Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?

 

Title: Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?

Authors: Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson.

Bibliographic Info:

Todd, Mark & Watson, Esther Pearl. (2006). Whatcha mean, what’s a zine? Boston: Graphia.

Descriptive Summary:

An all-star line-up of zine creators and comic artists present a great and thorough guide to making and distributing our own zine. Illustrated and printed on high quality paper, Whatcha Mean is a tome that is built to last and re-read over and over again. Features work by Jordan Crane, Ron Rege Jr., Allison Cole, PaperRad and many more. This is like having a whole collection of experts at your fingertips.

Evaluative comments with rating:
5/5 TVs - This one hits it right out of the park and into your tv screen. Read it!

As a work of art, Whatcha Mean is stupendous. It looks beautiful and it looks like a book you'd want to revisit over and over again. At first glance Whatcha Mean looks like it's more style than substance and it occasionally treads into "this is a little too busy for the eyes" territory. However upon closer inspection, Whatcha Mean provides crucial step-by-step guides in a fun and never tedious manner. It's jam packed with info and tons of different perspectives with no two sections ever looking the same. This is a book that zine makers —regardless of experience and age— will revisit time and time again.

Suggested Audience (age range): All ages

Readers’ advisory notes:

Appeal factors: Funny, Offbeat, Descriptive, Jargon-filled, Lush, Engaging

Readalikes: D.I.Y.: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture - Amy Spencer, Indie Publishing - How to Design and Produce Your Own Book - Ellen Lupton,  Zine Scene - Francesca Lia Block & Hillary Carlip,

Booktalking hook:

Page 20 Great Moments in Zine History traces zines from Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Edison to Cold War Russia. Great comedy!

Reason for inclusion: Beautiful cover, Personal interest in zine and comics culture.

Category: Nonfiction – Recreational/Zines