Firstly I need to make an apology, this review is long overdue and it’s entirely my own fault – I mislaid a folder containing various bits and pieces I was working on for this blog, including a couple of zines and a notebook, and I’ve only just un-covered it. It seems I managed to shut it inside my “archive” folder for my course, so I didn’t find it until I started revising!
Shavings is a zine written and illustrated by nine people in total, living in different parts of the UK. This zine is full of absolute gems, it manages to be funny, informative and thought-provoking in equal parts, packed with interesting articles and fabulous illustrations and comic strips. Shavings manages to combine writings on a whole host of topics including satire, the British small press and video game humour into a cohesive publication that’s great fun to read.
Some of my favourite features were:
British Small Press: Golden Days to Dark Era – a really well-written, concise history of zines etc. in the UK, that reads as an excellent introduction both for avid zine readers and those who want to know more.
The Longest Dream – the writer’s thoughts on growing up, moving on and change, which I’m sure most people will be able to relate to in one way or another.
The fabulous cartoons – soft toys, worms, whether or not Hell is fluffy… I don’t want to give away too much, but I really recommend you read them!
My verdict: I loved this zine, and I’m truly sorry I didn’t get around to reviewing it earlier. There really is something for everyone and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I recommend you email shavings.zine[at]gmail.com immediately for more information, or visit editor Rhiannon’s Livejournal and purchase yourself a copy for just £2 (paypal to rhiannon.gunn[at]gmail.com, add £1 for postage if you’re outside the UK), you won’t regret it!
Specs: 30 Pages, half A4 size, monochrome throughout.
[...] sure you’ll find something you’ll love reading! Please also check out my reviews of Shavings and List #12, two zines I cannot recommend highly [...]