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 M6

Item 1: Meditations on Spam: Zine consisting of poetry on Spam.; Author / Publisher: Stephanie Scarborough (self-published); Category: food; humor; poetry; zines; Date / Volume: (2003); Publication Place: Weatherford, TX
Item 2: Meen Comics: Semi-autobiographical mini-comic.; Author / Publisher: Trixie Biltmore (self-published: Meen Comics); Category: autobiographical comics; comics; humor; journal comics; women in comics; Date / Volume: (2010); Publication Place: Portland, OR?
Item 3: Meet the Radikittens!: Minicomic about radiated kittens born with super powers. Fan art for RadCon held in Pasco, Washington.; Author / Publisher: Roberta Gregory (self-published); Category: cartoons; cats; comics; humor; Date / Volume: (2006); Publication Place: Seattle, WA
Item 4: Mellow Yellow: Written by a queer, asian girl living in New Zealand. She discusses New Zealand's colonial past, her asian heritage and the prejudices of each.; Author / Publisher: Hannah Ho (self-published); Category: assimilation; colonialism; gender; gender fucking; indigenous peoples; land rights; lesbian; oppression; personal stories; privilege; queer; race; racial identity; racism; white privilege; Date / Volume: #1 (n.d.); Publication Place: Karori, Aotearoa, New Zealand
Item 5: Memoirs of a Queer Hapa: The author explores queer, mixed-race identity through personal- and academic-inflected essays. Hapa is a Hawaiian term for "half," originally used in a derogatory sense and later reclaimed as a label for those of mixed Asian Pacific Islander descent. The author posits that queer hapas like herself subvert easy categorization along traditional and mutually exclusive lines of racial and sexual identities and experience alienation as a result.; Author / Publisher: Jackie Wang (self-published); Category: assimilation; mixed race; oppression; people of color; queer; queer history; queer identity; queer theory; race; racial identity; racism; self-determination; Date / Volume: #2 (2009); Publication Place: Sarasota, FL
Item 6: Men Unlearning Rape: A zine about how to keep men from raping. "This article originally appeared in Changing Men Magazine #22, Winter / Spring 1991."; Author / Publisher: Joe Weingberg and Michael Biernbaum (self-published); Category: rape; violence against women; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 7: The Mental Health Cookbook: Zine detailing medicinal herbs, flower essences, wild foods as medicine, gardening, etc.; Author / Publisher: H. Finn Cunningham (And Pens Press); Category: alternative medicine; flowers; gardening; herbalism; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: San Francisco, CA
Item 8: Menudo & Herb: "A little book to reach for during big bowel movements."; Acquisition Information: Gift of Jesica Brubaker, 2015.; Author / Publisher: Myriam Gurba (self-published); Category: humor; experimental poetry; lesbian; race; people of color; racial identity; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 9: Merge: Discussion of feminism and analysis of current events and popular culture through a feminist lens.; Author / Publisher: Kim McCarten, ed. (self-published); Category: christianity; feminism; feminist theory; gender; gender roles; media critique; patriarchy; prostitution; rape; representation of women; sexism; solidarity movements; violence against women; women; Date / Volume: (Aug. 1998), (Sept. 1998), (Oct./Nov. 1998); Publication Place: Chicago, IL
Item 10: Merry Musical Miscellany: Minicomic featuring monkeys and music.; Author / Publisher: Tom Neely (self-published: I Will Destroy You Comics); Category: cartoons; comics; monkeys; music; Date / Volume: #1 (June 2003); Publication Place: unknown
Item 11: The Messy Eater: Personal writings and reflections and comics.; Author / Publisher: Elka Weber (self-published); Category: comics; coming out; gender; gender identity; interviews; lesbian; personal stories; poetry; Date / Volume: #1, #3, #4 (1997); Publication Place: Ventura, CA
Item 12: The Metamorphosis of Miss Badass Peacock and Kizzy: Comic featuring Kizzy and Bailey.; Author / Publisher: Benjamin Castle (self-published); Category: fiction; humor; Date / Volume: (2010); Publication Place: Minneapolis, MN
