Call it low brow confusion in a high gloss finish-this baby’s a mess and is proud of it. Hailing from the smoggy streets of Atlanta, Metatronic takes the form of a sassy post-modern collage that combines found imagery, comics, crooked prose and a whole lot of other stuff in a wholly satisfying package. There is some political unrest here, as usual suspects such as McDonald’s and Exxon are lampooned. But there’s also a ribbon campaign to elect Gilbert Gottfried president-so there’s a certain amount of tongue in this cheek. And most remarkably, there’s a gentle short story smack dab in the middle of this madness. Entitled “30 Minute Short Stories,” it speaks of summer skies and wayward bus trips and all that other fun stuff that typically drifts into memories by the time you hit 22 (or so). It’s an unfinished piece as well, so there’s always hope this narrative will extend into the next issue. You might ask yourself, “How do I work this?” but to try an understand Metatronic on a logical level is really missing the point. Zines like this are simply aiming to amuse and confound, and Metatronic takes a pretty good stab at both. (Cameron Gordon)
Zine, #7, 32 pgs., 1295 Cumberland Rd., Atlanta, GA, 30306, U.S.A., www.metatroniczine.com