Syndicated Zine Reviews: KFG4

Kung Fu Grip! #4
Paco Taylor
7730 East Broadway #925
Tucson, AZ 85710
$1ppd, or two stamps

Kung Fu Grip is a time machine, or time ma-zine. Reading it brought me back to my 70’s era living room sitting in front of the furniture-sized-fake-wood-framed television watching ‘Enter the Dragon’ on Betamax while eating American cheese and miracle whip on white bread sandwiches. Of course, I never had a Betamax player, but that’s beside the point, the point is that this is a great zine that captures a past cultural aesthetic in an effective and very satisfying way. Contained within are stories about the Onge, Satun, and Pahang people of Asia, a tribute to his father, and some history of the zine. It’s well written and informative. My only complaint is that it’s too short, but, as the author explains, this is a special ‘free’ issue of KFG that is designed more for trades and is significantly shorter than past issues. Those past issues are now on my search radar of ‘zines to get’. Dig it.

– Randy Spaghetti, Syndicated Zine Reviews

Fresh to Death

"Can I please say my piece / If y'all fresh to death, then I'm deceased" – Kanye West

Kinda-sorta-maybe I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I really enjoy the hell out of the things that I write.

Take One Hundred Fingers of Death for example. It was originally a piece planned for KFG5, but I decided against using it, wanting that issue to be broader in scope with its subject matter. This particular piece was a really good one, though, and I thought that I should try to come up with another use for it. Maybe as a really long blog post.

For years, I've had it in my head that I wanted to make a really cheap zine that I could just give away. KFG4 was/is indeed a freebie issue, but (at 28 pages) isn't really as 'cheap' as desired. The difficulty has always been distilling my ideas down into somethin' simple enough to pack into 16 – or fewer – pages. It was challenge enough breaking down KFG4 as far as I did.

From the very first issue of KFG, I aimed for the ballpark's back wall. I saw the back wall as 56 pages, mainly due to the number of ideas that I had in my head at the time of inception. And with each issue since the first, I've continued to have enough ideas to fill every page. With KFG5, I actually had more material than vacant pages. But it still worked out after all.

Today, I finally accomplished my goal of a really cheap give away. "The One Hundred Fingers of Death" text was turned into a cool 8-pager. It's kind of a promo for Kung Fu Grip!, but also stands on its own as a singular work. In fact, its only on the back that I connect it to the KFG universe by placing an actual ad for the zine there.

Five Fingers of Death and Ten Fingers of Death are two classic kung fu movies. A few months ago I did a digital collage that I called "Thirty Fingers of Death." I wanted to expand that idea even further, and eventually came up with something that I would soon describe as the "One-Hundred Fingers of Death Martial Arts Movie-Watching Master List."

One-Hundred Fingers of Death explains how that list came about, and then provides the titles of one-hundred martial arts movies that I've actually watched. (I didn't wanna give that bit away here, but everything can't be a surprise.) Anyway, one the best things about this baby is that it's something I can stick in an envelope and mail off with a single stamp.

Truth be told, this piece is gonna ruffle some feathers, but it's also going to entertain. I mean, I wrote it and I still laugh out loud while I'm reading it, as if it's all completely new to me. I don't know if that's a sign of a good writer, a simple mind, or someone who's just too very taken with himself. But whatever it means, I'll take it. Life is too short (or too long) to go through it not loving what you do.

Merit Badge: Revenge

The Revenge of Print

In early January I learned that Baltimore's Atomic Books and Quimby's Books in Chicago had sent out a sort of call-to-arms to anyone who has ever produced a self-published zine, mini-comic, or full-sized comic book. The stores were encouraging bookmakers to turn out at least one new publication in 2011. Quimby's Liz Mason was quoted in the most recent issue of Zine World as saying: "We're tired of all the end of paper, the end of publishing as we know it stories. We've been hearing it ever since we've been open, which is going on almost 20 years now."

The morning that I learned about the project's launch, I signed up to follow the group that had been set up for it on Facebook. I wasn't alone. By the end of the month, more than 800 people had also joined up, and more than 200 of those responders pledged to produce at least one new publication in 2011. I had already been planning on doing two issues of Kung Fu Grip! this year, so the Revenge of Print announcement just added a half gallon of over-priced petrol to the fire.

Since joining up, I've managed to produce both the free 28-page issue of Kung Fu Grip! that I wanted (KFG4), and also the 56-page standard issue (KFG5). In addition, when the latter was finished I went a ahead and scanned the Revenge of Print badge that somebody had created, and placed it on the cover. I don't know if the badge's maker planned for it to be used in this manner, but it seemed like a good way to show solidarity with the other small press publishers that are actively participating in this campaign.

