Monday, June 10, 2013 – 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy a cool “B” while watching Kick-Ass kick “A.” Don your mask, slip into some spandex, and grab a baton or two on your way to a free screening of Kick-Ass in the first installment of The City Library at Brewvies. Lucky superheroes will win prizes, including copies of the Kick-Ass graphic novel written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

About Kick-Ass (from imdb.com) Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

Location: Brewvies, 677 South 200 West

Contact Information: (801) 524-8200

We are back! And this year we’ll have some awesome special guests….

So claim your spot at the Alt Press Fest (Sat, July 13, Main Library)! If you want to show off your wares or conduct a workshop, contact Brooke Young (byoung@slcpl.org) no later than Monday, April 22.

A while ago our old online zine catalog fell apart and disappeared into the web abyss.
It has not been seen again.
We cried. We despaired.
But then we picked ourselves up and hatched a new plan.

First some background: The Salt Lake City Public Library’s Alternative Press Collection is the continuation of what began in the mid ‘90s as the Zine Collection. Beginning with one zine, SLCPL’s Main library now houses the largest zine collection of any in a public library, and one of the largest anywhere in the world with over 2,500 unique titles and more than 6,000 items.

Last month a few staff members at the SLCPL started a massive online cataloging project. As of this moment we have cataloged over 400 materials. Ultimately we want to have everything listed by the end of the year 2013.

Here’s a link to our new zine catalog online: SLCPL Zine Catalog

We know that it’s not as spiffy as the old one, but it’s easy to update.
So check it out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jess-smart-smiley/look-n-find-book?ref=live

Local comic artist, zinester, and all around groovy guy Jess Smart Smiley is at it again! Above is Jess’ video for his exciting new Kickstarter project: Rumpus on the Run a Monster Look ‘n’ Find Book.

You may have already seen Jess’ work at our annual SLCPL Alt Press Fest this past July, or at one of our many zine workshops held throughout the year. If you aren’t familiar with his work be prepared for whimsical imagery in the form of the fantastic and supernatural with a generous dash of late 20th century pop culture nostalgia. How could you resist THAT!?!

Check him out today!

Bonnie Kaye

Alan Moore‘s, Bram Stoker Award winning graphic novel, Neonomicon is a mind-blowing, shocking addition to H.P. Lovecraft inspired / Cthulhu mythos fiction.  Illustrated by Jacen Burrows, who’s art you might recognize from the frightening series, Crossed (another very SERIOUS horror comic).  If your an Alan Moore fan or H.P. Lovecraft fan you have no choice but to pick this up.

Neonomicon was adapted from Moore‘s previous Lovecraftian short story, The Courtyard (which is collected in this graphic novel).  Unlike other fictions inspired by the old gods, Moore modernizes the genre, adding critique to the controversial unspoken elements of racism and sex.  Neonomicon is one of Alan Moore‘s darkest works to date and has already created quite a stir, inciting some libraries to ban the book.  So get it while it’s hot!

Warning:  Neonomicon puts the M in mature and the E in explicit.  Not only is it not for kids, but do not…I repeat DO NOT eat Chinese food while reading this book.  Mid-way through the book I just about lost my lo mein noodles.  It was that awesome!

Jacen Burrows!  You owe me lunch!  *shaking fist*

As I searched through the massive zine collection at the Salt Lake City Public Library I
was intent to pick a zine that I had not read before for this review. Now this isn’t hard
because the collection has around 2500 zines within it, but on the other hand I didn’t
want to pick up something that I knew I would heavily dislike. This is a difficult
balancing act when you’re also determined to pick up something in that serendipitous
kind of way. But on the other hand not wanting to over think it all, I flipped thru the
boxes relying on sight and instinct.

It was the cover of Watch the Closing Doors #19 that instantly drew my attention. It
features three men sitting in a subway station dressed as Santa Claus most likely waiting
for a train. This absurd image is a delightful reminder that when you take any form of
public transit, whether it is be by bus, subway, etc, you have no idea what you may
encounter. It is that sense of lackadaisical whimsy, which sets the tone for this zine. On
the subway sometimes all it takes is one exceptional encounter to either ruin or enlighten
your day. Traveling in a car can be such an isolating experience while the bus or subway
contains all of humanity.

