Dorothea #1 / $1 / :30 / 40M / [email protected] /
Dorothea is a zine that contains a number of short stories. While there are some overall themes present in the different pieces of prose that are present, these stories seem to be more form-less than anything. There is a picture and some handwritten text at the beginning, as well as handwritten text demarcating the titles, but the text is laid out in the same general format. The stories all occupy about two or three pages of this same (1/4th size) zine. There is a decent amount of material present in this short and small zine, but there is one thing that holds me back from completely enjoying Dorothea. This is the fact that the stories all feel as if there is something, some fact or information, missing from each story. The stories themselves are all serviceably, but I’m wanting a little bit more in the way of fleshing out these little slices of life.  Mike is the mastermind behind the zine Fake Life, and this marks a shift into a slightly different style and tone. I have no doubt that subsequent issues of Dorothea will be a little bit stronger, but this issue feels as if Mike takes a decent amount of time setting the framework up and maybe not expanding on that as much as ey should. Send Mike some cash, get the beginning issue of Dorothea, get Fake Life, and have a night of reading the prose that comes from Mike’s mind. The cost is low enough the individuals will receive much worth regardless of any perceivable weakness here.
Rating: 6.0/10