Poopsheet: Full of Small press News

Posted: Tuesday, July 23, 2002
By: Darren Schroeder

Care of Rick Bradford, we bring you his latest issue of Poopsheet Jr. Prepare for a small press overload.....

POOPSHEET Jr.
Issue #2, July 2002

Rick Bradford, editor / PO Box 2235 / Fredericksburg, TX / 78624 USA
rickbradfordSTOP-@-SPAMmsn.com

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Our Story Thus Far: As you may recall, the POOPSHEET website (www.angelfire.com/zine/poopsheet) is currently on hiatus. However, lots of things are still coming my way and as I have always had a burning desire to let other people know about that sort of thing, here we have POOPSHEET Jr. I can't say for sure if there will be future editions, but this is a way I can put together some info quickly and distribute it easily. Anyway, I'm happy to help spread the word about what's coming out in the independent press. POOPSHEET Jr. will go out to the Poopsheet e-mail list and hard copies will go out in my mailings. If you'd like a copy of the paper version, just send a 37 stamp. If you'd like to receive the e-mail version, send your address. Feel free to make copies and distribute POOPSHEET Jr. yourself.

Below is some info on stuff that's come out recently.

AUSTIN DAZE #32
(www.austindaze.com) Fun local rag with humor, poetry, lots of pics from local events and comix by Jim Siergey, Scott Brannock and others.

AUSTIN PARA TIMES #2
(PO Box 33509 / Austin, TX / 78764 USA)
This is a UFO/paranormal rag. I wanted to mention it because it's got a three-page article (with illustrations) on Waco by cartoonist Mack White.

BEZANGO, WA 985
(Steve Willis / PO Box 390 / McCleary, WA / 98557-0390 USA)
This is Steve Willis latest project. It's not comix, but drawings and anecdotal descriptions of the residents of the titular town. The drawing style is quite different from any other Willis stuff I've seen and the writing is fun. I'd love to see the idea turned into a children's book (or a book for grown-ups in what's generally thought of as a children's book format). There are, by the way, at least four issues thus far.

BON VOYAGE
($2.00 from Alex Holden, aholden88STOP-@-SPAMhotmail.com)
Pantomime comix by Alex Holden.

COMIC BOOK HEAVEN #6
(SLG Publishing / PO Box 26427 / San Jose, CA / 95159-6427 USA. Web: http://www.comicbookheaven.net)
This is such a great little mag. With CBH, Scott Saavedra pays tribute to the kookier side of comics. In this one: "Me Am Weird" (humorous, but straightforward, synopses of nutty comics of all sorts), a "Romantic I.Q." quiz from the '50s, dinosaur/army comics, letters and all sorts of comics-related tidbits and images. Recommended.

COMIC EFFECT #30
($3.50 from Jim Kingman / PO Box 2188 / Pasadena, CA / 91102-2188 USA)
COMIC EFFECT tackles comics of all sorts, but mostly mainstream superheroes. It does so unashamedly and its writers, generally speaking, are intelligent and interesting. This issue leads off with "Ten Comics That Changed My Life" by Alan Rankin, whom some of you may be familiar with from the Poopsheet website, among other places. The remaining writers, covering titles from Ages Golden to Modern, are Michal Jacot, Howard Leroy Davis, Timothy M. Walters, Robert Andres, Chris Khalaf and editor Jim Kingman. Recommended.

COMIXVILLE #2
(Send a stamp to Comixville / PO Box 697 / Portland, OR / 97207-0697 USA)
28 brief reviews of mini-comix, more than half of which include art repros. Definitely worth a stamp and its compact format means it's easily passed on to others.

THE FIERCE RIVER PIRATES IN "LOST AT STREAM"
THE FIERCE RIVER PIRATES IN "BURIED TREASURE"
THE ECTOMORPH FROM SPACE
SUE BRADY HANGS BY HER KNEES
(Carol Pond / 1861 Guilford Cir. / Thousand Oaks, CA / 91360-3219 USA)
Carol Pond has committed herself to producing one two-hour comic each week this summer and it looks she's sticking to it. What a great idea! Carol's comics are always a fun combination of whimsy and hokey jokes, like so much classic children's literature. That's not to say that these are aimed at kids, but I think kids would enjoy em and I don t think Carol would be offended by that notion. Recommended.

