From the Reading Pile VI

The American Girl #3
It's been a year since #2, and this 108-page issue is a choose your own adventure based on Sara's 1999 vacation in Asia. Accompanies by illustrations courtesy of Jaki Wood, Sara's writing is detailed and matter of fact. But my first storyline ended too soon! So I had to pick a new path. My second adventure covered some of the same ground as the first, which surprised me, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a witty mix of fact and fiction -- a la the death by motorcycle! Sara and the Pope's time in Ho Chi Minh City is particularly poignant, and I especially appreciate the inclusion of maps as well as Jaki's humorous illos. I have no idea how long I read and reread this. The idea is so cool, the story so engaging, and the number of options so enjoyable that I'm surprise more travel-oriented perzines -- ahem, Urban Hermit -- haven't tried this. I eventually stopped and read it front to back so I didn't miss anything. Awesome. You'll learn about the local culture and people. You'll learn about cool places to go and things to do. And you'll have hella fun reading this. A keeper if you ever plan to go to Asia. $2 to Sara, P.O. Box 190054, San Francisco, CA 94119.

Modern Fascist Quarterly #1 (Fall 2001)
Don't be fooled by the editor's letter from Trevor Alixopolus, creator of such comics as Quagga, Stalin Funnies, and Nil. While it's clear that this isn't a "dour political tract," this 36-page zine is also much, much more than the satirical periodical Trevor makes it out to be. While there are Low-Brow Reader-style swipes at Bryan Adams and a cache-full of Web sites, this zine is too politically aware to be solely parody. Trevor's "Globalization for Dummies" comic is a better primer to the IMF, WTO, WEF, and FTAA than those offered by Tom Tomorrow or Ted Rall to date. Starhawk's "Fascism in Genoa" is a scathing essay abut the police and politicians' mishandling of the free trade protests in July 2001. Trevor's article on the redevelopment of Carillo Adobe in Santa Rosa is a personal, well-researched look at a lost piece of history and nature. And "Taqueria!", a "burrito-eating man's guide to Santa Rosa," is a useful roundup of taquerias near where Trevor lives. More mindful political perzine than funny book, Modern Fascist could very well be the wolf in sheep's clothing activists need to reach a new audience for the anti-globalization message. $3 to Trevor Alixopolus, P.O. Box 524, Fulton, CA 95439.

Muppet Babies
Ben Jones' take on the Muppet Babies is right up there with his Alfe and Gator character-oriented comics. A sexed-up Miss Piggy wakes everyone up with a false fire alarm, and hilarity ensues as everyone discovers that it's Gonzo's peanut butter mayo salsa applesauce casserole burning in the Easy Bake oven. Scooter and Fozzie take the gang to Rap Land, where Kermit, Gonzo, and Beaker freestyle until Miss Piggy emerges as P-Lo. Then they go to a rave. A friendly and funny appropriation of pop culture icons that -- at the very end -- takes a stab at Canada: "Make sure Canada feels it." What's up with that? Paper Radio is on the Web.

Poems for Cartoonists
Hot on the heels of the recent series of comics-meet-poetry chapbook collaborations, David Lasky's 32-page mini could very well be a response to that effort, if not a serious dare to "write poems without words" and "draw comics without pictures." I'm usually quite skeptical about self-referential insider ephemera like this, and this was no exception. Even though the messages in this chapbook are laudable -- the role of words, panels as pages, the creative process, and cartoonists' influences -- the poems don't all stand up as good poetry, and I fear that this will find an extremely small appreciative audience -- a subset of an already small subset. Still, three poems struck me and are strong enough to check this out solely on their merit: "Braille Comic Strip," "Skeezik," and "Peanuts Finale." "Endless Comic Strip" is also worthwhile. David, kudos for this; may others take up your challenge! $3 to Boom Boom Comics, 4505 University Way NE, PMB 181, Seattle, WA 98105.

Shut Up! #1
You might have seen this comic artist's fliers and stickers around Somerville and Cambridge. While the obliquely frog-faced "Hi" guy isn't as omnipresent as Shepard Fairey's Andre the Giant urban installations, I was thrilled silly to find this 12-page comic on the mini racks at the Picnic. This first issue is quite skinny and features roughly 10 comic strips. The art is raw, the panels and pages of various sizes, and the point questionable, but Shut Up! is still a fun read. The creator pokes fun at TV, farts, softshoe, Life Is Hell (perhaps, the comic on p. 5 made me think of Matt Groening), the Hopi Chicken, poop, and superheroes. Definitely low in calorie count, Shut Up! is a throwaway read that's still sure to bring a smile. $1 to P.O. Box 442154, Somerville, MA 02144.