The Revenge of Print badge that I'm using was reduced from its original size to three-quarters of an inch, which is the smallest I could make it without loosing image integrity. I have uploaded that photoshop file (150 dpi) and also added two additional sizes for others who might also want to feature the badge on their comics and zines. A zip file with everything can be downloaded here. To get more information about The Revenge of Print, click here to go to the Facebook page.

– St. Paco, Kung Fu Grip!

To Japan: Hitotsu (One Love, One Hope)

In the wee hours of one day last week I downloaded the song "Hitotsu," a collaborative hip-hop production made in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The link to the song came by way of a mailing list that I'm on that gives me updates on the current projects of my man Ravage The MeccaGodZilla (a.k.a. Ryu Black), an underground MC from Long Island, NY.

Ravage and I met online about three years ago via Myspace. It was sometime after I'd written a review of another collaborative track that he was involved in at the time; a musical love letter of sorts, dedicated to the Capcom video game character Chun-Li. Featured with Ravage on that intensely catchy tune were rappers MegaRan and Masia One, and Sarasa, a DJ from Japan.

I know that Ravage has friends in Japan and that he spent two months touring there last year. Taking into consideration both his artistic and human connections there, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he would also be involved in a music project inspired by the events of last month. But it did come as a surprise, and a very pleasant one at that.

The song "Hitotsu" is a touching recorded message of love and hope sent out over hip-hop beats to the people of Japan, and all others affected by the recent tragedy. Produced by Da Otak, the song features the rhymes of six rappers, all thoughtfully rendered in English and Japanese. Featured on the track with Ravage are Root One, Orukusaki, Sum-In-1, RDO, and producer Da Otak.

Recorded by artists whose names most people have never heard, "Hitotsu" is also a deeply inspired production that skillfully blends traditional Asian chords with American hip-hop beats and heartfelt rhymes that reflect the tongues of two nations. The effort behind it shows, and anyone with ears and a heart should be moved by the passion that went into making it.

For the free download, as well as online listens, visit MeccaGodzilla's blog by clicking here here .

– St. Paco, Kung Fu Grip!

Big in Argentina

I mentioned some weeks back that I was interviewed by Dadá Mini, a visual arts magazine based in Argentina. When I agreed to the interview, I was under the impression that it was a web-zine. I realized shortly after, though, that it's actually a full-on print mag. The picture of the kid reading a previous issue is one that I found on Flickr. (He might even be the kid from the cover.)

The interview seemed to go really well, but I wasn't completely sure that they were gonna use it; this due more to cautious optimism on my end than anything gleaned from theirs. But a few minutes ago it occurred to me to pop over to web site to see what I could see. My interview is actually the first feature, appearing in the Lado D — Diseño (Side D – Design) section.



The sub-heading is: "A street fighter stalks the photocopiers." I could be a little off on the translation, but that feels about right.

Obviously, I'm now kinda' anxious to see the printed piece. I'll give it a few more weeks, though, before I start bugging Cocó Muro, who conducted the interview. I was under the impression from reading her last e-mail that I would get a copy of the mag at some point. I'm not gonna start gettin' all impacienté now that I know that the piece was printed.

DJ Mane One – The Thirty Minute Mix #79

I don't know where my head has been. Somehow I've failed to blog about a series of mixes that my homeboy Mane One has been posting to his blog for the past...79 weeks? I mean, there's 52 weeks in a year, so that tells you how long this has been going down, and how remiss I've been.

Mane is a pretty well-known DJ out of San Diego who hosts an internet radio show, but also teaches, macks fly honeys and occasionally makes beats, raps and rocks graffiti. What a pimp. And each of the mixes he makes each week showcases his vast audio catalog and deep love of music.

Whenever I download Mane's newest mix, I never even bother to look at the playlist to see what it will contain. This guy is the kind of DJ that you can just trust behind the wheels of steel, so I just sit back, let the music take over and enjoy the ride.

The cover that you see above represents my most recent artistic contribution to the expanding world of The 30 Minute Mix. A bunch of Manny's friends are really dope artists, so somewhere around #59 we started taking turns making covers. I did my first one back in December, and signed up to make two more in February and March.

Dope as it was, it didn't even occur to me to blog about the first cover I did for what became a RUN-D.M.C. tribute mix. But the second cover will get blogged about when my next zine comes out. A good buddy of ours suggested that it be used to promote the release of KFG5 and Mane promptly gave his blessing. It's gonna be super bad, just chu wait and see.

