Caboose #5

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Practice makes perfect (or so they say), which is probably why Caboose is so easy and fun to read. Liz has been in the zine game for a while now, and from all different angles. She clocks in every day as a little worker bee at the number one zine shop in the Midwest (Quimby’s, of course), giving her to the chance to read, review, and catalog zines on a daily basis, but on top of that she also writes her own.

Caboose #5 is “the improvement issue”, which sort of starts out as a “self-improvement” issue, as Liz discusses what she’s doing to improve herself. This includes going to the gym, working out (with a trainer!), eating better food, and other such things. Of course, it’s all in that classic Liz style, jumping from the proper calorie levels of a protein bar straight into a two page reflection on the types of music played over they gym’s sound system.

From there, Liz goes into several other stories, including a comprehensive explanation of the time she was on a reality show, a review of Madonna’s career, and a great set of stories about this weird guy who used to live in her building. This last one was my favorite, as it includes the term “hooker helper outer hos” in reference to girls who will provide both sexual and domestic services. Everything is well written, nicely laid out, and entertaining to read. I guess that’s why she was called a “zine expert” on reality TV.

Public Property #1

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Zines, like all things, are often judged by their cover. A good cover is of utmost importance. This zine features a beautiful picture of a beautiful girl--simple, black and white, and printed on smooth, glossy paper. I had to pick it up off the shelf, and after a quick thumb through the pages, I had to bring it home with me.

Public Property is a pocket-sized zine filled with the artwork from a handful of artists. Drawings, photos, poetry, stories, collages, assemblages…It’s full of things I can’t really describe, the sorts of things you have to see. This is centered around visual stimulation, pages that you need to look at to understand, then either enjoy or not.

And despite number of cooks working in the kitchen, there is a nice flow to this zine, with everyone getting credited at the end. A quick visit to their website shows that this is but one project among many. The second (and final) issue of this zine has already been finished, and a number of other ideas are in the works. Submissions are encouraged, which is encouraging in and of itself.

At any rate, I really liked this zine. Pick it up if you get a chance, and maybe get involved in some of their other stuff. The world needs more collaborative art projects.

 

References

quimbys.com (for all things zine)

loopdistro.com (the zine distro I run)

caboosezine@yahoo.com (to talk to Liz)

geocities.com/postcardpublic (to get involved)