Item 13: Meterstick: Personal zine with reviews, interviews, and opinionated articles.; Author / Publisher: unknown (self-published); Category: cultural criticism; criticism; interviews; music reviews; personal stories; rape; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: San Diego, CA
Item 14: Microcosm: Drawings of fanciful microrganisms.; Author / Publisher: Adam Yeater (self-published); Category: comics; Date / Volume: (2018); Publication Place: Tucson, AZ
Item 15: Microcosm Publishing Catalogue: Zine for Microcosm Publishing which publishes and distributes zines. Includes zines, books, pamphlets, stickers, buttons, patches, t-shirts, films, and more.; Author / Publisher: collective (Microcosm Publishing); Category: zine distribution; zine distros; zine reviews; zines; Date / Volume: (2005-2006); Publication Place: Portland, OR
Item 16: Middle School Hot: Clark recounts his middle school years, discovering sex and trying to appear cool to his friends and girls.; Author / Publisher: Jon Clark (self-published); Category: coming of age; masturbation; personal stories; sex; teenagers; youth; youth sexuality; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 17: Midnight Madness: Minicomic about the author's attempt to make a zine.; Author / Publisher: Cheyne Ellett (self-published); Category: art; drawing; photographs; zine-making; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: unknown
Item 18: Migraine Catalog: Catalog of the Migraine independent press.; Author / Publisher: Kim Fern and Ian Lynam (self-published); Category: zine reviews; zines; Date / Volume: #3 (n.d.); Publication Place: Berkeley, CA
Item 19: Mija: Writings about the stereotypes between whites and Chicanos.; Author / Publisher: Bianca (self-published); Category: race; racial identity; racial stereotypes; racism; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: San Pablo, CA
Item 20: Milky: Personal zine with diaristic writings.; Author / Publisher: Jamie & Naomi (self-published); Category: personal stories; Date / Volume: #1.5 (n.d.); Publication Place: Santa Cruz, CA
Item 21: Mindful Occupation: Rising Up Without Burning Out: Made by radical mental-health advocates aligned with the Occupy movement. "Radical mental health means conceiving of, and engaging with, 'mental health' and 'mental illness' from a new perspective."; Author / Publisher: Aki Imai, Becca Shaw Glaser, M. Osborn, Rachel Liebert, Cal Moen, eds. (Mindful Occupation); Category: activism; coping methods; direct action; mental health; mental illness; resistance; self-help; therapy; Date / Volume: (2012); Publication Place: Richmond, VA
Item 22: Mine: Zine documenting women's experiences with abortion.; Author / Publisher: Meredith Stern, ed. (self-published); Category: abortion; birth control; feminism; personal stories; pro-choice movement; reproductive rights; women; women's history; Date / Volume: #2 (n.d.); Publication Place: Philadelphia, PA
Item 23: Mini-Comic Day 2015: Minicomic with silly gags.; Acquisition Information: Vols. 1-2 gift of Donna Barr, 2016; Author / Publisher: Colin Upton (self-published: Colin Upton Comics); Category: comics; humor; Date / Volume: Vol. 1 "Never Give a Baby a Ray-Gun," Vol. 2 "Racoon in the Wainscotting" (2015); Publication Place: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Item 24: Minihex: A collection of comics starring characters created by the author.; Author / Publisher: Simon Hanselmann (Fantagraphics Books); Category: comics; Date / Volume: #35 (2016); Publication Place: unknown
Item 25: Minky!: Mini-comic about a monkey, based on a plush toy given to the author at the 2008 Inter-Fan Jam comic convention. The copy in this collection is #13 of 100.; Author / Publisher: Wade Busby (self-published); Category: comics; humor; monkeys; Date / Volume: #1 (2010); Publication Place: Seattle, WA
Item 26: Miranda: Personal zine with diaristic writings about motherhood, parenting, childhood reminiscences and other topics. Includes recipes.; Author / Publisher: Kate Haas (self-published); Category: bicycle trailers; book reviews; cycling; motherhood; parenting; personal stories; recipes; television; Date / Volume: #7 (Dec. 2001); Publication Place: Portland, OR
Item 27: Miranda Hearts Seattle: Personal zine with diaristic writings.; Author / Publisher: Miranda Celeste Hale (self-published); Category: cities; personal stories; postsecondary education; Date / Volume: (May 2002); Publication Place: Spokane, WA