Anyway, if you like (mostly) hip-hop and old school R&B, with periodic play lists offering samplings of everything from jazz, big band and swing, to funk, rock and electronica, please subscribe to Mane's blog feed. You will not be disappointed. He only keeps the mixes up for about a week at a time, though, so don't sleep.

And now, without any further ado, I bring you The Thirty Minute Mix #79, which is dedicated to the queens of hip hop, because – just like the flyer sez' – ladies love Mane One.

So sayeth...

St. Paco

Octopussy Reviewed in Xerography Debt

Octopussy #1
Subtitled "Ooh, Baby I Like It Raw," this guy is horny. Paco also publishes Kung Fu Grip!, but in his own words: "This zine was just WAY too sexy to be limited to a regular issue of KFG!, so it got its very own title." Contained within are 18 haiku poems to strippers in Arizona and Mexico, some "nasty" graffiti, and features on the Belgian art collective known as Cum, the 18th century master Katsushika Hokusai and India's 'Kama Sutra Temple.' 54 captivating pages with lots of sexy artwork and images throughout. – Kris Mininger


Octopussy #1
From the fellow who brings you the wonderful Kung Fu Grip comes this special issue! While Octopussy is more sexual in its focus, it's similar to its parent publication: a combination of Paco's personal stories and observations with a lot of pictures and text devoted to his love of art.

One of the qualities that makes KFG so interesting is that Paco frequently juxtaposes deep interest in what outside observers might describe as both "high" and "low" art, and he makes no cultural or stylistic distinctions between them. If a work of art inspires him, Paco celebrates it, whether its found in a museum or on a viaduct. Octopussy is no different in that respect; a series of haiku, written by Paco and all about strippers, is followed by a gallery of street art photographs, then an essay about Cum (a highly sexual street art collective), then a celebration of the works of the 18th century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.

The stories in Octopussy differ from Kung Fu Grip in that they're concerned with sex and octopi, but this zine is more of the same high-quality stuff. Personal stories and varied street art are highlighted by some surprising artistic interests, and it all makes for a fine reading experience. – Matt Fagan

Xerox Debt & Payin' Dues

As anyone with even a sliver of ethics would feel, I want to state right up front that I feel a tad bit awkward about writing a review of the most recent issue of Xerography Debt. This because the latest issue contains two reviews of my Octopussy zine. Nonetheless, I'm gonna jot down some thoughts inspired by XD28, because I think that it is an exceptional issue.

To tell the truth, every issue if XD is something of an exceptional issue, and that is mainly because the folks behind it consistently offer up their mostly thankless services to the zine making and zine reading community. But I think that the most current issue is just a cut above the rest, and maybe it's because the editor and one of the contributors took the fuckin' kid gloves off.

Xerography Debt is described by the editor as the "review zine with perzine tendencies," and XD28 really got a little more person-able. Before getting into that, though, lemme first judge this book by it's cover.

Right out of the envelope, there's a cool wraparound cover that features an illustration by Hai Anxieti, who turned in great work for the last cover (XD27), too. But this one is really bananas. I have to admit that I'm also extremely biased towards Fritz Lang's Metropolis, and Anxieti took Lang's lovely robot Maria in a clever direction with a Gulliver's Travels mash-up. Me likey.

Behind that nice cover are 60-plus pages of zine-lovin' goodness. And I stress zine lovin' goodness, because the reviewers behind XD don't waste any keystrokes writing bad reviews. Constructive criticism is the name of the game, but an intentional focus is placed on zines they believe have a fairly firm foundation upon which to stand. But I'll say more about this later.

On page 4, the first pair of kid gloves come off when editor Davida Gypsy Breier drops a typewriter on the head of some unnamed noob who wrote somewhere that Joe Biel, the man behind Microcosm Publishing, was also "the man" behind XD. Davida sets the record straight and explains–quite bluntly–the partnership that was formed two years ago between two strong zine supporting entities; I think that the four issues that have come out since then stand as a firm testament to the intelligence of that partnership, and I hope it results in many, many more.

Pages 5 through 7 of this issue continues the "Where Are They Now?" feature that was introduced in XD27. The newest installment continues to provide readers with updates on the lives of other largely missing in action zine makers.

On page 8, that other pair of kid gloves come off. These had been previously worn by Dread Sockett, Davida's co-editor from Rigor Mortis zine. I haven't read Sockett anywhere before (I don't think), so this was a nice, no-nonsense introduction for me.

