Thursday, July 27, 2017

EVENT: Auckland Zinefest 2017


Auckland Zinefest is back for 2017! Following the success of last year's event, Zinefest will once again be taking place the the Auckland Art Gallery, located at the corner of Kitchener and Wellesley Street in Auckland, Sunday 30th of July from 11am - 4pm. At Zinefest you can expect to find and purchase a great range of zines, comics, journals, stickers, independent media and much more! 

Exhibitors this year include: Insects of New Zealand playing card project, Racial Equity Aotearoa (REA),  Mutton Honey, Struggle Zine, Xephia, Feminists of Colour, Pure Cream (Clare Gemima), Limery Licks (Purita Mok), Izac Smells, Ultra (Isabella Young), Prune Friend (Jack), Sad Vacation, Thrillhouse, Worn Out, Shlipp Comix, Theo Macdonald, What We Loved Was Not Enough, Suga Cyan, Laura Gigi Allin (Laura Allen), Shakti Youth Network for Change (SYNC), Lucky (Imogen Wilson), Sonic Comic, Hookupculture, Mellow Yellow, Ash Spittal, Alice Bush, Rachel Hope Peary, Aotearotica, Anxiety, Remote Photobooks, Peter Torckler, Controlzee, Dropthedrawing (Simon Fletcher), Melissa Laing, Inky Palms, David Merritt, Nick Jamieson, Creative Commune, Pizza Sneakers, Ghost Leg Collective, F.A.Y (Ellen Walker), DizziePixie, Auckland Peace Action, Pom Pom Dynamite, Sundry Papers, #Buffboiz, Louis Graham - Louis’ Zines, Natalie Lim, Kids Eat Shadows (Matt Whatley and James McLaughlin), Eddie Monotone, Sophie Watson, The Small Ideas Company, Aleksander Sakowski, Raewyn Alexander, Auckland Libraries, Joanna Ch0 and Finn Houlihan, Elamite, South, James Horton, Z.R Southcombe, Nicholas Males, Abhi Topiwala, Fraser Graham, Team 3000 Press, The Daily Malaise, Matt Haworth, Toby Morris, TV Competition: Future Future Future, Udya Andrahennadige, Wairehu Grant, Emily Cater, SPLITCLAY, Erin Fae, and Dryden Street Distro!

There will be a talk and panel in the Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium:

12pm: Marc Conaco: Last year's 'Best of the Fest' winner for his zine, I Am Brown. I Will Not Frown, will present and discuss cultural heritage and ethnic identity in relation to his storytelling.

2pm: Zine Panel: A diverse array of zine-maker activist will disuss their perspectives on zine-culture and zine-making and how it has historically and presently been an avenue for activism. Including: Auckland Peace Action, Feminists of Colour, Shakti Youth and Mellow Yellow. Chaired by Jess Fu.

There's plenty of great publications to discover, so make sure you're there this Sunday! For more information, you can visit the Auckland Zinefest website HERE, and the Facebook Event page HERE.

- AK!

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

REVIEW: Pizza Sneakers by Marc Streeter

Above: Pizza Sneakers banner by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.

Pizza Sneakers is a new webcomic by Marc Streeter, whose work I've been a fan of for years, dating back to his first webcomic, ActionMan AdamMarc's comics combine a wry sense of humour with a healthy dose of pop culture, which never fails to bring a smile to your face. Whether he's riffing on the pitfalls of super-human powers or questionable 90's fashion trends,  it's always presented with a bright colour palette and great comedic timing - two essential qualities for any successful webcomic. Rather than an ongoing set of characters, Pizza Sneakers is purely a gag generator, going with whatever topic Streeter decides to put to paper (or pixel).


Above: A page from Fish Guy, by by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.

I picked up a limited print copy of Pizza Sneakers from Marc at Chromacon earlier this year, but you can now read these comics online at the Pizza Sneakers website HERE, and follow the Facebook page for new updates HERE. So what are Pizza Sneakers you ask? According to the comic's introduction, 'they are the greasiest and yet mouth wateringly delicious comics I've ever made. You dear reader clearly love fresh kicks, hot slices, and comics with extra mozzarella'. Dietitians may frown upon it*, but I definitely enjoy my comics with an extra serving of cheese, so head over to the Pizza Sneakers website and check out Marc's offerings for yourself!

* Recommended serving: 1 strip per view. Additional servings may result in a light pain in your sides and facial muscles. If pain persists, consult your local doctor to decide if Pizza Sneakers is right for you.

- AK!

Above: Humble by by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.