Invasion of the Bee Girls #1 / .50 / 28 Pages / Half-Sized / fussbudget77@hotmail.com / PO Box 13126, Gainesville, FL 32604 /Â
Even if Melanie’s opening is true, that ey mainly does a fiction zine, Invasion of the Bee Girls details real-life events in such a masterful way that I can honestly put myself in the stranger-than-life circumstances that ey details. First going into detail about a Willard-level infestation of rats, going into the most excruciating of detail (lets just say rats head oven). The discussion that follows about peeping toms gets a little into the dry side, reading more like a paper for a college class than being a personal event, while Epcot struggles to get out of that rut, and only accomplishes that slightly. Invasion hits its stride with “The Video Storeâ€, a discussion of Melanie’s former job at an independent video store. The longest-seeming piece, various vignettes about this job mesh with each other to create a humorous yet informative piece about a facet of Melanie’s life that many would tend to discount as simply another job. Finishing off this delightful zine is a piece about a bike rally down in Daytona; Melanie talks about the sexism and oxymoronic racism/fetishism inherent in biker culture, where there are Confederate flags yet an abundance of Native American-themed items. There are no pictures, nothing to deviate from the simple computer-constructed text, but the talent of Melanie in capturing these stories is something that will make individuals clamor for more. While I am not sure if ey continued the zine or not, I would highly recommend that one e-mail Melanie and see if they can’t procure a copy.
Rating: 7.5/10
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
Contact: editor@neufutur.com