In short stories, pictures, some historical context and diary entry, zine editor and writer
Fred Argoff discusses the New York public transit system. His personal experience adds
credibility as he describes his travels from all over the boroughs. It’s immense fun to
here him describe the complexities of public transit travel and some of the crazy
encounters that he has had. In one-page vignettes he gives bite-sized anecdotes, which I
very much enjoyed. Often zine writers suffer from the rambles when they are their own
editors. Argoff manages to tell succinct stories with wonderful thrift that reminded me of
the work of Tobias Wolfe. In “Express Bus Excitement” I was impressed with how
Argoff mixed humor with some satirical commentary on the sin of entitlement. However
Argoff is never judgmental or mean, which is refreshing considering the easy targets
presented in “Polka Time!” and “Subway Spelling”.

Unfortunately Argoff loses his universality as he delves into the specifics of the NYC
subway system. This zine suffers due to his “insider” status. Without a map or diagram it
is well nigh impossible for anyone outside of New York City to be able to keep track of
the different trains and their destinations. Thankfully he includes some pictures, but like
with most Xeroxed black-white zines they don’t duplicate well. Some are far too dark to
provide any illumination or understanding as to why they are included at all. The detail
that Argoff meticulously focuses on becomes less and less relevant as one realizes that it
is most likely that most of these subway lines and trains have either been shut down or
replaced as this zine was created in the year 2000. This lack of relevance could be
defended as a portrait of a time, but I would have preferred a little more human interest
and little less talk about different subway car models.

Regardless, as an ardent user of public transportation I am often drawn to this type of
zine. I enjoy this genre because of it’s potential to focus on the human condition. Argoff
provides such excitement about the mundane route that he takes to get from A to B every
day. His disappointment is palpable when he describes an amazing route proposal that is
shut down due to budget cuts. From their very inception, zines were meant to be a place
where anyone can produce a work, which focuses on any subject that they love. Argoff
clearly loves to discuss public transportation. It is a joy to find someone focusing on
something so positive in a world that can be so horribly awful.

Watch the Closing Doors by Fred Argoff can be found and checked out in the Zine
Collection on Level 2 in the Salt Lake City Public Library.

This is where Guy Delisle‘s Pyongyang: A Journey In North Korea comes in.  It gives us a humorous look into the countries people, customs and government, from an outsiders perspective.  North Korea really is a fascinatingly odd little country (at least compared to the U.S.) and if your as curious of a cat as I am, give it a read.

Available for check-out!

(This pick was not at all influenced by the fact that Anna picked my favorite album Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins as her #1.  Not at all.)

This zine is available for check out in the Zine Collection at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to slcplaltpress!

Yep, we launched this blog here on March 1st with our announcement of Alt Press Fest 2012. We can’t believe that it has been 1 year!

Here’s some stats:
-224 posts
-51 followers
-9277 views

Not bad for a little blog created by employees at the Salt Lake City Public Library who love comics, zines, graphic novels and the alternative press. We’ve got some cool plans for the future, so stick with us.

Thanks to everyone who has posted, promoted, linked, commented, followed, and liked this little corner of the internet.
We do it all for you. (Well and us, but mostly you.)

Or click here and look for February 2013.

If you like what you see (and live in the SLC area) we urge you to come on out to one of our workshops.  They are super fun.  Or maybe look out for or start Zine Workshops in your community.

Strangers In Paradise-Francine and Katchoo Forever! SO Excited that Terry Moore is bringing back this ground breaking series sometime in 2013.  (Ed. Note: Sadly not currently available at the SLCPL.  But it should be, well worth acquiring.)

Fables-Snow and Bigby are the bomb! Watch how opposites attract and the backbone couple of this series emerges.

Spider-man Loves Mary Jane-This series takes the Spider-man origin stories and plays them from the POV of Mary Jane Watson.  It’s fun PG comics that anyone can read.  (Ed. Note: Sadly the SLCPL only has two vol. of this series, but since each volume is a one-and-down self-contained story, it really doesn’t matter. Again this is available cheap and well worth it.)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-Alan Moore won’t ever admit it, but I genuinely think that he meant this to be a romantic comedy.  The banter between Miss Mina Murray and Allan Quartermain is magic.

