Is this zine about Man vs. Beast? The cover shows a black dog standing tall, his paws propped on the shoulders of a turbaned, androgynous figure and for some reason I get a chill and all I can think of is The Cure, “standing on a beach–“Turning the page and reading the caption for the cover illustration, I see “Girl Being Attacked by Dog.” Oh my. This zine celebrates canines and their owners, and is full of good doggies and bad doggies and evil beasts that should forever be kept on a leash. In “Gran’pa,” a simple line drawing of an almost-faceless man holding a docile dog in his arms, I see the hint of a grin-a happy man who has gone to hell and back — The pages of “Beasts” are adorned with nurses and military girls walking well-behaved animals, and wild dogs held back-tightly-against snow-white fields empty of pen-and-ink scrawlings. The “Police Hunt” image haunts me: I know this dog has found a body, but the bloody limbs have been omitted from the artist’s rendition. Personalities are captured here, of both man and beast, and the people portrayed do, indeed, come to resemble their pets-if only for the love and devotion reflected in their eyes. That’s it — good zine! (Andree Lachapelle)
Nadia Foerster, litzine, 184 Willow Lane, Newmarket, ON, L3Y 6R8, [email protected]