson (of Fun Chicken) decided to create a beginners guide to zine crafting. We met Mark and Esther at APE in 2005 where they had the original hardcopy of the guide to look through and we knew right away it would be fantastic. The final version of the book features contributions from over twenty different artists who provide their unique insight or techniques.
This book walks you through thought out information best used as a launching pad for young artists without sounding condescending. Aside from the aesthetics, that is what I enjoy that most about the book: it reads like a good friend providing advice you can trust. The book contains information on things like distribution, wholesale, consignment, postage, and includes extremely useful glossaries about printing. The tutorials included about screenprinting are also informative.
While trial and error can be good learning experiences, any memory I have from the copy-shop (while it was still unfamiliar territory) turns to regret and frustration. It truly makes me wish I had this book at thirteen.
While the book can be repetitive at times, it's a great resource for anyone who wants to get into zines. If you’re already knee deep in zines you'll appreciate the comics as well as the varying artists styles tied together with a constant color scheme.
If you're just starting or simply want some entertaining reading material, this is a great book to pick up. It flows a lot better than most compilation books - it's very slick but the diy spirit of zines is never compromised. For a $12.99 retail price it's a great buy; you'll love this book and consider it a constant resource.
Reviewed on: July 08, ‘06
By: Mike Lopez
mike@poseurink.com
