This is a really fun yet sentimental essay that looks at forgotten 80s and 90s female television and movie characters that influenced the creator while growing up in a “dead-coal mining town.” Trying to cope with her depressing surroundings and her outcast reputation in high school, she found solace in early MTV programming that showed classic cheesy flicks like Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. Being exposed to the rebellious Riff Randell helped her deal with her extreme hate towards herself and her environment. Soon, the essay claims she was on a steady diet of Rock ‘n’ Roll films like Sid and Nancy, Ladies and Gentlemen, and The Fabulous Stains. I wouldn’t say that television was a form of escape for the creator because she never seemed to forget her high school subhuman social rank, but exposed her to the possibilities of attitudes and culture that existed outside the confines of her hometown. Obviously a Sylvia Plath fan, she writes convincingly about her desperation to leave home and escape to New York, reminiscent of Esther Greenwood. Actually, I really adored the zine up until the Buffy the Vampire Slayer gushing that I found somewhat disenchanting. Here I am furiously reading about pre- riot grrrl b-movies and then, suddenly, there are pages devoted to Buffy (shudder). Besides that, I found the writing really strong and enjoyed the irony and sarcasm that reeked from its pages. People who will find this read especially charming are those who realize that The Ramones made Chuck Taylors cool, not Avril Lavigne. (Erin Kobayashi)