Making Comic Zines (Eddy Atoms)

Making Comic Zines

Eddy Atoms
Silver Sprocket
Nonfiction, YA? Creativity/Graphic Novel/Humor
***+ (Okay/Good)

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.

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How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy) (Julia Cameron) - My Review
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The Storyteller's Handbook (Elise Hurst)

The Storyteller's Handbook: 52 Illustrations to Inspire Your Own Tales and Adventures
Elise Hurst
Compendium
Nonfiction, CH? Creativity
***** (Great)

DESCRIPTION: Artist Elise Hurst offers numerous detailed images of whimsical surreality to spark the imagination. With a foreword by Neil Gaiman.

REVIEW: A bit of a sparse description, I know, but there is no other way to really describe this "handbook". After Gaiman's remarks, which form an introduction of sorts in the form of a fairy tale, the book is mostly just what the subtitle indicates: a series of often-peculiar pen and ink illustrations full of animals, people, buildings, wildlands, skyscapes, seascapes, and more. Most contain hidden details and little flourishes and hints of secretive shapes and meaning that reward repeated perusal or merely lingering over the pages. Almost any part of any picture, from a small detail to the overall milieu to the general emotion to what possible symbolism could be at play (if one doesn't take the images literally), could spark ideas in readers of all ages, for everything from stories to poems to songs to even original artwork. It gets top marks for sheer imagination and delivering precisely what it promises.

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Animalia (Graeme Base) - My Review
Journey (Aaron Becker) - My Review
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I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf (Grant Snider)

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
Grant Snider
Harry N. Abrams
Nonfiction, Collection/Comics/Creativity
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Cartoonist Grant Snider presents more comics about the wonders of reading, the magic of books, and the struggles and rewards of writing.

REVIEW: Much like The Shape of Ideas, this collection offers an interesting, somewhat irreverent look at reading, readers, books of all kinds, and the act of creating words. Also like the previous collection, some of the cartoons reach a point, and some never quite get there. The poetry-themed comics in particular seemed to circle around concepts without quite reaching what they were aiming for, but then I've never been a huge poetry reader. There's also a whiff of repeated concepts now and again, easier to see in a collection than in random comics seen online here and there. Overall, though, it's a fun celebration of all things bookish.

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Frequently Asked Questions: An Unshelved Collection (Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes) - My Review
The Shape of Ideas (Grant Snider) - My Review
Book Love (Debbie Tung) - My Review

Growing Gills (Jessica Abel)

Growing Gills: How to Find Your Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life
Jessica Abel
Independently published
Nonfiction, Creativity/Self-Help

DESCRIPTION: Many people have creative goals: becoming a published author, showing paintings in an art gallery, producing a screenplay, even just making a little extra time for that woodworking hobby. But real life always gets in the way; unless you live in a hut in the desert with a donkey, there's always someone demanding your time, or a job that sucks all your energy, or other complications. Maybe you'll get to it next month, or two years from now, or after the kids get out of high school, or when your wife retires... yet it doesn't happen, and it's making you miserable. Creativity is a vital part of living, but too many people push it aside for other concerns that always seem more pressing. Like every working creator, Jessica Abel knows all too well how easy it is to fall into the traps set by life, and by ourselves. In this book, she explains why we so often give up on our creative goals and what we can do about it - all without having to buy a donkey.

REVIEW: This self-help book blends elements of Julia Cameron's creative advice books with concepts of scheduling and time management to create a realistic, practical, and ultimately flexible method for reclaiming one's time and one's life. She speaks as one who has "been there, done that" on being artistically stuck and confused. Key elements involve paying attention to what one is actually doing with one's time (to see where creativity could fit into one's schedule; most of us have filler habits, like mindless social media scrolling, that could be greatly condensed or even eliminated to free up space) and focusing on one goal at a time - clear goals, with definable finish lines, not nebulous notes to "write more" or "do something arty." The book includes access to a free digital workbook to download and print out; I'll confess I did not finish that, in part because my printer is being obnoxious about working with my new computer (and also admittedly in part because of a bad procrastination habit.) Overall, though, Abel's approach and advice are sound and easily customizable to most living situations.

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Every Tool's a Hammer (Adam Savage)

Every Tool's A Hammer: Life Is What You Make It
Adam Savage
Atria Books
Nonfiction, Autobiography/Creativity
***** (Great)

DESCRIPTION: Adam Savage became a household name with the hit Discovery Channel show Mythbusters: with co-host Jamie Hyneman and a crew of assistants, they used years of experience in the FX industry to recreate and test various urban legends and Hollywood myths. But long before that, Savage was making things with whatever he had on hand, starting with cardboard and working up to a career that included a stint at Industrial Light and Magic. In this book, he traces his own creative roots and influences through numerous successes and failures, with advice for makers of all kinds.

REVIEW: I always enjoyed watching Savage on Mythbusters; he's one of those people who was doing something he was born to do, something he was so passionate about even on bad builds, that it was a joy to watch in action. With this book, it's clear that wasn't just a persona created for the cameras. He was, and is, enthusiastic about the maker mindset, which to him encompasses everything from model building and set construction through painting or writing or even computer coding: anything creative. The book is broken down roughly by lessons for the current (or aspiring) maker, offering advice and personal anecdotes about topics ranging from general artistic perseverance to shop organization and tool selection. He's a great advocate of sharing and building communities (unlike some who jealously hoard their hard-earned knowledge in the belief that other makers are competition, not collaborators), and freely offers what he's learned over decades of making for fun an profit, with several photographs. It's a fast and enjoyable read, full of inspiration and practical tips. (And it's even formatted well for e-reading; I've read enough poorly formatted e-books to appreciate that.)