Shut Up Comics & Stories #2
This is more like it! Compared to the thin #1, this 46-page issue is a bargain -- and perhaps a better introduction to the "Hi" guy's creator's (I don't know his name!) work. As much zine as comic, this edition's contents are more varied. There's found art combines with comics, birds with hats, detourned sports clip art, yoga fart jokes, some short fiction, sketchbook reprints, historic fumetti featuring a French man, and Voivoid-esque lettering. The pages are much more dense this time around, and the artwork is much more mature -- in form, if not in content. Rather overwhelming to soak this all up, but hella impressive just for its sheer size and spunkiness. 10 cents to P.O. Box 442154, Somerville, MA 02144.

Simply Questions
This 32-page environmental zine by Solar Ray -- a collaboration between George Mokray and Mel Burns -- draws heavily on the environmental design principles of William McDonough. Questions address the role of the wind, birds, water, garbage collection, electricity, land use, and our environmental footprint. No answers are offered because "they are local and individual," but this mini will get your wheels turning. And they tell you where you can go to learn more. Thought-provoking. Look for it at the Picnic. I'll try to dig up George's email address.

Smudges
Part of Brett Warnock and Chris Staros' small batch series for Top Shelf, this 48-page watercolor comic pamphlet by Pshaw! shows work more mature than his past comics. Maybe it's called Smudges because of the watercolors and grey tones. Mostly sketches and character studies of the denizens of Pshaw!'s world -- Oddclops, Boxbug, Moodruin, Zoomcloud, and others -- this is a good introduction to Pshaw!'s sensibility. Smudges also tips hat to E.C. Segar, disses Marvel, and offers odes to mud, dust, and ice. But is it worth $10? I'd start with Pshaw!'s other work and get this if you're a completist. $10 to Top Shelf, P.O. Box 1282, Marietta, GA 30061-1282.

The Tenth Frame #3
An intriguing comic focusing on people -- mostly jazz musicians and improvisers -- who Austin considers his heroes, heroes of the be-bop era. The opening four pager of this 28-page edition details the stages of the "descent of Charlie Parker": calm beginnings, rise to fame, disillusionment, and the last days. Also included is the third chapter of Austin's comics chronicle of the life of Thelonius Monk. The installment centers on the seminars Monk held at his house with musicians such as Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis, as well as his short-lived stint with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. To close out the issue, there's a six-page synopsis of the lasting effects Lenny Bruce -- a different breed of improviser -- has had on comedy. As fascinated as I am by this comic, a true labor of love, I'm also frustrated. Austin's heavily researched, footnoted, and photo-referenced effort is an unprecedented experiment in celebrating jazz in comics form, as far as I can tell. But his still-developing art style -- the drawing is quite sloppy, less than stylistic -- and low production value -- cut-and-paste photocopying and typewritten text -- serve as impediments... as well as indicators of the work's foundation in jazz and improvisation. Well worth checking out, and I know that Austin will continue to improve. The Tenth Frame will only get better. $1 to Austin English, P.O. Box 460584, San Francisco, CA 94146-0584.

The Urban Hermit #9
Hidden in the cover artwork is a handwritten line that reads, "I am not Cometbus." Um, OK. But the parallels are there -- and perhaps the inspiration. Because the Urban Hermit is a Doris-via-Iron Feather Journal perzine that draws on beat poetry, hip hop, and hemp-hippy rave kid culture -- and one that details the travels of Sarah from Seattle to Hawaii after quitting her job as a crystal methamphetamine addiction recovery counselor. While Sarah's adventures among the American hippy kids who squat on fruit orchards in Hawaii are interesting, there's an undercurrent of self-centeredness and pretentiousness in her writing. Maybe it's Sarah's confidence -- for all of her posturing as a "22-year-old confused wandering person" throughout the zine's 60 pages, Sarah is surprisingly cocksure and dismissive of the people who help her -- especially given all her talk about impermanence, tofu, poetry, and such. Still, the writing is lively, flowing with a freestyle cadence, and Sarah's life is interesting enough to hold readers' attention. A fun read, full of snappy ghetto kid slang and lesbian obsession. I'd read another issue of this despite Karl Wenclas' endorsement in Zine Beat. $2 to Sarah O'Donnell, 1122 E. Pike #910, Seattle, WA 98122.

What are you reading?