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

By Anna Culbertson and Adam Burkhart

Printer-friendly |

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 Zine Library in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Use the following link to see this list: http://anchorarchive.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/Zine%20thesaurus%202013-10.pdf

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:

[Box #1],
[Box A1],
[Box A2],
[Box A3],
[Box A4],
[Box A5],
[Box A6],
[Box B1],
[Box B2],
[Box B3],
[Box B4],
[Box B5],
[Box B6],
[Box B7],
[Box C1],
[Box C2],
[Box C3],
[Box C4],
[Box C5],
[Box C6],
[Box C7],
[Box C8],
[Box D1],
[Box D2],
[Box D3],
[Box D4],
[Box D5],
[Box E1],
[Box E2],
[Box F1],
[Box F2],
[Box F3],
[Box F4],
[Box F5],
[Box G1],
[Box G2],
[Box G3],
[Box G4],
[Box G5],
[Box G6],
[Box H1],
[Box H2],
[Box H3],
[Box H4],
[Box I1],
[Box I2],
[Box I3],
[Box J1],
[Box J2],
[Box K1],
[Box L1],
[Box L2],
[Box L3],
[Box L4],
[Box M1],
[Box M2],
[Box M3],
[Box M4],
[Box M5],
[Box M6],
[Box M7],
[Box M8],
[Box M9],
[Box M10],
[Box N1],
[Box N2],
[Box N3],
[Box N4],
[Box N5],
[Box O1],
[Box O2],
[Box P1],
[Box P2],
[Box P3],
[Box P4],
[Box P5],
[Box P6],
[Box Q1],
[Box R1],
[Box R2],
[Box R3],
[Box R4],
[Box S1],
[Box S2],
[Box S3],
[Box S4],
[Box S5],
[Box S6],
[Box S7],
[Box S8],
[Box S9],
[Box S10],
[Box S11],
[Box S12],
[Box S13],
[Box S14],
[Box T1],
[Box T2],
[Box T3],
[Box T4],
[Box T5],
[Box U1],
[Box U2],
[Box V1],
[Box V2],
[Box W1],
[Box W2],
[Box X1],
[Box Y1],
[Box Z1],
[Box OVRSZ],
[Box SUPP 1],
[Box SUPP 2],
[All]

Box N4

Item 2: No-fi: Zine printed accordion-style that addresses diverse topics, including music, Detroit landmarks, typewriters, and holidays.; Author / Publisher: Kelly Mariè, ed. (self-published); Category: cities; holidays; music; Date / Volume: #2 (Dec. 1995); Publication Place: Detroit, MI
Item 3: Noise Queen: Zine with book reviews and essays on homosexual culture.; Author / Publisher: Tim Murphy (self-published); Category: BDSM; book reviews; gay; zine reviews; zines; Date / Volume: #23 (fall 2000), #24 (winter 2000/2001); Publication Place: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Item 4: None Shall Escape: A compilation of exerpts from a forum on the labor movement in Grenada and Jamaica.; Author / Publisher: Fundi (One Thousand Emotions); Category: anti-capitalism; communism; labor movement; left-wing politics; radical politics; revolution; situationism; socialism; Date / Volume: (2006); Publication Place: St. Louis, MO
Item 5: Non-Fiction: Zine focusing on the personal experiences of teenage punks.; Author / Publisher: unknown (self-published); Category: anarchy; animal rights; anti-capitalism; cultural criticism; punk; teenagers; Date / Volume: #1-3 (n.d.); Publication Place: Rosamond, CA
Item 6: Nonsensical: Collection of thoughts and experiences.; Author / Publisher: Annie (self-published); Category: christmas; high school; holidays; personal stories; Date / Volume: #6 (Dec. 2003); Publication Place: San Francisco, CA
Item 7: Nonviolence and Its Violent Consequences: An essay arguing "that nonviolence encourages violence by the state and corporations" and that "[a]s a result nonviolence ideologists cooperate in the ongiong destruction of the environment, in continued repression of the powerless, and in U.S. corporate attacks on people in foreign ministries."; Author / Publisher: William Meyers (III Publishing); Category: activism; anarchism; colonialism; elections; environmental protection; media; non-violence; resistance; violence; Date / Volume: (2000); Publication Place: Gualala, CA
Item 8: Normahlwelkings: Zine with experimental poetry.; Author / Publisher: Zac Denton (3rdness); Category: experimental poetry; poetry; Date / Volume: (May 2004); Publication Place: Atlanta
Item 9: Not Available Comics: Mini-comic collecting individual comic strips with stick figure drawings.; Author / Publisher: Matt Feazell (self-published); Category: comics; humor; Date / Volume: #22 (Nov. 1984); #25 (1993); Publication Place: Detroit, MI
Item 10: Not My America: Zine of young adult fan-fiction dissecting the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Gift of the author, created for the ENG 727 class "Science Fiction for Young People." Gardella riffs on Artemis Fowl, Feed, Baloney, Hunger Games, Eager, A Wrinkle in Time, The Iron Giant, Life As We Knew It, The Giver, and Swamps of Sleethe.; Author / Publisher: Alex Gardella (self-published); Category: anger; cultural criticism; fear; misogyny; poetry; politics; power relation; resistance; short fiction; violence; women; Date / Volume: (2016); Publication Place: San Diego, CA
Item 11: Not My Small Diary: Compilation of autobiographical mini-comics by various authors.; Author / Publisher: Delaine Derry Green, ed. (self-published); Category: autobiographical comics; Date / Volume: #15 Vol. 1-2 (2009), #16 Vol. 1-2 (2011); Publication Place: Trussville, AL
Item 12: Not Quite Venice: A Pittsburgh Zine: Personal reflections on Pittsburgh and analysis of the city's politics and social issues by various contributors. Also includes stories from Pittsburgh residents about several of the city's non-profits, co-ops and art spaces.; Author / Publisher: Mike Q. Roth and Miss Mary Mack, eds. (self-published); Category: art spaces; bicycles; cities; community; community bike projects; community building; cooperatives; personal stories; punk; social centers; Date / Volume: (n.d.); Publication Place: Pittsburgh, PA