The Rocketeer-Cliff Secord and his girlfriend Betty are such a wonderful homage of classic 30s serial characters.  It’s shocking to discover that they are Dave Stevens original creations.

Most of these are available at the SLCPL for check out.  Happy Valentines Day!

For our February Zine spotlight we are highlighting To Kevin, In Hopes of Losing Interest by local writer/filmmaker Whitney Borup.  It being nearly V-day and all this zine is an apt study on relationships, good and bad.  Borup pulls us along with a veracity that belies her repeated claims that the stories within are fiction.  Her romanticism is honest and hopeful while avoiding cliches.

This zine can be found in the Zine Collection at the Salt Lake City Main Library.

Whitney Borup is a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at the University of Utah. She earned an M.A. in Cinema Studies at San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Media Arts and Psychology at Brigham Young University. She studies early 20th-century American literature, aesthetics, horror, and the representation of children in popular culture.

“What a brick…” I laughed to myself as I flipped through Anomaly, one of the largest graphic novels I have ever seen (370 pages to be exact).  At first glance, I notice Anomaly is very reminiscent of Star Wars and Star Trek, which I dig.  So screw it, I thought.  This baby’s coming home with me.  Good decision!

Earth 2717.  The planet is dying and most of its population lives in space.  There are no longer individual nations or corporations, just the all powerful Conglomerate who cares more about profit then life and will use any force necessary to get it.  Jon, an Enforcer, joins Samantha, the daughter of a powerful Conglomerate executive, and her team on a suicidal peace mission to another world far far away.  Everyone who has every traveled there, was never heard from again…

Anomaly is an anomaly among graphic novels.  It’s one of the first graphic novels to create an interactive experience by combining print with a digital device, like your smart phone or tablet.  Download the free interactive app, aim it at a specific image or link in the book and watch video and 3D images jump right off the page.  It’s something you really have to experience.  You don’t need the app to enjoy Anomaly, but its really really cool and adds even more depth to this sci-fi epic.

Available for check-out.

I’ve been trying to branch out and read more non-fiction in graphic novels so I decided to pick up “The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afganistan With Doctors Without Borders” and “How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less.” Both of these books had the potential to be incredibly depressing and hopeless. To whit, the conflict between Israel and Palestine seems almost completely unsolvable, from just about any perspective, “The Photographer” takes place in the mid-80′s, during the war between the Soviets and the Mujahadeen, we all know how that turned out. The books both take place in the Middle East and are viewed by outsiders who don’t entirely understand the language and the culture of the countries they are visiting and the narrators don’t have total autonomy, though for different reasons.

“The Photographer” is based on diaries, photographs and recollections by Didier Lefèvre, a French photo-journalist accompanying the humanatarian organization Doctors Without Borders. Most of the book chronicles the day-to-day work of the doctors, many of whom returned to Afganistan 2 or 3 times. For individuals like myself who are not familiar with the region or its culture, it was very illuminating to see the Muslim world depicted without any particular political bent. One of the genius aspects of this book is the incorporation of Didier’s photographs, which are often shown in sequence, not unlike film stock or comic panels. The interaction between the photos and Emmanuel Guibert’s (a close friend of Lefèvre’s who helped reconstruct the trip) art is fascinating and fairly unique in the world of comics. Beautiful, beautiful photography and from back in the olden times before digital cameras were around.

“How To Understand Israel In 60 Days or Less” by Sarah Glidden is a horse of a different color. Glidden, the writer, illustrator and narrator is travelling to Israel on an all-expense-paid Birthright Tour that all Jewish people are eligible for (once they pass a thorough background check, as illustrated towards the beginning of the book) to try see if her understanding of “the situation” between Israel and the Occupied Territories is accurate. Through the course of the tour she becomes more confused and upset, trying to cling to her “the Birthright is trying to brainwash me into thinking that Israel is in the right and Palestine is in the wrong” narrative. It is satisfying to not have Glidden come down definitively for or against Israel’s occupation at the end. Be warned, both these graphic novels are fairly long and contain a good amount of history and culture. Not easy reads, but very good ones.

