Ugly Planet has improved their lot considerably for their Sophomore issue. Whether it is through having extended interviews with Noam Chomsky and Fly (the artist behind the Zero Content comics that find themselves in Slug & Lettuce) or longish reviews that fully cover the album in question, the simple fact is that Ugly Planet has not sat on their laurels. Another of Ugly Planet’s strong suits is that they do not just interview punk and anarchist bands; rather, one of the most important rappers (Paris) in the last decade in a half sits down with Ugly Planet this time, and popular crap-hardcore band Amen makes an entrance as well. The layout is clean and is done by someone who actually knows their programs – pullout quotes have text winding around them ( an effect that I completely dig), and pictures are reproduced solidly without making the text around them fuzzy. The amount of advertisements in this issue is minimal, considering the sheer amount of text that one has to dig through. This time, I really have none of the complaints that plagued the inaugural issue of Ugly Planet – this is a good solid read that will take someone a decent time to read, a true testament to its $3.95 cover price. Here’s to seeing Ugly Planet continue with their zine and continually probing the punk rock (and intellectual) community without having to sell out with too many advertisements or interviews covering the flavor of the week.
Rating: 8.0/10
Ugly Planet #2 / $3.95 / 1:15 / 68M / PO Box 205, New York, NY 10012 / http://www.uglyplanet.com / Reviewed 26 February 2005
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