Comic zine, Kate Lavut, thekatelavut.com, $5 each or two for $8
This zine combo pack is all black ink and pen-line drawings over stark white paper. The characters float on the page, with rarely any visual background for context, and the voice bubbles sling across the page to any place they can ft. Chico tells the true story of when Kate Lavut cut of her hair and traveled as a boy to Mexico. In part one, Lavut is preparing for her trip. She upsets her family with her excursion plans, creates a new look and seeks out advice on how to act manly. Part two is the commute: She sleeps in bus stations and lies to border guards. Neither issue sees her arrival in Mexico, so for that, readers will have to wait for part three. The story itself is just as minimal as the drawings. We never find out why she wants to go to Mexico, or why she chooses to “dress up as a boy,” or why she decides to travel alone. So much is left unsaid that the zine doesn’t feel extremely personal or original; angry parents, annoying tourists, and uncomfortable buses aren’t exactly unheard of in a travel log. And the fact that everyone she encounters is either an asshole or dim-witted feels unrealistic. But the simplicity has its upside: what we’re left with is a witty and dry comic that constantly zig-zags from humorous to tragic. And in Part Two, the step-by- step guide to peeing on a moving bus delivers on both counts. Chico is charming. Lavut has a knack for child-like drawings and bare-bone narratives. If we can excuse a few ideas that aren’t entirely original, we’ve got ourselves a lovely zine. (Colin Brush)