A brief history of zines
Zines have been a big part of underground, alternative culture since the early 1980s. Before diving into the history of zine-making and culture, it is important to define what a zine actually is. Zines can be described as non-professional, non-commercial, small-circulation magazines, which the creators produce, publish, and distribute by themselves. In the past, as noted in the definition, zines were not made with the intent to make a profit. With this information in mind, let’s get into the history of zines.
The first zine to ever be created and published was made in the 1930s, and was titled “the Comet.” This zine was focused on science fiction, and the term for this type of media was first referred to as a “fanzine.” The term “fanzine” refers to fans of a subject who self-publish fictional stories or critical commentary, specifically science fiction.
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Some decades later, in the 1970s, these “fanzines” gained traction within the punk rock community. Members of the punk rock community were largely ignored by mainstream media and the press, so they took matters into their own hands and started creating zines about the music scene and culture. In the 1980s, “fanzines” were becoming even more popular, and covered topics ranging from science to music to politics. Since the topics started stemming beyond fans of science and punk rock, the “fan” part of the word was dropped and the culture of “zines” became more fully developed.
The culture surrounding zines was built upon disdain for capitalism and consumerism. Many zines were focused on discussing their opinion on the political climate at the time. These small, localized publications were made without money or personal recognition/praise in mind. The creator's purpose was to connect to others through their writing, specifically targeted at like-minded misfits, and those belonging to the alternative culture. Zines, historically, fully embodied the DIY aesthetic. They were crafted, collaged, copied, and assembled in suburban areas, small towns, and big cities.
There is no wrong way to make a zine. Zines can be disorganized, typed, drawn, poorly crafted, etc. They can also be well thought out and put together. They can be produced and published by only one person, or a team of people. Zine culture today is still alive and well, though somewhat different from its original form. Today, artists, writers, and creatives make zines (sometimes) intending to sell them for more than just material costs and postage if being distributed via the mail. Selling a zine for profit goes against what they were originally intended for, which has caused some tension within zine culture. Personally, I think it is fine to sell zines, as they can be great works of art, and important sources of good information. As they are still largely based on the aspect of DIY and putting it together yourself, they usually don’t cost that much. Most zines do not cost more than $5, so it doesn’t bother me when I have to pay for them.
Zines have been a fun and crucial part of my identity as an artist, as I have consumed many good art zines, and made a few of my own. Though zines can be hard to find, there are a handful of places that sell and preserve zines. In Oregon, where I am currently living and based out of, I have been able to find zines at a few places. Dudley’s bookstore in Bend, OR., as well as Books With Pictures right here in Eugene. There are also zine libraries online, where you can read and download PDFs of zines. Some online bookstores sell zines, like atomicbooks.com. In the past, at the University of Oregon, there have been zine fests, where creatives have a chance to table and sell/trade their zines. With COVID the zine fest was unable to happen in 2020 and 2021, hopefully, it will return shortly. There are many constructs in place keeping zine culture alive, you just have to know where to look and how to find it.
Most of my knowledge about the history of zines came from Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture by Stephen Duncombe. If you want to learn more about zines or alternative culture in general, this is a great resource.