Sockett doesn't name any names, and the list would be quite long if he did, so he pretty much drops a roll of 1976 bi-centennial quarters in one of the gloves he took off and pimp slaps a lot of people at the same time. I could easily imagine this guy saying in an indignant tone, "I demand satisfaction!" But even at one against a multitude, it would still be a lop-sided duel.

Writing with regard to XD's "positive review" policy, over the span of about three good pages Sockett manages to give a quick 'Zines for Dummies' level overview of the last two decades of zine history and culture. Included in that is an accurate summation of the associated aches and pains that once went hand-in-hand with trying to publicize zines in the Internet-less days of yesteryear.

Sockett also shows careful consideration of the pros and cons of the XD review policy, including the seemingly common complaint that many of the same 'ol zines are continuously reviewed. And I guess this is indeed true, when the writers behind them continue making new issue after new issue. Meanwhile, a lot of the people who bitch and whine are here today and then gone in 60 seconds.

Honestly, though, I do see the validity in that particular criticism. I too would like to see a larger variety of different zines being reviewed in each issue of XD. But I kinda understand the reality. And the reality–as I see it–is that there would need to be a bunch more quality zines being produced to justify kickin' some of the multiple issue all-stars to the curb for a while. Unfortunately, though, many a paper ream gets sacrificed for the sake of the bullshit that people decide to commit to paper. And when it comes down to it, I would actually rather just read good reviews of the usual suspects than bad reviews of works made by folks who, like those poor fools in the American Idol auditions, think that they're infinitely more capable than they actually are.

[Watches tumbleweeds blown across an unpaved road by the wind]

To anybody reading this who falls into the category of zine makers whose work has never been reviewed by XD or any other review source, step your game up. Seriously. Each zine that I've sent in has been reviewed. Some that I didn't even bother to send were bought at Quimby's or Atomic Books and still got reviewed. And let me tell you, there's no higher compliment than that.

I bring this up to say that I'm not part of some imagined "zine clique." I'm just a guy who works hard to produce good publications. To that end, I put every bit of who I am and every bit of what I think I know into what I make. Counting on my fingers how long it's been since my first zine, I've been making 'em for 14 years, and I'm as proud of that first one as I am my last. If you too put all of what you are into what you make, you will earn the validation that you think you deserve. But don't just expect to get it because you put some ink on paper. Even as great as I think my zines are, I don't just expect a review. And when I get one (well, two in XD28), I really appreciate the fact that someone took the time to read and write a considered opinion of my work. An opinion that serves as a recommendation to others. 



That said, the people who write reviews like these put their opinions and their creative reputations on the line, so give 'em something that they can feel good about recommending. Do this by learning what you can from zines that reviewers have been impressed by. Or maybe you can just write reviews yourself, so that you can be a part of the change you wish to see in the (zine) world.



Back to XD28: On page 11, the ever reliable Jeff Somers writes more about himself [yawns], and then on page 13, Gianni Simone provides another informative column on the field of postal art in which he's so enthusiastically involved. If I ever manage to get to Japan, me and that guy are gonna hit up the strip clubs... er, the bookstores.



Pages 14 through 66 contain the zine reviews that we buy publications like Xerography Debt and Zine World for, and they do not disappoint. I've now highlighted a bunch of zines that I think I should check out, including Booty #23 & #24, Burn Collector #14, Fish With Legs #13 and Octopussy #1. Oh, wait. I already have that last one.



Australia's own Stuart Stratu, who's old to writing great reviews but new to writing 'em for XD (page 62), mentioned recently on his blog that this issue is so jam packed that you probably won't read it all in one sitting. I thought the same thing, too, but got so engaged that I laid on the couch with a yellow highlighter and read it from cover to cover. The unexpected adrenaline rush of seeing reviews of my zine might have had something to do with that. 



'Spect due

I want to also mention that I bought my copy of Xerography Debt #28 from the Microcosm website. I also bought copies of the zines 9 and Half Left #10, Shotgun Seamstress #1 and Nostromo #1, which I also hope to post reviews for either here, or at one of the review sites that invited me to contribute my–very rarely written–zine reviews.



In light of the previously observed XD connection, I'm gonna say that I am aware of the Degrassi level gossip that's out there, and purposely ignore most of it. I mean, there's business shit and then there's personal shit, and most of that shit seems like some really personal shit. From my first order, placed nearly 10 years ago, to the one placed a week ago, Microcosm has proven to be a reliable zine resource, and a radical advocate of the self-publishing culture that I love.



So sayeth...



