Loserdom #24
Zine, Anto Dillon, 72 pgs, 3 Crestfield, Youghol, Co. Cork, Ireland, loserdomzine.com/, $5 CAD
Irish stay-at-home dad Anto Dillon offers this thick zine steeped in a charming 90s sensibility, complete with thoughtful reflections, political arguments, travel essays, interviews with artists, and reviews of various events and zines. While the local coverage of Cork and Dublin’s DIY scene might (naturally) feel a bit removed for North American readers, one can’t help but feel enamored with Anto’s thoughtfulness, as well as his earnest engagement with his community. He introduces the reader to life in Cork, including Cork’s naked bike rides, the difficulty of raising two small children without a car, and the pursuit of animal drawings and videos throughout Ireland’s charity shops (i.e. thrift stores). And at 72 pages, Loserdom is bound to introduce you to something new, whether its Coda, the brilliant animated short film by Anto’s friend Alan Holly, the inspiring journalism of foreign correspondent Lara Marlowe, the hammering goth-punk of the band Burnchurch, or the two-dozen international zines reviewed in the back. (Jason Luther)