Zines and Minicomics Collection, 1985- | Special Collections & University Archives

By Anna Culbertson and Adam Burkhart

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Collection Overview

Title: Zines and Minicomics Collection, 1985-

Predominant Dates:1995-

Extent: 42.25 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/2002. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: American poetry--20th century, Anarchism, Comic books, strips, etc., Feminism, Gender, Music, Politics, Popular culture, Riot grrrl movement, Riot grrrl movement--Periodicals, Self-care, Health, Transgender people, Women, Young women

Languages: English, Spanish;Castilian

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Zines and Minicomics Collection combines materials from two former collections known as the West Coast Zines Collection and the Comics Collection. The collection ranges from 1985 to the present and includes zines and minicomics on a variety of topics. Concentrations include identity politics (especially riot grrrl, people of color and LGBTQ topics), sexuality and reproductive rights, punk rock, anarchism, activism, alternative lifestyles, creative writing, and popular culture. Notable feminist titles in the collection that began as zines and went on to become major "glossies" include BUST, Bitch, Venus, and Hip Mama.

The collection is arranged alphabetically by publication title, and then chronologically within each title from earliest to latest. A brief description of each publication's content is provided, and links to web versions are available in some instances. Publications are tagged according to the Zine Thesaurus of Subject Terms developed by the Anchor Archive at the Roberts Street Social Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Use the following link to see this list: http://www.robertsstreet.org/thesaurus/out.htm

Also included are supplemental materials, including related correspondence, promotional ephemera, exhibit materials, and a small archive of materials generated by SDSU's Zine & DIY Culture Club, formed and officialy recognized as a student organization in 2016.

Subject/Index Terms

American poetry--20th century
Anarchism
Comic books, strips, etc.
Feminism
Gender
Music
Politics
Popular culture
Riot grrrl movement
Riot grrrl movement--Periodicals
Self-care, Health
Transgender people
Women
Young women

Administrative Information

Repository: Special Collections & University Archives

Accruals: 2002-present

Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Acquisition Source: Multiple donors

Related Materials: For more information please see http://www.robertsstreet.org/thesaurus/out.htm.

Finding Aid Revision History: Revised 5/2014; collection rearranged to combine formerly-titled West Coast Zines Collection (MS-0278) and selected titles from the Comics Collection (MS-0091).

