Just a sidenote before I begin. Violet, this zine's editor/writer, is prolific. Very. She writes/edits Vista, Bent, Remorsecodeblues and Queen of the Kangaroos. And she has an incredibly cool stapler. I mention this because in RCB #18, page 15, there is a handwritten ode to said stapler, including pictures of the thing and of her girlfriend adoring it.

And for the record? No, it is not a phallic substitute.

That said, RCB #18 is a collaborative effort. There are writings by varied contributors about everything from being an introvert to a dramatic queer story written as a screenplay. There's poetry, incoming e-mails (where a contributor is forbidden by her parents to read RCB anymore, no less), and quotations from famous and not-so-famous people. The artwork is stunning and quite prominent. There's a photocollage of T&A, etchings and what look like carvings or lino prints, digitally altered photos, and several renderings by the editor herself.

You wouldn't think, from the nondescript blue cover and its photocopied doll picture (which honestly, isn't very good), that the inside content would be very good. It's deceiving, though -- this zine is one that is already becoming dog-eared from re-reading, and just the etching art from Sarah Pratt is enough to make the offering worth the buck cover price. The fact that there's more than just eye candy makes it a pretty good deal, even. For copies, send $1 plus three stamps to Swoon Presses, PMB #17A, 12541A S. Western Ave., Blue Island, IL 60406.

One note to anyone who has ordered this zine in the past: "The Stainless Steel Space Patrol," a comic feature of previous issues, does not appear inside anymore. It is a separate offering for just the cost of a stamp, due to the fact that it has taken a turn and gotten a little explicit for the zine itself. Anyone who subscribes to RCB will automatically receive it for free.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]