St. Paco
Kung Fu Grip! Zine

Don't Call it a Comeback

Don't Call it a Comeback

I have not been away from the zine scene by any means. In fact, it was only a few months ago that Octopussy #1 was completed. But it has been some time–nearly four years–since the last issue of Kung Fu Grip! was made. So I am happy to say that KFG!4 has been printed, proofed and prepped for the photocopier.

As mentioned in a previous post, this issue of Kung Fu Grip! is a 28-page freebie. It contains both new and some old material, but nothin' that appeared previously in zine form.

For years I've wanted to make an issue of KFG! that had fewer pages than the 56-page beasts that I usually commit myself to producing. Just something that I could offer in trade to other zine makers, and give away to people who are simply zine readers–as well as to people who may have no idea about the existence of this photocopied art form.

So my ultimate goal was to make a free issue that could serve as an introduction to my zines for the average zine reader and an introduction to zine culture for everyone else. The fourth issue of KFG! is my attempt to accomplish that, and I honestly think it's right on the button–like an Ali punch.

Also mentioned in the previous blog post was the fact that KFG!5 was being worked on in tandem with issue 4. There's still a lot of writing that needs to be done for the fifth issue, but I have more than enough time to get it done by the anticipated March release date. And when it's done, it's gonna knock you out.

Four Minutes to Five

At long last, KFG! issues 4 and 5 are in the works.

About two years ago I envisioned doing these two issues simultaneously, and then I tried to force the process. But it wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. So instead, I took some of the ideas that I had for issue 5 and made the KFG! Special Edition: Octopussy.

But now, quite unexpectedly, it's all happening just the way that I envisioned. The time is obviously right and I'm pretty charged, to say the least.

Also coming to fruition the way I originally envisioned it -- KFG!4 is gonna be a 28-page freebie and KFG!5 will be a 56-page standard issue.

In the meantime, I have to get my buddy Damon's permission use a couple of his fabulous photographs for KFG!5 (including the one seen above). But I don't expect that to be a problem.

Issue 4 is slated to launch in February and Issue 5 will follow in March. If you can't tell already, I am really, really excited about the creation of these two zines.

More Stickin' ... More Movin'

KFG!3B: Stick & Move Special - "Pinky"

Stick & Move (Extra) Special

In the fall of 2007 when KFG!3 was released with both a regular cover and a special edition "sticker mash-up" cover, I decided to limit the number of the special edition version to an ambitious 125 copies.

As cool as it sounded on paper, I don't think I believed then that I would actually have to end up making that many copies of the B-version. But right out of the gate, the editors of PEEL magazine placed an order for 40 copies for their online store.

Though 50 copies of the B-version had already been made before going public with that issue, in an instant most of them were gone. So for the next few nights after the PEEL order came in I was busy rebuilding a safe buffer zone.

While cleaning up the folders on the Mac a few nights ago, I ran across some scans that were made of some of those covers. Some really good mash-ups came from the stickers received in trade over the years. In fact, some of the covers make me wish that I had never parted with 'em.

Admittedly, by the time the edition number for the special was met I was tired of lookin' at stickers. 125 cover mash-ups proved to be something of a bitch to make, so when the last copy of KFG!3B was sold I was glad to not have to make any more.

Once they were all gone, though, something dawned on me: I probably should have saved a few more copies for myself than just the couple I had put aside for posterity.

From a graphic design perspective I love the regular cover, and was glad to be finally filling orders with that easier-to-make version. To compensate for the difference, I would usually just toss in a small batch of stickers to orders for the third issue.


A few times, though, thinking that some folks who placed orders for KFG!3 would probably like to have the mash-up version, I pulled out the sticker collection and just made up half a dozen more. (Which means there's actually more than 150 copies of the B-version out there!)

Last year some cool stickers came in from Sinned-NYC, Biafra, Julius, SKAM and other guys, so I decided last week to make up a dozen more mash-up covers. A few were also made just to keep in my personal collection; they could end up being part of an exhibit someday.



KFG!3B: Stick & Move Special - "Brownie"



KFG!3B: Stick & Move Special - "Goldie"

All I Want(ed) for Christmas

All I Want(ed) for Christmas

It had been some time, maybe a year or two, since I last looked at "The Secret Santa," an essay that I wrote in the fall of 2006. This week, just a few days before Christmas, I pulled it out and read it again.

Not having seen the work in such a long time, it was great to read it again with fresh eyes and fresh perspective. I honestly think that it's one of the finest pieces that I've ever written.

Considering the subject matter, too, it's also one of the most important things that I've ever written.

There are a number of reasons why I hadn't looked at the essay in a long while. By the time it was done, the essay had come to symbolize many things, not the least of which was a significant sense of creative accomplishment ... and a mind-numbing sense of frustration.

