A Creative Community: Pocket Thoughts Annual #2

Pocket Thoughts Annual #2 (2020)

Kingston, Ontario, Canada-based Ryan Ewing’s Pocket Thoughts Annual is a yearly collaborative zine featuring pages of art, comics, poetry, and writing by other zine makers from around the world. Consider it a minicomics or zine sampler, or an amateur press association approach to making art-oriented zines. It’s a project parallel to his zine Pocket Thoughts, which offers similar content—artwork, comics, photography, poetry, and prose—created by Ewing himself.

This edition, which I received from A.J. Smith in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, one of the contributors, features work from 15 creators around the world. Most sell their zines via Etsy, and those who don’t are active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Checking out their online shops, it looks like creators represent Australia, Canada, and the United States. Not all are still actively selling (in fact, Smith isn’t any longer, which is a shame), but hopefully they continue to make zines.

All of the contributions are minicomic-sized pages, with two half-page submissions. Some combine text and image, and one is text only. Material addresses themes of inappropriate intimacy and relationships, self-medication, COVID-19, mental health, the afterlife, DIY media, the power of art, education and parenting, and the contents of our personal space.

It’s an interesting walk through a community of creative friends and people who probably trade amongst themselves. Some contributions are fun and funny, and some might provoke thought or evoke an emotion. Pocket Thoughts Annual is a great introduction to creators you might not have encountered otherwise—and now you can contact them directly to explore further. It’s also a good gauge of the kind of material Ewing appreciates and enjoys.

This edition is available for about $5 as part of a bundle of issues #1-5 from https://www.etsy.com/shop/PocketThoughts (look for Pocket Thoughts Annuals).

Esoteric Time

The Shell of the Self of the Senses #26-27 (self-published, March-April 2018, $10)
Limited to a print run of 80, Ron Rege, Jr.'s monthly minicomic experiments with the form in terms of size and shape, and content—artwork, as well as storytelling and narrative. #26 is a very small, 40-page mini collecting a series of glyphs drawn in 2012 and featuring notes from a lecture Dr. Stephen Hoeller gave about the Krotona Theosophical community active in the Hollywood Hills in the early 20th century. "There is time, and then there is esoteric time." The glyphs are just slightly more than doodles and remind me a little of Almine's timemaps and sigils.



#27 is a little closer to a standard minicomic. The eight-page digest is a sampler of sorts featuring playful pixies, interstellar energetic angels, folk dancing, family life, and holistically extensive hair. I just love Rege's artwork—even when it's experiment and sketchbook rather than comic narrative and story. This is a monthly experiment worth supporting.



Availability: You can subscribe to Rege's monthly minicomic for $10/month. Last year, Fantagraphics published two Rege books: The Cartoon Utopia and What Parsifal Saw. The Weaver Festival Phenomenon was also recently published.

Slices of Daily Life

You Don't Get There from Here #31-33, #35-36 (November 2013 to July 2014 and October 2014 to March 2015, self-published, $3)
This is one of my favorite minicomics. Written and drawn by Los Angeles-area artist, hiker, and cat lover Carrie McNinch, these digest-sized comics collect her daily one- to five-panel diary comics. We ordered these from John Porcellino at Spit and a Half, and after I read them—as did my wife and son—my wife ordered even more. Since then, I've ordered still more and subscribed directly from Carrie. It's been awhile since I've kept up with her work, having let a previous subscription lapse.

Drawn daily, dated, and indicating part of her daily soundtrack (from Kanye West's "Monster" to Broken Bells's "Holding on to Life" in #31 alone), the comics are pleasant slices of Carrie's life. Like many autobiographical and semi-autobiographical minicomics, it's not always clear where the line between artful narrator and actual person is drawn, but Carrie comes across as very kind and personable in her comics. She is also very open about what concerns her.



Consistent themes running throughout her work include anxiety over her living situation; running, hiking, and walking dogs in the mountains north of LA; hanging out with friends and babysitting; aging, approaching menopause, and health insurance; occasional depression; her father; food and restaurants she frequents; drinking too much; the beauty of nature; the LA Zine Fest; her cats Milo and Chu; acupuncture; Disneyland; and travels to Mexico and Japan.

Her drawing style is simply detailed—at times similar to Porcellino's work—and some of her most impressive panel work depicts either landscapes or cityscapes; or more metaphorical imagery such as disembodied or drunk uncertainty (for example, 12/11/13), the specter of anxiety (2/3/14), and loneliness and the need for physical contact (4/3/14).

Her daily diary comics are occasionally joined by longer-form journalistic pieces about her travels to Mexico and her father, who had Alzheimer's; showing that her comics storytelling isn't limited to several-panel slices of daily life.