FRANZ VON JOSEFLAND #3
(Coz the Shroom / 2403 E. 2nd St. / Austin, TX / 78702 USA. Web: www.girlrobots.com)
Wacked-out comix, Coz the Shroom's divorce and more.

GO! MAGAZINE #4
(PMB #153 / 1101-D Thorpe Ln. / San Marcos, TX / 78666 USA. Web: http://www.gomagazine.biz)
Street evangelist, a review of the Girly Gala fashion show, Woody Allen's Austin visit (for a screening of HOLLYWOOD ENDING), the Old Settler's Music Festival, etc.

HOMOEROTICON #6: S Internet Remix
(120p book, $12.00, no checks, from Bobby Tran Dale / 2539 Potomac St. / Oakland, CA / 94602 USA. AGE STATEMENT REQUIRED. Web: http://www.homoeroticon.com)
HOMOEROTICON, as you might guess, is a comix anthology of queer-flavored horror/porn with just a bit of comedy thrown in. The main perpetrator here is Bobby Tran Dale, although a couple of other folks show up, too (Perry Lake, for instance). I prefer Bobby's more cartoony/humorous work, but the more dramatic stuff is top-notch, too. The covers and a couple of color interior pages also give a good idea of his talent for painting. If you re undecided about the book, check out the website first or send a few stamps for his Weird Queer-Fantasy promo digest that's got a 12-page comic by Botda.

A LAST CRY FOR HELP #2
DIRTBAG #7
(Dave Kiersh / 568 Grandview Ave., 2nd Floor / Ridgewood, NY / 11385 USA)
A LAST CRY FOR HELP is a collaboration between Dave Kiersh and Souther Salazar, both of whom produce lovely work. DIRTBAG is solo Kiersh. Both of these are recommended.

MAINSTREAM RESISTANCE #5
($8.00 for 3 issues >from 12334 Scarcella / Stafford, TX / 77477 USA. Web: http://mainstreamresistance.com)
Metal rag that's got interviews with members of Stormtroopers of Death, Catastrophic and others, plus lots of reviews.

MILK MILK LEMONADE
($6.00 NZ from Oats / PO Box 68518 / Newton, Auckland / NEW ZEALAND)
This is the fourth volume collecting the "City of Tales" comix by Clayton Noone and Stefan Neville. Really sharp, frenetic cartooning and looks even better than the previous collection. Plus, the 2-color, hand-printed cover is gorgeous.

A MULTITUDE OF VOICES Sampler #2
(free from Matt Holdaway / 1945 B Berryman St. / Berkeley, CA / 94709 USA. Web: http://www.amultitudeofvoices.com)
This thick mini-sized sampler, like a regular issue, is jam-packed with art and writing of all sorts. As Matt says, "pretty much whatever that can fit on paper is welcome." Lots of art, poetry and fiction by folks like Bobby Tran Dale, Gabe Hunter, Rob Brown, editor Holdaway and many others. A lot like WHITE BUFFALO GAZETTE, but with fewer comix. Matt sends this and the regular issues for free, but be kind and send him something for his trouble.

NO SUCH ZINE #?
(Xiaowei Wang / 18 Thornberry Rd. / Winchester, MA / 01890 USA)
A sloppy perzine mostly by Xiaowei with some interesting content under hand-printed covers. A Guide to Dating Musicians, knowledgeable record reviews by Josiah, fun, personal record reviews from Xiaowei, a bit on Communism, hot Asian guys, fiction and lots of personal writing.

OUT OF THE BLUE #9
($2.00 from Larned Justin / PO Box 471 / House Springs, MO / 63051 USA. Web: http://go.to/candidcartoons)
Fiction by Christoph Meyer (28 PAGES LOVINGLY BOUND WITH TWINE), a handful of zine & comic reviews (with cover and art repros) and comix/art by Delaine, Joel Orff, Steve Skeates and Michael Goetz. Beginning, I believe, in August, Larned is splitting this zine into two. He's creating a new one, THE BLUE REVIEW, just for reviews and OUT OF THE BLUE will continue to showcase art and writing. These are both bi-monthly and will alternate from month to month.