I actually went through a depression when I finished the work.

For about two months, most of my nights and weekends -- basically the time that wasn't spent at my soul sucking day job -- had been devoted to the text. Lots of web searches, lots of reading, and lots of translating text from Spanish, Italian, even Russian websites.

And I loved it.

Before long, though, it felt as if I was splitting myself in two, constantly moving between the mental highs of a creative state at night time, and the mental lows of robotic repetition performed while at the day job.

And each night, while walking home from work I would find myself muttering variations of: "This is no fucking way to live," and "I can't keep living like this," and "Why do I have to live this way?"

I wanted to end it all, that ceaseless pattern of repetition; the peeling myself out of the desk chair in the wee hours of the morning, the going to bed and waking up just a few hours later, the getting in the shower, the getting dressed, the figuring out what to take to eat for lunch, the walking into work, the sitting at the desk, the logging into the computer and phone, and the answering calls with the scripted line:

"Thank you for calling ______. This is ______. How can I help you?"

I won't go into any of the dark details. But suffice it to say that due to the kinds of thoughts that I started having each night while walking home, I made an appointment to see a psychiatrist. I knew that it wasn't healthy to be thinking the way I was ... as often as I was.

It only took a one hour session, though, for me to realize that psychotherapy was going to be a waste of my time, and the insurance company's money. Talking to a shrink wasn't going to help me with what I was feeling every night -- not as quickly as I needed anyway.

What I really needed was a reality check. And so -- just as I have done for so many other people -- I gave myself one.

Sure, I thought. I had written something special, something extraordinary. Something groundbreaking. But I also had to acknowledge that the work created in my private time represented only a portion of my existence.

The other significant portion consisted of the work done sitting in a pod at a computer in a call center. That too was my reality -- a significant part of my reality. As mundane as it was, that's what was keeping the rent paid, the lights on, and food in the refrigerator.

Sure, my fortunes could all change one day. But those were the cards I was holding at the time. The cards that I'm still holding.

Anyway, after coming to grips with my ever more humbling situation, I decided that I needed to distance myself from "The Secret Santa," and anything else I was working on that caused me to think so far outside the box, and set me up with expectations that didn't come to fruition.

I should probably mention now that after sending out a few inquiry letters to magazines and a few websites, the essay was fairly close to being printed in a magazine called Trumpet, a nationally distributed religious publication out of Chicago, my hometown.

Coincidentally, it was a magazine that was published by the church that my mother, father, sister and an aunt back in Chicago all attended. At the time, then Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were also members.

Yes, that church.

Unfortunately, though, like several magazines since, the Trumpet fell on financial hard times and suspended publication. Since then I haven't sent out any more inquiry letters regarding the essay.

Each year, though, around the month of September, I find myself thinking about sending out a few more inquiry letters. But then I don't.

Maybe the work is still just a little ahead of it's time. Maybe I'm still waiting for the rest of the world to catch up. Or maybe it's just not as groundbreaking as I think. (Yeah, right.)

Whatever the case, I'm proud of the work that went into crafting this essay. Of all the things I've produced, it's still the one that I would most like to see presented to a larger audience. I still think that it will happen one day.

In the meantime, I have formatted the text into a nice 20-page zine. One with a color cover and three pages of color illustrations inside.

Unlike my other zines, though, I don't think that I'm going to be making The Secret Santa available for purchase. Instead, maybe next year I'll just mail 'em out to family and friends as a 20-page Christmas card.


Feliz Navidad.

Octopussy Review in NPR #6

Kung Fu Grip! Special #1: Octopussy

When I wrote up a really cool zine called KUNG FU GRIP! back in issue #4, St. Paco, the creator of it, was going on zine hiatus and he did. When I recently heard from him I got the impression that he was going to publish again. Then before I know it I get this awesome OCTOPUSSY zine. It has the same look and style as KFG! And some similarities: amazing graffiti art, perzine style, the front cover parody of a Marvel comic. It's got that 70s vibe with old school ad pages for the Josie and the Pussycats Hostess Fruit Pie ad and an actual Sea Monkeys ad. A profile of 18th century wood block artist Katsushika Hokusai reprints some of his art including the color centerfold of an octopus performing cunnilingus on a Japanese maiden. That in fact is the motif of this zine: sexy women and octopi. The octopus woman on the cover, woman with octopus on the back cover, the girl in the "stripper haiku" pages with the octopus tattoo. What an insanely original and creative idea. This zine seems to have been made with such care and skill, it was meant to be a high quality work of art.