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Sometimes the Magic Works (Terry Brooks) - My Review
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The Shape of Ideas (Grant Snider)

The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity
Grant Snider
Abrams Comicarts
Nonfiction, Creativity/Comics/Collection
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: In this collection, the creator of Incidental Comics presents numerous takes on the creative process, its joys and sorrows, successes and disappointments, and journeys unexpected.

REVIEW: I've seen Snider's works online now and again, and generally relate to them more often than not. Even those I don't connect with, I can appreciate the creativity and message. Walking an alligator, pushing a stubborn tapir up a hill, flocks of dragonflies and crows as ideas made manifest, he gives shape to abstract concepts and passing whims with almost poetic words and pictures. Now and again it bordered on repetitive, but it's still a good source of inspiration and reassurance that, however our own creative endeavors are (or aren't) going, none of us are in it alone.

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The War of Art (Steven Pressfield)

The War of Art
Steven Pressfield
Black Irish Entertainment LLC
Nonfiction, Creativity
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: We all have our callings, but so often we deny ourselves - denying the world what we could give, in favor of what we think we should give. Screenwriter and author Steven Pressfield offers thoughts on creativity, the forces of the Muse and Resistance, and how to overcome obstacles to discovering and following our passions.

REVIEW: As usual for these books, it looks easy on paper... Pressfield draws on sources from classical literature to various religions to Hollywood hits, for advice that generally boils down to "the only way to be an artist is to sit down and make art." The rest is fear and peer pressure, which Pressfield classifies as Resistance, a force opposed by the "Muse" of the higher self. He starts drifting (or outright careening) toward spirituality and a God-ordered universe as the book goes on, sometimes repeating himself (in spirit if not direct words), with an unspoken implication that atheists and agnostics are lying to themselves about their own creativity or sources of inspiration. It got heavy handed enough to nearly cost the book a half-star, but overall it's a decent kick in the tail to those of us who keep letting Resistance (and the accompanying misery) win the battle.

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The Art of War for Writers (James Scott Bell) - My Review
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Finishing School (Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton) - My Review

The Artist's Way Starter Kit (Julia Cameron)

The Artist's Way Starter Kit
Julia Cameron
Tarcher/Penguin
Nonfiction, Creativity
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Most everyone has creative urges of some form or another. Maybe we once dabbled in poetry, or fondly remember that long-ago watercolor class, or bought a couple books on writing screenplays... but then we Grew Up. You can't be an Artist if you're not willing to starve and suffer, or unless you're one of the Special Few with that rare, elusive thing called Talent. Just enjoying creativity isn't enough; it has to make us money or bring us fame, or we're just wasting our time. Sure, it's no fun, but it's what's expected of us as responsible adults, mothers and fathers and workers... right?
Wrong.
Creativity isn't a luxury, but a need. Denying it is denying part of what makes us human. But most of us have built walls of fear - or had someone else build them for us - that block our artistic selves. This twelve-week course by prolific author Julia Cameron helps you to acknowledge and push through those blocks, reclaiming your right to create.
This kit includes Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, and a journal with quotes from the text.

REVIEW: For the record, I did not just read this book; I did all twelve weeks, insomuch as I was able. Billed as a "spiritual" path for "blocked" creatives - those of us who have let fear, uncertainty, and the pressures of a product- and fame-oriented society stifle our artistic sides - Cameron offers concrete steps for healing old hurts and moving through doubt. She does not promise to eliminate self-doubt or fear altogether, but rather teach ways to acknowledge and work through them so that they no longer significantly impede progress. Fear, not laziness, is to blame for most procrastination, she claims... and I must say, after working through this book, she's probably right (though there's still a little raw laziness in there, at least for me.) Cameron also emphasizes the spiritual aspect, crediting God (or Source, or the Universe, or whatever alternative nomenclature one might use) as the source of inspiration. Her attitude that "everyone has to believe in Something" is a little presumptuous, making those sections of her book feel a little strained. Otherwise, despite some initial skepticism, I found the experience more interesting and useful than I might have expected. I even got a short story out of it - and a rejection, but just finishing a short and submitting it is more than I've managed for far too long. The fact that the idea more or less fell out of my head during my attempt at "reading deprivation" (an exercise from the book, wherein one does not read anything, be it a website or a book or a newspaper ad - not an easy task at all for me, as one might expect, especially when I work at the library) lends a little more credence to Cameron's methods. I also actually find myself enjoying the "morning pages," three pages of daily writing in the morning before one starts one's day, despite some initial rebellion over not being a morning person. (Though I can't recommend the Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal; the stiff spine makes it difficult to write in.) Overall, despite being a little God-heavy now and again, I'd say the experience on the whole is worthwhile.

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How to Avoid Making Art (Julia Cameron) - My Review
Hocus Pocus, You're Focused! (Arthur Laud) - My Review