Regardless of whether you like minicomics, personal comics, Los Angeles, cats, or any of the other topics mentioned above, check out Carrie's comics. Reading one issue is rewarding, but reading more shares a broader perspective on her life and personal development over that time. Personally, I want to go hiking with her!

Availability: You can order copies from Carrie McNinch, P.O. Box 49403, Los Angeles, CA 90049 or online. Her graphic novel I Want Everything To Be Okay is also available.

Cataloging Comics Ephemera

Minis, Digests, Etc. #1-8 (Tanreth Press, April 2016 to December 2017, $4)
This infrequently but consistently published "iterative reference guide" edited and published by Scott Davis picks up where The Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide and Fogel's Underground Price & Grading Guide leave off, bringing those two resources closer to review zines such as D. Blake Werts's Copy This! to catalog and document mini-comics and other comics ephemera. Each 32-page edition, limited to a first print run of 25, indexes mini-comics, digest-sized comics, and comics of other shapes and sizes—including material from the United Fanzine Organization and Small Press Syndicate. The first eight issues go up through D, to Brad Foster's The Dirty Old Lady Digest, which ran five issues between 1986 and 1993.



This zine might not be of interest to everybody—but it is an amazing and impressive project. If you've read mini-comics over the years, it'll be a fun read. And it's a crucial tool for zine and comics librarians, archivists, collectors, and scholars. Davis indexes titles, issue numbers, dates, contributors, price, and additional information for each item. The neatest part of the index zine, however, might be the reduced cover art at the foot of many pages. Just flipping through a few issues, some of the cover art highlights include Adventures of A-Girl, Amazing Cynicalman, Andy Nukes's BLDGS., Jeff Zenick's Destined, Max Traffic's Diary of Neo-Psychedelic Man, and others.



This zine is a labor of love that is much appreciated. I look forward to future issues!

Availability: Write Scott Davis at 114 Lesnyk Road, Goffstown, NH 03045, or email him. You can also order it from the Poopsheet Foundation.

Stories and Memories

The Shell of the Self of the Senses #22 (Nib Comics, November 2017, $10)
Ron Rege, Jr., publishes 100 copies of his monthly minicomic for subscribers. This issue presents part one of "Andy Remembers" from 1992. The 24-page minicomic was drawn between April and June 1992 and shares Rege's friend Andy's memories and stories about people he knew in grade school. "He was angry remembering all the cruel things that these kids had done to him, and to each other."



Rege pairs slightly grotesque—cute brut, perhaps—portrayals of the children drawn from school photographs and class pictures with quotes from his friend's memories. Themes and topics include crushes, dreams, classroom activities, friends' family members, learning how to swear, and Japanese food. The photos cover the years 1974-1981.



Part two of this mini is expected this month. I would have liked more—more of everything: more stories and memories from Rege's friend Andy, and more text. I'd also like more artwork, more pictures. Rege includes one image twice, perhaps because the memories about that friend take up two pages. More imagery would have been welcome.

Looking forward to part two!

Availability: You can subscribe to Rege's monthly minicomic for $10/month. Earlier this year, Fantagraphics published two Rege books: The Cartoon Utopia and What Parsifal Saw.

Simple Stories About Bee Stings

King-Cat Comix and Stories #76 (Spit and a Half, June 2016, $5)
This minicomic by John Porcellino is one of my favorite self-published comics of all time. His work is simple, earthy, loving, and gently important. He reminds me to slow down, live life, and to pay attention to the details and little things that can often go unnoticed. Things like animals, bodies of water, and the wind.



Porcellino now lives in northern Illinois not far from where I grew up in southern Wisconsin. This issue made me miss my former home: its geology, geography, flora, and fauna; and my family still there. The opening text piece "Sinnissippi Days" tells about a spring walk to where the Rock River meets the Pecatonica and the birds seen along the way, including an egret and a cormorant.

Comics, simply drawn, address a project started while waiting for car repairs, living in an unheated apartment, and signs of fall and winter. Porcellino also includes a top 40 (45!) featuring books, records, and experiences; and a nine-page letter column that includes missives from minicomic long-timers Jeff Zenick, Ariel Bordeaux, Jenny Zervakis, and Buzz Buzzizyk.

If you've never read King-Cat, give it a chance. This is a comic series for the ages.

Travis Millard: Authors@Google

I helped organize this talk by Los Angeles-area comics artist Travis Millard at work in Santa Monica. It took place in February 2010 and just hit YouTube recently.

You Don't Get There from Here #8

Carrie McNinch, P.O. Box 49403, Los Angeles, CA 90049; Web; Email
($2 36XS)

Daily, three-panel diary comic strips. Sent as trade for a Bundle of Wonder. Excellent.

A View #135

Michael Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford, IL 61108
($1 16XS)

Simply drawn single-panel gag strips with an emphasis on puns.

