Matt's 3rd issue of good-natured travel stories. Matt it turns out, uses just as many exclamation points in person as he does in his zine! He's an excited guy who wiles away his time biking around the US, swimming in hotel pools, and eating as much continental breakfast as is humanly possible. This issue spends time reflecting on his time in Savannah, GA and contains the story of dumpstering quite a lot of sex toys. Also Matt's attempt at bike trip haikus.

Matt takes his too-small-for-him bicycle, packs it with a sleeping bag, a bunch of bananas, a jar of dumpstered organic peanut butter, a camera, no sleeping bag, and hits the open road. The goal: bike 200-or-so miles north from Savannah, GA to the aptly named burgh of Coward, SC, where Matt will meet his friend Doug who is biking the 200-or-so miles from Raleigh, NC. Simple, right? Well, reality has a way of not matching up with what's expected, but that's what makes life an adventure. Read about Matt's trials and tribulations, peppered throughout with drawings.

The latest installment in the one and only, big wheels keep on turnin', long-distance biking zine, "Next Stop Adventure." Whew! In #2, Matt packs in the travel stories about his 3-month bike trip from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon. There are beautiful views, nights spent sleeping in awkward places, and biking to Lollapalooza to see Rainer Maria. It sounds cheesy, but is actually triumphantly great. NSA is a travel zine worth reading. It's sweet, funny, and makes you feel excited about biking. "Adventure" in this case, is a perfect descriptor.

Prunella Vulgaris received most of her education from strict Catholic nuns at all-girl schools. This zine serves as an abridged dictionary of the most eccentric, vicious, or otherwise memorable nuns she had to endure. Additionally, it is an engrossing document of the completely alien lifestyle that these eight particular women chose. The writing is casual and familiar, making it a quick and satisfying read.

A punk rock vision quest told in the tradition of the anarchist travel story, Off the Map is narrated by two young women as they discard their maps, fears, and anything resembling a plan, and set off on the winds of the world. Without the smug cynicism that seems to permeate most modern radical tales, this story is told with genuine hope, and a voice that never loses its connection with the mysteries of life, even in the midst of everyday tragedies. Wandering across Europe, the dozens of vignettes are the details of the whole-a squatted castle surrounded by tourists on the Spanish coast, a philosophizing businessman on the highways of France, a plaÁa full of los crustos in Barcelona, a diseased foot in a Belgian train squat, a glow bug on the dew-covered grass of anywhere-a magical, novel-like folktale for the end of the world. 146 pages long with a cover featuring original artwork by Nikki McClure.

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Mike Croft (who passed away recently) originally wrote this zine in 1998 and then later re-wrote it in 2001 (in my house, even). It collects negative press clippings about Elvis, a tale of dental mishaps, interviews with Propagandhi, Your Mother, and The UFOs, high school reflections on drugs and straight edge, an article about deaths at intervention camps for rebellious teens and abuses that go on there, comics about dreams, the absurdity of sports, "Even Ronald McDonald was a vegetarian", and a review of a failed show and trip to the record store (and successful passing of money to a pan-handler). This zine is well written, despite what you might think, and highly entertaining. If you throw in the mix that it was written by a high school sophomore, it's fairly mind-blowing. Mike passed away in 2006 and his friends are making a conscious effort to put his writing back in print and eventually publish a book of his work since he was such a talented writer and it was so important to him.

Mike Croft (RIP) tells you stories of finding a product called the Bible Bar (no joke - and it's vegan!), getting caught drunk underage, waking up in the hospital, and then finding out that the owner of the bar is not mad at him - but rather wants to pay him to shut up (and then later lie about it!)! Stories of pepper spray in the vents at school, falling asleep at job orientation, getting caught smoking pot, being a punk rocker in a small town, entertaining co-workers, getting harrassed by drunk people and crazies, and drug stories. Great entertainment. Mike passed away in 2006 and his friends are making a conscious effort to put his writing back in print and eventually publish a book of his work since he was such a talented writer and it was so important to him.