– Randy, Narcolepsy Press Review #6

Octopussy Review by Stuart Stratu

Octopussy #1

56 pages, $3.50 from Paco D. Taylor, 7730 East Broadway #925, Tucson AZ 85710, USA + stpaco(at)gmail.com

A quick flip through this zine and I knew it was a good one.

First up, Paco's confession that after a shitty break-up he distracted himself from the pain with booze and strip clubs. He wrote 18 stripper haikus which follow. Here's one of 'em:

HELP ME TO FORGET
TEQUILA IN THE SHOT GLASS
DANCER AT MY CHEST

Then four pages of graffiti art - really cool and wild stuff. [The] art collective Cum* from Ghent, Belgium covered that town's streets with their porno graffiti then got so renowned on the internet that their work became in-demand at real actual art galleries. This stuff is more explicit than the street stuff.



There's a section on Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) - it has been estimated that around 35,000 paintings, drawings, prints, and illustrated books were made by Hokusai during his lifetime. And it's pretty cool that he ranged so widely with his subject matter that Paco could select four of his works featuring octopi to fit the zine title. (There's an awesome colour centrefold of Hokusai's 'Octopi and Shelldiver'.)

There's a great piece about a cool girl, Erika, that Paco met through MySpace and formed a unique, long-distance friendship with. He sent her his zine, which revealed personal stuff about him, and in turn she sent him photos of herself and her bare ass, and other saucy type snaps. But! She had a boyfriend! I'm not gonna reveal what happened when she invited Paco to stay with them, so now you'll definitely need to order the zine! Heh heh.

Anyway, next up is a photo series of India's 'Kama Sutra Temple' (Kandariya Mahadeva) "adorned both inside and out with a mind-blowing assortment of eroticized sandstone figures."

Cool zine. I'll be looking forward to Paco's second issue.

– Stuart Stratu, Blackguard

Scott Pilgrim vs. the audience...er, "World"

'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

So...I finally saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World last night. I really shouldn't say "finally," though, since it wasn't at all on my list of movies to see. The pickings, however, were pretty slim at Redbox last night.

Amusingly, the tag line for the film is "An epic of epic epicness." After seeing the film, I found it really ironic, because in terms of its audience appeal, this film was an epic FAIL of epic epicness.

Now, I didn't see the 2000 film Alexander, which -- with a $155 million dollar budget -- was supposed to have been pretty friggin' epic. Like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, though, Alexander was an epic box office fail. Not having seen the latter, I'm not quite sure why it bombed. But I've seen Pilgrim and I know why this $60 million dollar movie failed: It appeals to no one.

Okay, of course it appeals to someone. But it's a very limited pool...or a very limited gene pool, if you will.

First of all, I'm sure that it appeals to the people who read the comic. The book has a justifiably devoted following; I've read one issue of Scott Pilgrim that I got on Free Comic Book Day a few years back and it was kinda' cool to see some of that issue reflected in the movie.

Secondly, it may appeal to the people of Canada, the home base of Bryan Lee O'Malley, the creator of the Scott Pilgrim comic book. There are lots of references to that mythical land of the North.

Thirdly, it must appeal to those people who liked movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. At the bottom of one of the promotional posters it reads: "From the director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz."

And lastly, but most importantly, it appeals to Generation-X, Generation-Y and Generation-Z white males, Jewish guys (white ones), Gay guys (white ones) and Asians (non-white ones). I say this because those are the only human groups I saw on screen for the entire 108-minutes of this incestuous Hollywood fantasy-action-comedy.

Oh, and speaking of Hollywood incest, there are Seinfeld TV show references in the movie. Whatever the fuck the Seinfeld TV show has to do with the world of Scott Pilgrim, I cannot say. But I'm sure that fans of the show got dill pickle-sized hard-ons when they heard the oh-so-familiar music cues and the canned laugh tracks from the once mystifyingly-popular NBC show.

Even more mystifying (but not really) was the Hollywood decision to cast Michael Cera as the comic book's leading ladies' man. I mean, come. the. fuck. on. Not even in a testosterone-drenched comic book fantasy would this scrawny, alto-voiced actor have PYTs (pretty young thangs) like those seen in this flick throwing pussy at him.

I mean, there's nothing even subtly Freudian about the intentions of this film. Seeing women -- one of whom is Asian, I might add -- fighting over a guy like Cera is like watching a twenty-something's version of one of Woodly Allen's middle-aged wet dreams.

Saints alive! I could go on and on ripping this movie a new one, but I want to say that most of my beef with the film is over what it could have been. It was shot well and directed fairly well. It had good (although redundant) special effects. It could have been better, meaning actually good, if the director and the producers weren't so damned busy pleasuring themselves at the expense of an audience.

