Posted on: November 9, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Catharsis #1 / $5.99 (d/l) | $14 (print) / 56M / http://www.catharsismagazine.com /

I still don’t get why more zines are not doing this – putting their material in a PDF format and then going and having a physical copy available for those individuals that wish to go and read it as it was laid out. Catharsis has a number of different stories that are laid out plainly, but which have a certain sharpness in contrast that allows for easy reading. “In Clouds” is an early high note for this issue of the magazine, as it details the experiences that a mother goes through when eir baby goes through a major illness. It is not so much the events discussed but Hanley’s style that make this into such a great read. After the first few pieces, the magazine degenerates into artwork, poetry, and other short pieces that make it seem to me at least that the magazine has lost some of its focus. The talent present during the poetry and short prose pieces is still strong, but their bread and butter seems to be more of the longer-form pieces. The magazine regains its focus during “Vincent Baker Is Not His Identity”, an interview that shows the ability of expressing oneself through the creation and expansion of an RPG character. The time that individuals will spend reading this issue of Catharis makes the price (the print or the online price) well worth it; I look forward to seeing subsequent issues of the magazine and hope that a majority of the writers tapped this time come back for subsequent issues.

Rating: 6.3/10

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