Transplanted now to New York, literary whiz and grade-A badass Rosie White deftly retells her strange adventures in the dirty city. In the series of brief essays, we see her sew sequins and smear whiteface for an off-off-Broadway theater production, give slouching, conflicted lap dances and peep shows to customers she resents, attend uncomfortable cocktail parties, and be stunned by the odd moment of beauty that appears out of the grit. Her intertwining of cool, sly observation with highly personal experience is reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson's early work, and makes for a very involving read. Old Weird America #2 is not a zine to be missed.

Dave Roche's tales of woe from working as an substitute education assistant in Portland's school system. He helps kids who can't function in normal classrooms focus on their work and keeps kids from fighting while they tease him or adorably flirt with him. It's a real heartwarming ticket to putting a smile on your face or turning your day around. Illustrations from Clutch McBastard, Nicole Georges, Keith Rosson, Nate Beaty, Shawn Granton, and Aaron Renier. New third edition has corrected errors, updated content, a new epilogue, and it's blue! ISBN 0-9726967-5-X

*** NEW *** Listen to a podcast of Dave reading his book from the Thinkin, Stinkin, Rarely Drinkin Tour!

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Erick Lyle of Scam zine is a true punk rock historian. And not just because Howard Zinn gave him a back quote! Erick has a passion for the history of the places he lives. He examines with poignant exactitude, the realities of being a part of the often cast aside lower classes of a city. On the Lower Frequencies covers a life of squatting, playing punk shows in the street, protesting, creating art, campaigning for homeless rights, and of living passionately! Contains stories previously found in 949 Market zine, Turd-Filled Donut zine, and Scam zine, as well as new material.

Julian Evans of Montreal writes a thoughtful articulate little zine. He tells the story of Alexander Grothendieck, a famous mathematician born to Anarchist parents. This story was unknown to him, before he hitched a ride with Czech mathematician on his way to a mathematics conference. Here's a quote from Grothendieck himself, "and every science, when we understand it not as an instrument of power and domination but as an adventure in knowledge pursued by our species across the ages, is nothing but this harmony, more or less vast, more or less rich, from one epoch to another, which unfurls over the course of generations and centuries, by the delicate counterpoint of all themes appearing in turn, as if summoned from the void." That's some pretty powerful stuff. There's also an intimate piece about his friend Birch colapsing in pain, and a week spent in the hosptial while she undergoes surgery. At the same time there's a shooting at a university nearby and the hospital is flooded with injured people. Includes a "love" letter to author Jeanette Winterson.

A cool primer on some important moments in queer history. Our author, Conrad, states that the zine was inspired by learning at 21 of the assassination of Harvey Milk and wondering why this information had never come up before. The result is writing on a wide assortment of queer movements such as, the Queer Liberation Army, the Lesbian Avengers, Queer Nation, the Combahee River Collective, the Queercore music movement, Stonewall, the George Jackson Brigade, Out of Control, The Pink Panthers, and others. Whew. I told you it was diverse! A helpful place to start for those who want to know about radical queer history.

In "Paco", thirty something stay-at-home mama Silvia explores her personal, family, and cultural histories through a given lens or theme. In #1, the theme is nicknames: how they are conferred, what they mean, how they can affect the owner, and how they can define or crystallize the nature of a relationship. It is written in a warm, conversational style: you can almost imagine Silvia telling you her stories at a large kitchen table over a plate of fresh tamales and a tall glass of horchata. Featuring a spectacular nickname family tree and a Spanglish glossary.

In Panic, Corina lays out her own strategy for overcoming panic attacks and a brief history of her struggles with anxiety. Included are signs of a Panic attack, and a list of possible conditions that precipitate an attack, such as vitamin deficiency. "Recovering From a Panic Attack in 6 Steps" includes information on singling out your triggers, and there's a list of resources in the back.