These are both available at the SLCPL for check out here and here.

I recently picked up and re-read Craig Thompson’s memoir opus Blankets one evening.  At 600 pages it’s a bit of a doorstop, however the pages flew by.  I had read it for the first time about 8 years ago, and felt that a re-read might yield a different reaction.  To be honest life events have not been so awesome in the last little while and I wasn’t sure whether this bitter sweet tale might rip open a new hole inside my soul.  Gratefully it didn’t.

This seminal autobiographical graphic novel is an incredibly apt choice for this time of year.  Obviously due to the fact that the key events of the story take place during winter time in Michigan and Wisconsin respectively.  (Seriously anyone who complains about winter time here in the west should go to Michigan where they would laugh in your face…) However, also I think it’s because in winter-time we cocoon ourselves in order to maintain any precious amount of heat that we can.  In Blankets I found that Thompson brings to the page the warmth of nostalgia when looking back on his romance with Raina.  You can almost feel it emanating from the page as you read.

Another storyteller might look upon this story with anger and bitterness but Craig takes a more agnostic approach. While he may not understand everything that happened in his childhood, he clearly believes that it has led him to become the man he is.  And that man isn’t perfect but he is content, no longer a searcher.  No longer restless or conflicted. There’s solace in that at least, especially in the cold hand that fate can often deal us.

This is but one aspect of this story, trust me I could go on for (web) pages, but I’ll just urge you to check it out.  It’s worth the heft.

Check it out here at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

Somehow I had a reason to care by Sean Black is this month’s zine spotlight. This slight zine contains a multitude of emotions as a young man deals with the death of his father. This sounds like heavy stuff but Black is able with subtle humor to turn this story into a delight.  This tale of mid-twenties emotional desperation has an authentic quality that reminds one of John Green or Sherwood Anderson.

This zine along with many other zines can be found and checked out in the Zine Collection at the Main Library.

Slow Clap.

I tend to pick up a series after its been compiled into a graphic novel or when the Library adds them to it’s massive collection.  The up-side, it’s free.  The downside, I chance missing out on a really great series.  In this case, the series was John Rozum‘s Xombi.  In almost 30 years of reading comics, I can honestly say Xombi is one of the most uniquely bizarre, pleasurable reading experiences I’ve had in comics.  Xombi is up there with the weirdest of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison!

Puns, nuns with guns, killer snow angels, secret cults, a floating magical skull fortress, religious superheros, talking coins…ahhhaha my mind!  Join David Kim, Nun of the Above, Nun the Less and Catholic Girl,on an epic horror adventure!

Available for check-out!

Of course they are all available for check out at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

For a link straight to the catalog just click on the pic above.

Recently I re-read Pax Romana and discussed it with a group of friends. I had read it a few years ago back when it was originally released, the rest of the group were first time readers.  Having had a few years to digest the story and go over it’s complexities, I have found it to be a real fascinating read. It made me think about the impact of technology and sociological engineering.  There is also time travel, which is always awesome.  Of course Hickman is not for the weak, he wants you to re-read and think about what he’s discussing.  If this kind of intellectual comic appeals to you then I strongly suggest checking it out.

You can check out Pax Romana at the SLCPL here.More of Jonathan Hickman’s work can also be found here.

Earlier Last month, I was going through one of my “can’t find any good comics to read” fits when Comic Guru To The Stars (and slcplaltpress contributor) Rachel Getts handed me this colorful graphic novel with some bad ass looking sushi chef on the front cover.  ”Read this.” she said, and I did and it changed my life…or at least the way I feel about food culture, foodies and how hypocritical they can be.

Available for check-out!  Also enjoy the interview below with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, author of Get Jiro!

In the last few years it has been a ridiculous tragedy that Warner Bros.  cannot figure out how to make these DC superheroes as great as they are on the page.  Except for Batman, they just can’t seem to pull it together.  Well I certainly hope that this is it.  Because I want kids today to experience what I did when I first saw Christopher Reeve catch that helicopter.

