Review: Moral Code

Greetings guys and welcome to the Zine Machine blog under new management. Jessica has done a brilliant job in her care of the Zine Machine over the past few years and we all realize what big shoes we have to try and fill.

We'll give it our best shot.

In the spirit of this occasion, I thought it might be appropriate to start off our run of zine reviews with one made by our patron saint herself: Jessica White.


Today we have "Choose Your Own Moral Code: A Coloring Book." If zines are a reflection of their maker, then Moral Code is definitely a representation of Jessica's passion for bookbinding and the art of letterpress. The cover looks gorgeous and and has a great texture to it that you'd have to feel yourself to understand. Inside the reader is shown a variety of combinations of forest critters and asked to color them in. Sounds just like your average coloring book, that is, until you reach the bottom and you're given the option to label your adorable new friends either good, or evil(there is no gray area). Jessica uses these creatures much like myths and legends of the past did to explore the same abstractions that have been plaguing mankind since the dawn of time. Order vs chaos or good vs evil. Even the name of her venture, Heroes & Criminals Press, is a reflection of this. (It and her have both been relocated from Iowa City to North Carolina, and are dearly missed). All and all Moral code is not your ex-punk father's zine of high contrast collages and courier text-ridden declarations. While a xerox was likely used for the interior for mass production purposes, Jessica's art style is dominated by clean, bold lines that are very appropriate for a "coloring book." It really toes the line between artists book and zine, which is very appropriate as the zine machine has served to vend both during its lifetime.

I myself see very little difference between the two at times.




And that is Moral Code. Unfortunately, this little joy is not available at the Zine Machine at the moment, but rather is from my own personal collection. If you ask nicely though, I might just let you touch it. Don't let this discourage you from stopping by the Zine Machine however as it is now FULLY stocked with an awesome collection of zines ready for the taking!



"Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?"
-Tripp

new year, new management

Hi everyone, I've had a few queries from people wondering what's up with the zine machine. Yes, it's still up and running, but it's playing a slightly different role now. The University of Iowa has a sweet new class all about zines and comics, taught by the amazing Rachel Williams. The class will be using this machine, making stuff for it as well as taking in submissions. Questions about submissions should be directed to Rachel - rachel-williams@uiowa.edu.

I've moved to Asheville, NC, and this ends my role in the daily workings of the Zine Machine. Thanks everyone for participating these past three years! It was an exhausting, but exciting project and I'll miss it dearly.

Cheers,
Jessica

We Make Zines

The Zine Machine is now on We Make Zines, an online networking community for zine makers. Do you make zines too? Sign up and be our friend.

Zine World #26

Zine World #26 is out, go get your own copy here.

"Zine World #26 is 62 pages, full-size, and contains:
>>about 300 reviews of zines, mini-comics, books, and indie magazines.
>>our completely updated list of zine libraries & infoshops in the United States and worldwide. (These updates haven’t been posted to the website yet but will be soon.)
>>an article on newspaper censorship.
>>columns about writing by Evan Fleischer and on politics by Grant Schreiber.
>>word of mouth on zine distros & stores, zine review zines & websites, upcoming events, zine resources, and address changes, plus classified listings for zines, indie groups, stuff for sale, and calls for submissions.
>>art by Sue Clancy, Jim Sumii, Kris, Pat M. and a cover by P.5!"

Apparently we're mentioned in this issue - thanks Chantel G. for letting us know!

Welcome to the archives

The Special Collections Department at the University of Iowa Libraries has taken a special interest in the Zine Machine and would like to create a permanent archive of zines that have been sold through the machine. Anyone sending us zines, please consider sending an extra copy for the archives. If you're a past contributor and would like a copy in this collection, please send us a copy with a note saying it's for the archives. You can send it to:

Zine Machine
PO Box 10022
Iowa City, IA 52240


A note from the library:

The University of Iowa Libraries are making a concerted effort to begin collecting zines. UI believes that zines have great value as cultural relics that give creative voice to people standing outside and beyond the societal mainstream, and provide wonderful examples of people’s artistic and literary abilities.

By collecting and preserving zines from all over the country, the Libraries hope to build a major collection of often-overlooked, often-ephemeral social documents that can be read and enjoyed by generations of researchers. Zines received by UI will be archived by Special Collections and University Archives and made accessible to all interested readers.

For more information, you can contact

Jeremy Brett

Special Collections Project Archivist
University Libraries
University of Iowa
100 Main Library
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420
jeremy-brett@uiowa.edu


2 zines currently in the machine:

Generic Zine Exchange

My friend Amanda tells me that she and a fellow zinester in Buffalo, NY are organizing a zine exchange. It's open to anyone, with an open theme - it's even called the Generic Zine Exchange. The edition size is 25, and the deadline is November 15. Get more details at their website.

2008 Madison Zine Fest

The 2008 Madison Zine Fest is coming up soon - this Saturday, to be exact! This year, it'll be held at the Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin, this Saturday Oct. 18, from 12-6pm. Unfortunately, the Zine Machine won't be able to go this year, but we had a lot of fun at the last one, held in 2006, and will plan ahead for next year.