Bundles of Wonder

I send packets of zines, minicomics, fliers, and ephemera to people in the zine scene -- the Eternal Network. If you'd like to be included, send no more than 25 copies of your zine, minicomic, flier, CD, or other item to me.

Unlike some of my projects, this isn't about documentation, but distribution. I just send stuff out; I don't keep records of what, much less to whom.

To receive my address in order to send material for inclusion, email me, and I'll smuggle you the essentials. If you'd like to receive a Bundle of Wonder, do the same, and when you get the address, send $5 for priority -- not random -- handling.

If you receive a packet (randomly or otherwise), I hope you enjoy it.

The White Buffalo Gazette #Ferry Across the Ocean of Existence

Mike Hill, 387 Jayson Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15228
($3 28S)

Thanks to John Porcellino, I learn about the most recent incarnation of the obscuro comix zine. Editor Mike Hill has collected work by Chad Woody, Steve Willis, Matt Feazell, Maximum Traffic, Clark Dissmeyer, Jim Siergey, Jeff Zenick, and Ed Bolman. This is a need to get for small-press comics readers. Send Mike your money!

A View #134

Michael Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford, IL 61108
($1 16XS)

This is Michael's more adult comic. This edition includes single panels on breast feeding, condoms, stand-up comedy, Disney, ice cream, sex, religion, drinking, politics, and other topics. Simply drawn, and funny.

From the Reading Pile XXXV

Some reviews submitted recently to Zine World:

Blurt! #5: Lew's all over the place in this well-designed, verbose perzine. Past and present. Memory and diary. New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He shares stories about his childhood, school-age friendships, discovering punk rock, the dangers of tribute bands, student journalism, relationships on the wax and wane, making zines, couch surfing, being in a band, and other aspects of the punk-rock life. There's not a lot that's new here, but Lew's got a friendly perspective, and his use of adverbs without the "ly" at the end can be fun. The "Livin' on an Island" section makes me want to check out City Island in New York. A great zine for waiting rooms and bus stations. Lew Houston, 135 Wapwallopen Road, Nescopeck, PA 18535, email [$2 108XS 1:21]

Dwelling Portably (May 2008): Regardless of your living situation -- rural or urban -- reading this zine will inspire you to go back to the land -- and will give you the tools and ideas you need to do so inexpensively. Material in this issue covers Chinese-style wheelbarrows, peak forces on backpacks, grain storage, infected food and clean water, vehicle repair, and temporary housing. Wonderfully homespun, Dwelling Portably mixes personal experience and reader contributions. A must read. P.O. Box 190-D, Philomath, OR 97370 [ $1 16S :19]

Farming Uncle #109 (Spring 2008): Editor Louis Toro started an experimental "farmette" and homestead in Greenfield Park, NY, 41 years ago. His zine is a hodgepodge of agricultural clip art, personal and pen pal ads, get-rich-quick working from home schemes, all-caps moralizing, rural living how tos, nonviolent politics, and Native American activism. It's a cluttered cabinet, but it's fascinating -- and makes for an interesting parallel read to Dwelling Portably. My new favorite zine. Louis Toro, Box 427, Bronx, NY 10458 [$3 24S :23]

Local Comics #55: It's been awhile since I've seen one of Michael's comics, and it's great to see he's still stirring the pot. Over the years, his artwork, though simple, has gotten a little tighter. But his sense of humor -- boner jokes, visual gags, puns -- hasn't changed much at all. His use of partial puns, in which he puns off of a syllable or a part of a word versus the entire term, has increased somewhat. That just goes to show that you can find amusement anywhere -- and that puns might be finite. Basic, clever, funny. Michael Goetz, 1340 Brandywine Dr., Rockford, IL 61108 [Two stamps/trade 16XS :02]

Musea #160 (January-February 2008): If this issue is any indication, Tom Hendricks publishes a Christmas-themed short story at the end of the year. Even though the holiday story might be better read at holiday time -- it's July as I write this -- I did enjoy the piece. It's a story about injury, memory, music, and love -- and while it's somewhat predictable, it's gentle and caring. The issue even includes photographs and sheet music to add to the experience. Happy belated holidays, Tom! Tom Hendricks, 4000 Hawthorne #5, Dallas, TX 75219, email, Web [Free 13S :06]

Opuntia #64A-64B (October-November 2007): Given that these issues of Dale Speirs's zines have a whole number, they contain what's termed "sercon," or serious and constructive criticism. Other issues might be reviewzines, APAs, or perzines. These two editions, then, contain an actively footnoted two-part essay on the origin of life, in which Speirs addresses the various theories behind the origin of life and provides a good starter survey of the literature. Speirs also addresses his other interests, including science fiction, postal history, geoscience, and other topics. The Seen in the Literature items are useful synopses of scholarly articles. Worth checking out. Dale Speirs, Box 6830, Calgary, AB Canada T2P 2E7 [$3 16S :23]