PROPER GANDER #33
($10.00 for 6 issues from PO Box 434 / San Marcos, TX / 78667 USA)
"Anticomics and stories" by Andrew Goldfarb, Bill Jeffery, Michael Sieben, Andrew Shoultz, Mary Knott & Beppi, Hans Rickheit and others. Oh, and a handful of zine and music reviews, too.

PROTOONER Vol. 8, #7
($6.00 for a sample from PO Box 2270 / Daly City, CA / 94017-2270 USA. Web: http://protooner.lookscool.com/ )
Independent trade magazine for cartoonists. It's mostly market info (who's buying what, who's quit buying, etc.), but there are also columns, a handful of reviews, a bunch of gag cartoons and ads. I should also mention that the market listings include info for writers and photographers, too.

QUAGGA #2
MODERN FASCIST QUARTERLY #1
($2.00 and $3.00, respectively, from Trevor Alixopulos / PO Box 524 / Fulton, CA / 95439 USA)
Quagga features expressive comix by Trevor Alixopulos, whose style I like quite a bit. MODERN FASCIST QUARTERLY is a satire zine with comix by Trevor and Tim Moerman, a customer survey from McDonnell Douglas, fascism in Genoa, Bryan Adams as Anti-Christ, website reviews, Taqueria reviews and other snide stuff.

ROVER #1
THE BIG PROBLEM WITH MARSHALL
(Monkeysuit Press / 170 West End Ave., #30 D / New York, NY / 10023 USA. Web: http://www.monkeysuit.com>www.monkeysuit.com)
I'm glad to see that two of my favorite series from the MONKYSUIT anthologies, "Rover" by Michael Foran and "The Big Problem with Marshall" by Pat Giles, are getting their own solo books. And judging by the pre-press copies I've got, these are going to be really sharp books. They ship in September. In the meantime, go to the website for more info.

RUBBER NECKER #1
($3.50; published by Alternative Comics / 503 NW 37th Ave. / Gainesville, FL / 32609-2204 USA. Web: http://www.indyworld.com>www.indyworld.com)
Beautiful comix by Nick Bertozzi (BOSWASH), a guy who seems to be even better with each new project. Look for more of his work in TRIPLE DARE #2, ROSETTA and DRAWN BITS.

SCOUT #5
($1.00 Scout Finnegan / PO Box 48522 / Sarasota, FL / 34230-0522 USA. Web: http://scout.liquidbutter.com)
This is a cute zine (and I mean that in a complimentary way). It's the "Pets" issue and Scout recounts a perfect Saturday, muses about her ten-year high school reunion and reviews a few books and zines. We also get comix by Scout (about her dog) and Delaine (about not having a pet), a mysterious turtle story from Ed, an unfortunate dog story from Poopshoot (no relation), and other fun stuff.

SICK PUPPY #13
($5.00 AUS + post., I'd imagine, >from Stratu / Rabid Publishing / PO Box 93 / Paddington, NSW 2021 / AUSTRALIA. Web: http://www.sickpuppycomix.com)
Wow! This anthology is quite a collection of sick humor and graphics. The full-color cover by Anton Emdin is a beaut! There's more Emdin inside, plus Mike Diana, Glenn Smith, Marcel Ruijters, Neale Blanden, Hans Rickheit, D. Rat, Josh Simmons and others. Also: letters and a bunch of zine reviews by Stratu, who is reshaping this into a new anthology called ATOMISER, the first issue of which will be out later this year. Recommended.

SNAKE PIT
($2.00 from Ben / 2100 Guadalupe #138 / Austin, TX / 78705 USA)
Journal comix by Ben for each day of a full year, plus a few other comics thrown in for good measure. Pretty cool stuff, but I m a sucker for autobio. Ben works at a record store in Austin called Sound Exchange that houses a pretty big zine library to which I've donated. For more info, write threeinverted9sSTOP-@-SPAMhotmail.com.

