When I first picked up Thermidor, I was afraid that it was yet another garbage, over-elitist film zine or gore-fest. Those kids really piss me off. However, Thermidor is a great zine, owing much to a varied style of layout, with just as adventurous of a stylistic flair by Kate. Moving through politics, personal life, and movies with the greatest of ease, there honestly no weak spot to be found during this issue. In a throwback to Moonlight Awakening, there is a piece in Thermidor that vividly paints with words the Eccentrics I Have Known , which is followed up by King Eccentric, Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Movies). Lloyd and Kate discuss the masses supporting shock jocks like Howard Stern while snubbing Troma, even though a lot of the material that they pander is similar (Lloyd s answer: Howard Stern is about money. ). To keep with the tone created by the Lloyd Kaufman interview, Kate follows up with a how-to about how to make zombie gore (which really seems like too much work to really want to do the ripping off an arm tip seems much more cost effective and fun). Keeping with this off-the-wall tone would be a nice random collage and a file that ey stole from an asylum. By far, and for some reason I really can t put my finger on the best piece in Thermidor #2 is Paper Napkin Theater , with its goofy art, goofy theme and goofy nature. Thermidor is a fun, solid read that is rare to find nowadays (at least, since Mecaroni and Fleas ended).
Rating: 8.1/10
Thermidor #2 / :30 / 28L / $1 / thermidor@bearhome.net / Reviewed 30 July 2004
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