The premiere issue of Tugboat's new flagship title. Papercutter is a quarterly comic book anthology featuring new original stories from emerging and underexposed comic artists from every corner of the cartooning world. This issue features a compelling love story from Aaron Renier (Spiral Bound) set in the streets of Brooklyn and the halls of New York's famed Natural History Museum. Also short stories from JP Coovert (Driving South) and Sean Aaberg (The Adventures of Pipu). Cover art by Aaron Renier. Other rad art by Nate Beaty.

Papercutter #4 is the dramatic fourth issue of the acclaimed new anthology series by tugboat press dedicated to showcasing the best young, underexposed and emerging comic book artists. Sarah Oleksyk (Roadside, Ivy) tells the featured story about a pair of lovestruck misfits who meet at an all-night copy shop. Vanessa Davis (Spaniel Rage) displays a beautifully painted snapshot-style story of a few big weird parties. And John Porcellino (King-Cat) completes the issue with tales of a man's peaceful winter companionship with a cat and a snowstorm. Additional art by Nate Beaty. Wraparound cover by Sarah Oleksyk.

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!)

Papercutters are always so exciting! They're comic compilations of some of the most talented artists out there. This issue: MK Reed and Jonathan Hill present Amerikus, about being an outcast in middle school, The Hill by Aron Nels Steinke about the moment he realized he was a cartoonist, and Andy Hartzell adapts a Hans Christian Anderson tale of a love story between porcelain figurines. Totally worth the $4 for comic lovers.

Straddling formats between zine, book, and artist book - this is a collection of John Meijas' various zines and comics from time he spent working as a teacher. Some stories are funny or minimalist comics. Others are serious and warming or heart wrenching. He shares a love of The Clash with his co-worker, organizes to paint murals in the school, and dealing with unpleasant students, principals, and school boards. The packaging and presentation is pretty artistic and much of the enjoyability of this is the depth and variety with which he explores the situations as well as the varieties of artwork presented. I'm generally impressed by everything they do as the bar of quality is set really high with each issue.

What happens if you are young and active yet somehow acquire a serious, life-threatening medical condition? Amaris is a grad student with a young son when weird things start happening to her body. She goes to several doctors, but nothing is conclusive while the condition worsens. Follow what happens to her in this well-illustrated zine.

A set of portraits by Fly, not to be confused with her book of the same title! If you're not familiar with the format, each page is a hand-drawn portrait of a person she's met, with a blurb underneath about who they are and where she met them. Oh, and the background behind them is a story they've told her. Take that Olan Mills! Most of these are from the lower east side in New York. An honest document of the subculture, straight from the punk-rocker's mouth.

Joe Biel writes a new lengthy explanation of 4 years in a story titled "Brutal Honest Tea" about honest communication, the opportunity costs of various choices, the room for regret in those choices, drinking iced tea, and the results of social awkwardness. It questions the various life paths and whether or not people really think their decisions through or feel pressured to do certain things. Also contains episode 3 of his roommate reviews covering a period about 3 years ago. Reprinted on offset!

Back by popular demand! Due to the large number of young vasectomy-less individuals inquiring about how to get their plumbing fixed, this zine has been reprinted and ready for re-consumption thanks to offset printing technology at Eberhardt Press! Joe Biel strives to find logic, purpose, and meaning in his existence once again. This issue is about friends having accidental babies by the boatload and his resulting vasectomy to prevent himself from befalling the same fate. Plenty of details about seeking out a vasectomy, the actual surgery, and the reasons why. It's probing and personal and has the usual slice of life reality. Also includes roommate reviews supplement #4 covering the period of 2001 living at the Onramp. More gritty details about other peoples' lives. Can you figure out the mystery of how the clip art is relevant to the text? Now a newly offset printed second version!

Three years after the fact Joe busts out a zine tour based zine about "Cocoon: The Road Trip" from 2004. A collection of hand drawn maps, photos by Dave Roche, and travelling anecdotes from the road, the zine presents a pretty strong case for the idea that zine making and zine tours really are not that hard to put together and can be kind of cool sometimes. Look at all of the great, zany experiences that you, yourself could experience on the road! More than that it's a look at friendship and the motivators and hard times that one experiences by pushing yourself into more trying and difficult situations.

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.