THE TEN PAGE NEWS #31
($1.00, 3 stamps or trade from Owen Thomas / PO Box 9651 / Columbus, OH / 43209 USA. Web: http://members.aol.com/vlorbik)
THE TEN PAGE NEWS is always an interesting read. This one's got info on the contract faculty union at a community college in Columbus that Owen's involved in, a template for a non-stapled mini-book, and a handful of zine reviews. Worth your time.

THINGS FROM NOWHERE
(http://www.thingsfromnowhere.com)
Richard Kolkman sent a sampler of his weekly strip, which is quite different >from other work I'd seen by him. Look for it in your local alternative paper or check it out weekly at the website above.

WAITING FOR SLEEP #3
($1.00, stamps or trade from Cathy / 409 Water St. / Jackson, CA / 95642 USA)
A frenetic hand-written perzine by a 20-year-old mom who's very tired. She talks about what naptime (her baby's) means to her, doing nothing but wanting to do a lot, not sleeping, TV, her body, etc. and includes lots of fun doodles. Cathy's zines seem pretty energetic, all things considered. I enjoyed this one.

WHITE BUFFALO GAZETTE June 2002
BUZZIZYK #23
(Elmore Buzzizyk / PO Box 2452 / Butler, PA / 16003 USA)
The WBG lists new comix & zines and this one's also got comix/art by Jeff Zenick, Andy Nukes, Joel Orff, Carol Pond, Violet Jones, Sean Bieri and Matt Feazell, plus "A Guide to Morty Comix" by Steve Willis that details the history of his fascinating one-of-a-kind comix series (over 2,000 issues are floating around). BUZZIZYK is a narrowly-formatted comic/art thing with Jim Siergey, John Miller, Nukes and Bieri. Both are recommended.

XEROGRAPHY DEBT #8
$2.00 from Davida Gypsy Breier / PO Box 963 / Havre de Grace, MD / 21078 USA. Web: http://www.leekinginc.com)
Although I'd skimmed the online reviews a couple of times before, this is the first time I'd sat down and read a complete issue of XD. The verdict? It rocks. There are 52 pages of (mostly) reviews by 16 reviewers, including editor Davida Gypsy Breier, Fred Argoff, Androo Robinson, Eric Lyden, Bobby Tran Dale, Violet Jones and others. I highly recommend this one. And if you're one of those people who's content with reading a zine online, you can check the (almost) complete issue out at the URL above.

ZU ZU
(jm675STOP-@-SPAMbard.edu)
Comix by James McShane that are something like a cross between John Porcellino and Fort Thunder.

Website: KOMIKAZE
(http://www.jedinstvo.hr/komikaze/)
This is a fairly large collection of comix by Eastern European cartoonists like Aleksandar Zograf, Ivan Mitrevski, Emil Jurcan and around 15 others (so far). A bit like reading an issue of STRIPBURGER, actually. Check it out.

I had some extra room, so here's some NEWS

A new issue of SOUTHERN FRIED (#6) is out. $1.00 or trade from Jerry Smith / 3344 Horner Dr. / Morristown, TN / 37814 USA.

GOD HATES CARTOONS, a new DVD compilation of animation by alternative cartoonists is now available and you should buy it. Cartoons by Jim Woodring, Tony Millionaire, Walt Holcombe, Kaz, Sam Henderson, Ivan Brunetti, Mark Newgarden, Tim Maloney and Lance Myers. It ll be in finer retail establishments in August or order online at http://www.brightredrocket.com.

7 PEACHES, a 224-page collection of the first seven of Donna Barr's Desert Peach episodes will be out in August. You may also order online at http://www.stinz.com.

Brian Ralph's new book, CLIMBING OUT, is now available. For more info, go to http://www.highwaterbooks.com

If you like to laugh, you should be reading http://www.markmartin.net.

Metaphrog's newest book, LOUIS: THE CLOWN's LAST WORDS, premieres at SPX in September. Check out previews at http://www.metaphrog.com/clowns.htm.

Shipping in October from Top Shelf: HAPPY END by Actus and a second printing of James Kochalka's MONKEY VS. ROBOT. For more info: http://www.topshelfcomix.com.

Speaking of James Kochalka, you can read his daily journal comics over at http://www.americanelf.com

Thanks for reading!



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