This is “the fanzine issue” of Static Zine, which confused me at first because I’m an old person who got interested in independent publishing when all zines were called “fanzines” regardless of content. In the strictest sense, though, “fanzines” are zines by and for fans of something, and this issue of Static Zine is a tribute to that legacy. It contains pieces from a wide selection of fandoms compiled from two dozen contributors. There is Harry Potter fan fiction, a love letter to My So-Called Life, fun facts about tennis star Roger Federer, a hand-drawn portrait of Bill Murray, lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a short essay about the tribulations of being an unironic devotee of Nicolas Cage (by the editors of Broken Pencil).
There’s also standard zine fare in the form of photocopied collages, a quiz (“Which Indiepop Record Label are You?”), an interview with a local show promoter, original comics, and a downloadable companion mix tape, all of which makes for an entertaining stew of adoration. (Mary Green)
Zine, issue 5, Jessica Lewis (editor), staticzine.com