magazine, #5, 88 pages, $5 U.S., edited by Jackson Ellison & Douglas Novielli, Scissor Press, P.O. Box 206512, New Haven, CT, 06520, jackson@ scissorpress.com or doug@scissorpress. com, www.scissorpress.com/verbicide
Despite the awkward handle, Verbicide is a fast growing, and surprisingly good read. Only on its fifth issue, it firmly has a firm grasp on what a good and interesting punk magazine is — Punk Planet should be taking notes. Where the aforementioned definitely takes the cake on design, Verbicide blows it out of the water on content. The interviews with punk icon Ian Mackaye, photographer Cynthia Connolly and hardcore band Grade are lengthy and interesting. The questions are fresh and original, leading to responses you won’t find in print elsewhere. The magazine gets derailed by mediocre fiction and poetry, but it’s a young zine and with so much going for it, that a small fault can be overlooked. Recommended. (Kevin Jagernauth)