Have you ever wondered about the placement and composition of the keys on your keyboard? Is it random? Is there a pattern? Is there even logic to it? Alec and company did their homework and discovered that the placement of keys was not meant for speed or accuracy but rather determined when certain typewriter keys needed more space between them so the strikes would not get stuck on each other! When more advanced and ergonomic keyboard designs were created they were ignored and QWERTY continued to rule the school. This is a comic guide to the future of keyboarding - the DVORAK style! WIth keys placed for maximum speed and accuracy, this zine is a truly a kind of activism that everyone who uses a computer should get behind!

A superb and dare we say, perfect issue of Papercutter. Issue six features work by some of our very favorite comics artists. The cover and featured story are done by the talented Alec Longstreth, who writes about his summers building sets for plays. Supporting stories are provided by Ken Dahl, and his alter-ego Gordon Smalls and Julia Wertz/Laura Park. Dahl narrates a drive across the U.S, reflecting on the sorry state of our consumer culture, while Wertz and Park give us a tale of discovering public hair. The inside covers are illustrated as always by the talented Nate Beaty. (PSst! We have books by both Nate and Ken in the works, so keep an eye out!)

In this autobiographical comic, Alec Longstreth, provides a history of his comics obsession! How he discovered indie comics, and how he started making his own. He also talks about being dragged to see the Robert Crumb movie by his mom, being forced to read "Understanding Comics" in college, then making comics about his hellacious times in college, and even a bit about 24 hour comic making. And in a feat of metaphysical strength, it follows Alex's comic-life to the present day, ending with him publishing his autobio comics to the world! You too can become obsessed with comics and make your own!

The second part of Alec's 2-part autobiographical comic! In this issue an 18 year old Alec begins his own comic book, so he can write whatever he wants and share it with his friends. He learns cut and paste, figures out how to get copies made, and wrestles with the repercussions of having subscriptions and deadlines. He moves a lot, goes to his first comic convention, wins an ignatz for best minicomic, all the while working on his epic comic masterpiece, "Basewood"! Such an inspiring read, maybe when you put this down, you'll make your own comic!

Ever felt like nothing more than a number? In this issue of Phase 7, Alec takes stick-figure Boy to college, where he learns to become part of the machine. Inspired by Alec's own experiences as a college student...

Issue #13 is all about art history!!! Alec diverges from his general style of illustrating his own life, and instead teaches the reader about everyday lives of artists and the subjects they depicted. Subjects covered include: Ancient Egypt, illuminated manuscripts, Johannes Vermeer, Katsushika Hokusai, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, early photographers including Dorothea Lange, modern painting, Marcel Duchamp, Pop Art, and Norman Rockwell. Issue #13 is so absorbing, you don't even realize how much you're learning.

Alec has gone and turned the first four issues of his comic zine "Phase 7" into a book. For those who weren't there at the beginning, issue one is a collection of shorts instead of one continuous story. Alec travels to Philly, has re-occurring nightmares, and tries to save the worms. Number two is Alec's trip to New York, plus Alec gets abducted by aliens. Number three is an epic road trip across the united states, which accurately captures what roadtrips are mostly like. It's hot, there's traffic, and sometimes you have to sleep in the car. Of course it captures the exciting parts too. Number four is the most developed of course, and most closely resembles the Phase 7 we know and love today. It's story line of a young man so captivated by other people's graffiti that he strikes out and begins doing it himself. Until "the man" brings him down. It's good to have these back issues available again!