1. Open Country #2 by Michael Deforge $3.00
2. Open Country #1 by Michael Deforge $3.00 – DeForge sets some bodydrama into motion with the first installment of Open Country – The homebrew scifi premise here is youths messing around with psychic projections, avataring themselves into a fleshribbon realm where physical and mental integrity show some fraying around the edges. -EF
3. Twenty Million (20,000,000) by by Isabella Rotman $6.00 – A surreallist tale about pale white space snakes on a survivalist quest through a deadly darkness in search of some giant lifesaving “egg” or whatnot. Where people come up with these crazy ideas is beyond me. -EF
4. Thickness #2 by Angie Wang et al. $10.00 – Hot ‘n slimey crypto-beast on humanoid-beast action. Eagerly anticipated sophmore release for this sexy anthological comic. Works from Lisa Hanawalt, Michael DeForge, Jilian Tamaki and more.
5. Kid Mafia #1 by Michael Deforge $3.00 – “That special time between the end of high school and the beginning of college… depicted by Michael DeForge, so it’s a complete fucking nightmare, OK?! With bonus skateboard action. Part one of an ongoing series. Features 2 bonus “Military Prison” strips.” – from wowcool.com
6. Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Three by Joshua Chapman $1.00 – Although the “school project” alibi is wearing a little thin on this educational zine series, the nerdery aboard this enterprise holds strong and is remarkably entertaining. Makes me wish I knew more Star Trek things to crack puns about.-EF
7. Brainscan #29/No More Coffee #4 (split zine) by Alex Wrekk and Ben Spies $3.00
8. Chicago IRL #3 Spr 12 $11.00 – Chicago’s homegrown queer art rag, issue #3 and going strong!
9. The Chicagoan #1 $19.95 – Joining the literary-minded ranks of n+1, The Paris Review, The Believer and Lapham’s Quarterly, and doing it with Midwestern flair, The Chicagoan ressurects a long defunct jazz-age magazine and focuses in on non-profit production, local distribution and general excellence in writing and design. The debut issue is a stunner, a cohesive and relevant blend of fiction, history, innovation, interviews and a 50-page oral history of Siskel and Ebert. -EF
10. Burn Collector #16 by Al Burian (Paquita Press) $5.00 – It’s always a joy to see another installment of Al’s adventures, especially since we see him less and less in Chicago due to his relocation in Berlin. There’s plenty of flash rant-style review pieces (an Iron Maiden concert for one), books he’s read (a YA novel!), and also his comics. Like the last issue of BC there’s also some interviews too, like Tim Remis from Sweet Cobra (and of lesser-known Soviet folk singer fame), as well as Sascha Scatter of The Icarus Project. Published by Caroline Pequita’s art-freaker publishing house Pegacorn Press in Brooklyn. -LM
