I feel it necessary to reiterate here something that most readers probably already know: I'm lazy. If I have to work too hard to read a zine, no matter how wonderful the content is therein, I'm probably going to skip it and go watch cartoons. I'm sorry. I'm sure that shatters your collective image of the zine-reviewer-as-faux-postal-worker, but there it is.

Given that fact, I had a really hard time with Way Down Low. Not because it was awful, by any stretch of the imagination, but because it was all meticulously hand-written in tiny little script that made it hard (if not downright impossible in places, especially for those with questionable eyesight who refuse to admit it and just get glasses already...) to decipher just what this person was trying to say. If you aren't among the lazy or the blind, however, what you'll find in this zine is a charming, sometimes poignant mix of personal observations and political opinions, mixed with a wonderful collection of black-on-white line drawings.

This issue hits a large range of topics, and still manages to maintain a cohesive feel -- the style remains the same, despite the disparate topics. From personal issues like insomnia and depression to the very global 9-11 tragedy (for which the author was in NYC), the information is presented in a personable way.

If this zine was typed or otherwise printed in a larger font, I'd be all over it. As it is, it gives me a headache when I try to re-read it, and it causes me a lot of stress. It's fabulous writing, but I just can't decipher it. It's like being starving at a buffet where all the food looks wonderful, but it's under glass.

I'd gladly buy the next issues, if they're made more easily readable. You can check it out by sending $1 and 3 stamps to P.O. Box 40821, Portland, OR 97240.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]
Rambles: 19 April 2002