Carbon 14 #25 / $6 / 1:20 / 124M / PO Box 29247, Phila., PA 925 / http://www.c4.com /
Carbon 14 is probably the only magazine on the face of this earth that I would willingly pay $6 for, and this issue is no different. In fact, this may be their strongest outing yet, in which The Fleshtones are interviewed, two pages are given to one of Mexico’s longest-running movie men, Santo, and a side-piece from Emil Nitrate, the editor of the Hungover Gourmet. As usual, Carbon 14 gives quite a bit of time to a pop-culture influenced artist, this time giving the nod to Ron English, a hyper-realistic artist who successfully makes the kitschiest figures emotionally affecting. Bringing back figures from the periphery of popular culture, such as Harley Race (former NWA champion), and figures that will never get the true notice that they deserve (Justice Howard’s “Evil Divasâ€). The layout on this issue is fantastic – the aforementioned Evil Divas piece is spread out over 7 pages, but the pictures are vibrant full color, the text not too bulky, and the article overall interesting. There are some minor issues to be found during this issue, though – the “Melk the G6 49†article is hard to read towards the top, where the grey text is only visible through the glow that surrounds the text, and it is hard even with that aid to read. Overall, though Carbon 14 is still one of the most fun reads, wedging itself inbetween all the stoner, zine, and art magazines with the greatest of ease. Pick up this issue instead of art news or Cashiers du Cinemart – you won’t be disappointed.
Rating: 7.4/10