Artifact Zine: Formation Issue, Chapter 1
Comic Zine, Andrew Edman, 11 pgs, artifactzine.com, $5
As stated on its website, “Artifact Zine is a publication examining the material world and our systems of making.” In this first issue, Andrew Edman deals with “formation,” specifically, why people feel compelled to create. A broad topic to be sure, and one that I don’t think lends particularly well to a serialized narrative. Big questions require big answers, and maybe not ones that are broken up and spaced out.
That aside, Edman’s artwork and writing are nonetheless engaging. Drawn in a style that reminds me of recent work from Joe Sacco or Nina Bunjevac, much of the zine is told in extreme close-ups of hands creating, or nature running its course. Products manifest from raw materials and hands reach out for some form of connection amidst these processes of creation.
Its compelling stuff, so much so that I’m surprised the cover of the zine is not done in a style similar to the artwork inside. In a world where so-called content is produced endlessly and the drive to create and share is rampant, Edman’s introspection into the impetus for this is well worth exploring.