Posted on: January 7, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Comixville #8 / .50 / :10 / 28S / PO Box 697, Portland, OR 97207 / 

There aren’t too many zines that will review comics. It just always has seen as if there has been an artificial wall between the two, and when something like The Assassin and the Whiner, Out of the Blue or Comixville mixes the two genres I couldn’t be happier. There is a focus on Ben SnakePit (from the eponymous comic), but the rest of the zines contain paragraph-long reviews coupled with one page from the comic. The visual aspect of the review is perhaps what makes this review zine so strong. I can understand page after page of zine review text, but when the quality and style of cartoonists varies so much from one comic to another, I feel that a sample page is absolutely essential for a greater immersion into the piece. This is an absolute essential for seeing which small-market comics are on the market, and with all the relevant information at the bottom of every page, it is just a click or lick (envelope) away from getting new and exciting comics in the mail. The zine is small and compact, but ensures that the vast majority of reproductions maintain their legibility, something that is key considering the dual-aspect of the medium. For the price, one just cannot pass up purchasing this guide, hell even subscribing seems like a good idea. This is honestly the CNN of review zines, and it is all done in a scant 28 eensy pages. Some might not like comics at all, so that may be the only out one can give to not buy this.

Rating: 8.6/10

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