Queer Times: A Tale of a Little Baby Fledgling Sexuality
Perzine & queer zine, Emily Cowan, 8pgs, littlebluecarrot.tumblr.com, $5
Emily Cowan should start making Baby Queer T-shirts. The cover of Queer Times is just one example of the overall dedication she takes in exploring the evolution and elasticity of gender, and how people in the LGBTQ+ community learn to recognize who they are, with outward appearances sometimes catapulting their new found identity. The person, who we assume is Emily on the cover, is wearing a shirt with Baby Queer on the front, price tag still attached. This sets up the idea of labels; a thread that weaves throughout this zine.
Emily is very gracious in letting us take a peek into her own struggle as she figures out her privilege, how she fits in the world, and how wrong it can feel to be assumed as straight. It’s a superb coming-of-age identity zine, with brilliant illustrations to accompany each page’s inner monologue. The paper is sturdy, the ink is dark and some of the font is a little small, but overall the structure of Queer Times is good quality with just a touch of minimalism. If you’re interested in more of Emily’s work, she has an online comic called Boundary which is filled with her great sketches and characters. Queer Times may not be up everyone’s alley, but for all it’s worth it’s a great zine and comic which I recommend all baby queers to check out. And Emily, seriously, start making the T-shirts! (KK Taylor)