The Out Orb Tribute to Carl Sagan: Combining his interests in the work of Carl Sagan, the TV Show Space: 1999, and Esperanto, long-time comics maker Tolbert created this mini sharing a story about Sagan going to Moonbase Alpha to oversee the construction of SETI antennas. I don't always "get" Yul's comics, but I sure am consistently impressed. His controlled use of hash-mark shading is interesting, and his stylized characters, while somewhat stiff, do resonate. Worth it for the drawings of spacecraft, the moonbase, and antennas alone. The Princess Di joke at the end is a pleasant touch. Yul Tolbert, P.O. Box 02222, Detroit, MI 48202, email, Web [Free 16XS :03]

Popular Reality Special Report Vol. 786 #2: Fans of old-school mail art and zinemakers such as Bob Black and Al Ackerman will get a kick out of this intriguing read. Along with cover model Mykel Board, readers are offered pieces on the military and mind control, a faux brochure on human-gorilla in-vitro fertilization, suicide, child abuse, and Cher. Equal parts parody and polittical commentary, it's not always easy to identify what's a joke and what's art. Highlights include the Christopher Robin poem, Suzy Crowbar's textual poaching, and the detourned Yuran Ass comic on the last page. Confusing and fascinating -- a wonderful combination. Poe-Pular Reality, P.O. Box 66426, Albany, NY 12206 [$3 24S :15]

Publick Occurrances #10: This excellently handmade comic -- a limited edition of 500 with what appear to be woodcut covers -- collects drawings done of students from the class of 1925 at the Manual Training High School in Peoria, Ill. Artist Danny Martin's ink work may itself be inspired by woodcuts and lends a sinister air to his recreations of the student portraits. About 50 students and faculty members are featured in this edition. Danny Martin, 746 E. 5th St. #23, Tucson, AZ 85719 [$2 or trade 20XS :01]

Show Me the Money! #26 (Fall, Winter, Spring 2007-2008): Even though I'd like to see more citations and footnotes for a lot of the facts, I was quite impressed by this well-researched zine. Hunnicutt strives to show the realities of our economic and political system and leans pretty far to the left while doing so. Highlights of this edition include his contention that America isn't a democracy but a kleptocratic plutocracy (the Anti-Renter movement of the 19th century bears further research), the comparison of 1929 and 2008, a look at friendly societies and other mutual aid groupss (this might be the best article in the issue), and the two poems near the back. The zine could use more variation in its content (kinds of articles) and design but offers tons of food for thought -- if not tools for activism. Tony Hunnicutt, P.O. Box 48161, Minneapolis, MN 55448 [Free 44S :31]

Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison #13 (Fall 2007): This zine collects writing and artwork by women in prison, so there are some common threads running throughout the stories. Pieces touch on gender relations between prisoners and guards, health concerns with HIV and Hepatitis C, separation from loved ones, illogical elements of the legal and prison systems, the will to improve one's life or situation in and out of prison, and children. Rachel Vickers's "Ode to Sole Mates" might be the most creative item, told from the perspective of a pair of tennis shoes. A mixed bag, but promising for people interested in women's and prison issues. V. Law, Black Star Publishing, P.O. Box 20388, New York, NY 10009, email [$2 32S :12]

Urban Spook #1: Originally issued in 2006, this is a self-published comic book that's accompanied by a CD featuring six tracks of music and narration, also by Monk. Titled "The Cash-for-Pussy Primer," the piece -- best read while listening to the CD -- details the experiences of a gourmet cheese seller who goes to Span to see an old female friend. The two solicit a prostitute, which leads to some introspection. The artwork is somewhat rough and hurried, but the overall combination more than makes up for the limitations of any of the individual parts. An excellent DIY multimedia project. If you're aware of others like this, please write the reviewer c/o Zine World. Augusto Monk, 305A Brockley Road, London, England SE4 2QZ, email, Web [$10 12S+CD :17]

Worn Fashion Journal #4: Not quite Harper's Bazaar with its portrayal of impractical spectacular runway fashion and not quite Readymade with its DIY thriftiness, Worn is a relatively new semiannual magazine that blends the inventiveness of punk rock and the aesthetics of high fashion. The zine itself is well designed and published on a heavier stock of paper to better present its full-color contents. Highlights include an appreciation of The Image Makers: Sixty Years of Hollywood Glamour, and introduction to log cabin quilt making, Sonya Topolnisky's article on simultaneous color,a piece on the aesthetics of psychobilly, a reminiscence by an auction house intern, and an outline of the chemistry behind dry cleaning. This isn't a world I'm familiar with, but I appreciate the entry point. Well done. Serah-Marie McMahon, 4903 De Grand Pre, Montreal, QC H2T 2H9 Canada, email, Web [$7.50 48M :17]