Here’s the trailer if you haven’t already seen it. Enjoy.

I just finished Rick Remender‘s Uncanny X-Force:  The Dark Angel Saga and OMG its a wild ride!  I’m convinced this is the best thing to come out of Marvel in a long time. Seriously put down what ever you’re reading at the moment and give Uncanny X-Force a try.  Never before has Marvel assembled a more bad ass entertaining group of psychotic killers who do a very poor job disguising themselves as superheros.  I’m not saying anything else and chance spoiling it for you…I mean look!  Deathlok just went Ted Bundy on a bad guy!

Also just a heads up for X-Force fans, according to IGN, Marvel has plans to release two more X-Force series including a new Uncanny X-Force run by Sam Humphries and Ron Garney…

-Strange

She was one of our own, but now she has moved on to greener pastures.  So for the  month of December we are spotlighting this delightful zine from Sarah Custen.  It was created as a holiday gift but also chronicles her life and travails.  You can also read more from Sarah over at her blog Little Sarah Big World.  She also plays music in public from time to time.

This zine along with many other zines can be found and checked out in the Zine Collection at the Main Library.

Recently coming home from a trip I took the opportunity to re-read Astro City written by Kurt Busiek.  This is an original series, but the characters are clearly steeped in those comic archetypes that we all know and love.  It’s so apparent that Good Samiritan is based on Superman; Winged Victory a more feminist Wonder Woman.  These are not simply retreads though.  Each issue demonstrates a spin on these characters that brings a more human aspect to their existence.  Rather than go the Frank Miller route, Busiek chooses keep the series relatively light and hopeful.  This is also helped by the wonderful art of Alex Ross and Brent Anderson.  Personally, I like Ross’s use of poses and iconography to indicate the statuesque awe which these heroes are granted by the non-powered residents of the city that they protect.  I highly recommend checking this series out.

It is available for checkout at the SLCPL here.

Also check out other works by Kurt Busiek here.

Check out more of the work of Alex Ross here.

For those of us in the US today is Thanksgiving! (Or as I refer to it…Pie-giving, because really that’s all I want.) However we wanted to post a little note saying THANK YOU.  We are so grateful to you who take a look at our little blog here.  It reminds us that the world can be awesome.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! or if you are not in the USA, then HAPPY THURSDAY!

I love Jeffrey Brown.  Typically he’s known for writing angsty, relationship books about the women that he’s lost.  But lately he’s been changing it up a bit.  His book Darth Vader and Son started out as a web comic, written and drawn by Brown over the course of a year.  This comic is typically single panel and hilarious.  It works off the premise of Darth Vader as a single dad to a young Luke Skywalker. Their interactions serve as a reminder that we don’t always have to be so serious about our iconic characters.  The hardcover is a quick read but a wholesome delight that you can share with all ages.  Highly recommend.

Darth Vader and Son is available at the Salt Lake City Public Library here.

You can also find more of Jeffrey Brown’s delightful work here.

Written and illustrated by manga legend Shigeru Mizuki back in 1973, this book is the mostly autobiographical account of a detachment of Japanese soldiers attempting to occupy New Britain (Papau New Guinea) near the end of the second World War.  The protagonist, Maruyama, is a version of Mizuki who lost one of his arms fighting a hopeless and meaningless last stand against the Americans.  Deals with many of the same themes that Will Eisner addressed in his Vietnam comics and in Full Metal Jacket, though with considerably less detachment than a characteristic Kubrick film.  For more information on the book, there’s an excellent review at The Comics Journal: http://www.tcj.com/reviews/onward-towards-our-noble-deaths/

Available for check-out.

With Election Day right around the corner (GO Vote!), we are spotlighting this local zine which features political activism.  This is the transcontinental daily journal of Maggie Giles, who set off to Washington DC on 4/15/02 from Salt Lake City, Utah to participate in the A-20 Demonstrations for Peace.

Learn more about these demonstrations here.

This zine along with many other zines can be found and checked out in the Zine Collection at the Main Library.