Alternative, Zines

A zine—an abbreviation of the word magazine—is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest. more...

Zines are written in a variety of formats, from computer-printed text to comics to handwritten text (a famous example being the eponymous work of Aaron Cometbus). Print remains the most popular zine format, usually photo-copied with a small circulation. Topics covered are broad, including political, personal, social, or sexual content far enough outside of the mainstream to be prohibitive of inclusion in more traditional media. The time and materials necessary to create a zine are seldom matched by revenue from sale of zines. Small circulation zines are often not copyrighted and there is a strong belief among many zine creators that the material within should be freely distributed. In recent years a number of photocopied zines have risen to professional status and have found wide bookstore distribution. Most notable among these are Giant Robot, The Comics Interpreter, and Lollipop.

History

Since the inventing of the printing press (if not before), dissidents and marginalized citizens have published their own opinions in leaflet and pamphlet form. Thomas Paine published an exceptionally popular pamphlet titled "Common Sense" that led to insurrectionary revolution. Paine is considered to be a significant early independent publisher and a zinester in his own right, but then, the mass media as we now know it did not exactly exist. A countless number of obscure and famous literary figures would self-publish at some time or another, sometimes as children (oftentimes writing out copies by hand), sometime as adults.

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