You know, come to think of it, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" really is an apt title for this inbred fantasy world where the guys are white, the chicks are Asian, and the only music that anyone listens to is rock & roll. If Canada itself is actually anything like this, please remind me to never go there, because -- like the intended audience of this small-minded film -- I will probably cease to exist.

Grade: D+

Revisiting Alfons Mucha

The Paper Dragon Press Edition of Mucha's Historical Paintings of the Slavic Nations was finished earlier this week. I just have to say that it looks even better printed than I thought it would.

That said, I also want to say that I love technology and I love computers. And you can say whatever you will about the impending death of print, and the joy of reading e-books and pdf files on your iPad, Kindle, or whatever-the-fuck newfangled doodad you use.

When it comes down to it, nothing beats the beautiful intimacy of words and pictures on paper. And reprinting this little booklet just drives that point home even further for me.

Reprinting Alfons Mucha

When I was a student of graphic design several years ago, one of the artists whose work made a significant impact on my ideas as a designer was Alfons-Marie Mucha (1860-1939), the Czech-born master of the art nouveau style. This was a guy who could seemingly design a wall mural as easily as he could illustrate a cigarette ad.

And for a student who was interested in graffiti art murals as much as typography and page layout, Mucha seemed to me like the designer's designer.

It isn't obvious in any way, but some of what I learned from studying Mucha all those years ago shows up in my work even today. In fact, the sticker art gallery in KFG!3 is a nod to an infamous design portfolio that Mucha produced in 1902 called the "Art Nouveu Style Book."

Two or so year ago, while combing through archives of out of print books, I came across a digitized copy of a rare booklet produced in 1921 called "The Historical Paintings of the Slavic Nations." It was made in conjunction with an exhibition of Mucha's paintings under that same title which were shown that year at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brooklyn Museum.

According to the book's indicia, only five-thousand copies were printed. Heaven only knows how many copies have survived to the present day, but if I had to guess, I would say only a few. As far as I can tell, the book has never been reprinted.

Well, that is until now.

Factoring in my deep appreciation of Mucha's work, the small production size, and also its connection to the Art Institute of Chicago (a place I came to know intimately even before deciding to major in graphic design) a reprint of this booklet seemed like a perfect fit for my one-man production house.

And so, having found myself between projects, I started work on a reprint version of the book last night. Before crashing out a little after 5AM, the first the first half of the book was done. The other half will get tackled later tonight.

Some necessary design alterations had to be made for the cover, which featured only an illustration by Mucha, and was printed on brown card stock (below). Some of the beautiful art nouveau text from page five of the book was altered and formatted to provide a fitting new cover (top).



In addition to Count Dante's "World's Deadliest Fighting Secrets," which I reprinted in 2007, Mucha's "Historical Paintings of the Slavic Nations" is another book that I felt compelled to resurrect from obscurity. And like the former, it's something that I'm proud to see in an expanding list of KFG/Paper Dragon Press publications.

So sayeth:

St. Paco

The Mighty Paco in...

Haven't posted anything new in a long while, but I haven't really had anything going on worth posting. Well, I was interviewed a week or so ago by an arts publication out of Argentina. I was initially under the impression that it was an online magazine, but realized when they asked me for hi-resolution images from my portfolio that it is actually a print mag. Needless to say, I'll post more it once I know more.

One cool by-product of the interview is that it caused me to look at my entire portfolio of works produced over the past 6 or 7 years. And doing so inspired me to spend some more time workin' on stand alone pieces like the image above; an image that was partially completed a few years ago. I wasn't sure of what direction to take the piece, but after finishing the interview -- and looking at some of my most recent zine covers -- it was a very natural progression.

The piece could easily be used as a cover for a zine, but it's still just a paste-up design. Still, I like it so much that it may indeed wind on the back cover of something at a later date. You just never know sometimes.

Looking back at 2010, I realize that I did a lot of zine related work. I also got one of my articles published in my favorite magazine. Though I really don't see myself slacking at all on the writing and zine publishing front next year, 2011 will also see me producing more graphic art and graphic design.

And probably doing more interviews too.

So sayeth...

St. Paco


Click image to enlarge

Creative Control (Snapshots)

Thanks to: Jim Lucio

"I got cha 'fro right here, baby."

Oh, yeah...

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I also received -- in addition to the Afrodisiac book and posters -- a DVD with a promotional video for the project that is downright out of sight. Go over and check out the super classy "Afro-Strut" video here.

You will dig it. I guarantee it