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

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Box L2

Item 1: Lavapunch: Collection of comics from various contributors. Two copies of first issue.; Author / Publisher: Jillian Ogle, ed. (self-published; issue #1: Brown Bag Press); Category: comics; Date / Volume: #1 "First Launch" (2006), #2 "Mission Control" (2007); Publication Place: unknown
Item 2: Lavender Lens: "Lesbian pride: Charting our future"; Author / Publisher: Bixi B. Craig (Buzz Publications); Category: gay; lesbian; polyamory; queer; queer identity; queer politics; same-sex marriage; transgender; women; Date / Volume: #42 (July 2003); Publication Place: San Diego, CA
Item 3: Learning Good Consent: Zine devoted to educating about sexual consent.; Author / Publisher: (Riot Grrrl Press); Category: anarchism; consent; gay; gender; gender roles; queer; punk; rape; relationships; sex; sexual abuse; sexual relationships; surviving abuse; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: Athens, OH
Item 4: The Learning Project: Issue #1 is a coloring book with profiles on militia movements and terrorist groups.; Author / Publisher: Maja D'Aoust; Kiyoshi Nakazawa; Bwana Spoons (Grass Hut Corp. and Lost Dog Press); Category: coloring books; terrorism; war; Date / Volume: #1 (2004) - Militias of the World and Guerilla Warfare; Publication Place: Portland, OR
Item 5: Left On Mission & Revenge: Minicomic. Eric Westfall is pulled out of retirement to track down rogue agent Emma.; Author / Publisher: Chip Mosher, words: Nye Wright, art (self-published); Category: comics; Date / Volume: (2006); Publication Place: [Los Angeles]
Item 6: Leg Fog: Collage. Paint, stamps and news clippings. Printed in color.; Author / Publisher: Katerina Nikoltsou, John M. Bennett, C. Mehrl Bennett, Matthew Stolte (Luna Bisonte Prods); Category: art; mail art; Date / Volume: (2016); Publication Place: unknown
Item 7: Let's Go to Church: Poetry about organized religion.; Author / Publisher: Shannon Colebank (Whizzbanger Productions); Category: cultural criticism; poetry; power relations; religion; social class; Date / Volume: (2002); Publication Place: Portland, OR
Item 8: Let's Talk About Consent Baby: Zine devoted to raising awareness about sexual consent.; Author / Publisher: Down There Health Collective; Category: consent; relationships; sex; sexual abuse; sexual assault; sexual relationships; surviving abuse; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: Washington D.C.
Item 9: Leviathan: Minicomic about a young graffiti artist who encounters a demonic monster in a train yard one night.; Acquisition Information: Gift of Dan Hager, 2004.; Author / Publisher: Scott Faulkner; Category: comics; horror; monsters; Date / Volume: (2004); Publication Place: unknown
Item 10: LGBTQ God Does Not Hate You!: Minicomic designed to resemble a bible tract which dispels the belief that God hates gays. 2 copies owned.; Author / Publisher: Roberta Gregory (self-published); Category: comics; gay; homophobia; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 11: Liar: Diary entries about the author's experiences with depression and being in therapy. "The Final Issue" of Oct. 1995 is done as a split with Power Candy #13. Filed under Power Candy.; Author / Publisher: Danielle Bastian (self-published); Category: depression; feminism; mental health; pets; psychiatric drugs; relationships; suicide; therapy; women; Date / Volume: The Final Issue (1995); Publication Place: Chicago, IL
Item 12: The Lies That Are His Life: Zine devoted to exposing Ronald Reagan's lies by juxtaposing his public statements with statistics drawn from government and news sources. Quotes and statistics accompany caricatures of the president contributed by several artists.; Author / Publisher: Starlen Baxter (self-published: Nerve Publications); Category: income assistance; politics; right-wing politics; satire; social class; Date / Volume: (1986); Publication Place: Lexington, KY
Item 13: Life Is Funny (dot-dot-dot): Autobiographical minicomic about Gregory's life after her television writing deal ends and she must work a part-time job to make ends meet.; Author / Publisher: Roberta Gregory (self-published); Category: autobiographical comics; Date / Volume: (2006); Publication Place: Seattle, WA
Item 14: Life of a Cartoon Artiste: Minicomic by Colin Upton, best know for his autobiographical comics. This comic is a collection of strips about two fictional cartoonists, Mark and Miles, as they struggle to make a living and preserve their artistic integrity.; Author / Publisher: Colin Upton (self-published); Category: art; artists; comics; humor; Date / Volume: #1 (1989?); Publication Place: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Item 15: Life of Star Girl: Minicomic summarizing the mundane and heroic events in the life of the eponymous hero.; Acquisition Information: Gift of Donna Barr, 2019; Author / Publisher: Rico Desanctis (self-published); Category: comics; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 16: Lightning Bug Zine: Personal zine with creative writing.; Author / Publisher: Kirstin Munro (self-published); Category: baking; break-ups; love; personal stories; relationships; Date / Volume: #1 (n.d.), #2 (Jan. 2001); Publication Place: Saratoga, CA
Item 17: Lightstrips: A poem anthology series by SDSU Zine & DIY Culture Club.; Acquisition Information: Gift of SDSU Zine & D.I.Y. Culture Club, 2019; Author / Publisher: various contributors (self-published: SDSU Zine and DIY Culture Club); Category: poetry; Date / Volume: v. 1 (2017), v. 2 (n.d.), v. 3 (May 2018); Publication Place: San Diego, CA
Item 18: Likely Stories: Minicomic. Volume 5, "Chocolypse Now," recounts a darker "Willy Wonka."; Author / Publisher: Dave Milloway and Matt Wood (writers), Stephanie Freese (illustrator) (Yodel Free Press); Category: comics; humor; Date / Volume: vol. 5 (2004); Publication Place: unknown
Item 19: Lil' Natas: Minicomic. "Lil' Natas fights, rants, and decapitates his way through hilarious adventures."; Author / Publisher: Robin Thompson (self-published: Hunter-Thompson Unlimited); Category: comics; humor; Date / Volume: #1 (2003); Publication Place: Victoria, B.C., Canada
Item 20: Lil' Scrapper: Fanzine with articles on various topics of interest to the author, including, for example, free speech, mullets, raves and jungle music.; Author / Publisher: Michelle (self-published); Category: DJs; hair; music; zine reviews; Date / Volume: #3 (winter 1999); Publication Place: Portland, OR
Item 21: Lila: Personal zine with diaristic writings.; Author / Publisher: Jessica Morrow (Desert Star Press); Category: anarchism; anti-capitalism; break-ups; capitalism; consumerism; DIY; ethical consumption; feminism; non-violence; personal stories; politics; relationships; riot grrrl; sexism; violence; yoga; Date / Volume: #2 (fall 2004); Publication Place: Flagstaff, AZ