Help me zine.
September 28, 2013 7:25 AM Subscribe
I'm planning to make a set of fanzines for an upcoming zinefest. I've done this once before (made zines for Doctor Who, Pushing Daisies, Discworld and Les Mis) and was very happy with the results. Now I need to pick fandoms for the next set, and I'm paralyzed with indecision.
There are about ten fandoms I'd be willing to choose from (and I keep coming up with more!) but I need to narrow it down to four or five, realistically. I'd love to get the hive mind's opinion on which zines they'd like to see.
Currently under consideration: Buffy, Harry Potter, Avatar: the Last Airbender, the X-Files, Firefly, Pacific Rim, Star Trek, and the Young Wizards books.
I would like to have at least one smaller fandom represented. If there's anything not on this list that you think would make a great zine, I'd love to hear it. If you can think of any really great titles for potential zines, that would help a lot too.
The finished zines will be short, eclectic, and DIY, containing a mix of fanart, fic, meta, and micellanea. I had a great time making the last set, and got some amazing contributors to make some really cool stuff, so I'd like to maximize my chances of succeeding this time around. Thanks!
There are about ten fandoms I'd be willing to choose from (and I keep coming up with more!) but I need to narrow it down to four or five, realistically. I'd love to get the hive mind's opinion on which zines they'd like to see.
Currently under consideration: Buffy, Harry Potter, Avatar: the Last Airbender, the X-Files, Firefly, Pacific Rim, Star Trek, and the Young Wizards books.
I would like to have at least one smaller fandom represented. If there's anything not on this list that you think would make a great zine, I'd love to hear it. If you can think of any really great titles for potential zines, that would help a lot too.
The finished zines will be short, eclectic, and DIY, containing a mix of fanart, fic, meta, and micellanea. I had a great time making the last set, and got some amazing contributors to make some really cool stuff, so I'd like to maximize my chances of succeeding this time around. Thanks!
Since you've already done a musical, you might consider Rent. They've got a fan fiction site. Sizable following on Facebook. Fan art.
posted by brookeb at 8:18 AM on September 28, 2013
posted by brookeb at 8:18 AM on September 28, 2013
From your list, I love me some Old School (ie no new canon) fandom and I would pick Buffy, Harry Potter, X-Files and I guess Star Trek.
For smaller fandom suggestions, I would throw in Dead Like Me and the (original, Conan Doyle) Sherlock.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:48 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
For smaller fandom suggestions, I would throw in Dead Like Me and the (original, Conan Doyle) Sherlock.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:48 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Pacific Rim! It's new and upcoming with a huge, engaged, academically-oriented fanbase, if tumblr is to be believed. Aside from the main text, which hints at a larger world, that world is much developed in comics. I think it would make great zine fodder.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:50 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:50 AM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Nthing Pacific Rim. Most likely to be fresh and new to most people.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:05 AM on September 28, 2013
posted by Jacqueline at 9:05 AM on September 28, 2013
In the future, consider Battlestar Galactica, including Caprica. Something else that would be fun: Nancy Drew! Oh, and seconding Dead Like Me.
posted by limeonaire at 9:40 AM on September 28, 2013
posted by limeonaire at 9:40 AM on September 28, 2013
Pacific Rim. It's new and shiny and except for Young Wizards, there is already so much out there for the other fandoms on your list.
As for suggestions, I don't know, I would totally buy zines inspired by Granada Holmes or The Wire.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:19 AM on September 28, 2013
As for suggestions, I don't know, I would totally buy zines inspired by Granada Holmes or The Wire.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:19 AM on September 28, 2013
Yeah, Pacific Rim is an amazing playground right now, so that should be a definite. The only other ones I'd go for on your list are the Young Wizards series and Airbender, since that book series and that show offer a richer experience than most would expect. Airbender in particular has a TON of stuff you can talk about now that Legend of Korra's second season has started.
I wonder if you could get away with having a zine for a particular style and not a show/movie/book franchise... Like a "World of Tomorrow" zine that features art from classic sci-fi novels from the 40s 50s or 60s (space suit fashion show!), snippets of text from the weirder ones, essays about topics that are still relevant (or not). Or a "Big Damn Villains" one that's about bad guys that we love to watch, like John Simm as the Master, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and so on...
(Also your question has totally made me want to seek out a Discworld zine!)
posted by greenland at 10:21 AM on September 28, 2013
I wonder if you could get away with having a zine for a particular style and not a show/movie/book franchise... Like a "World of Tomorrow" zine that features art from classic sci-fi novels from the 40s 50s or 60s (space suit fashion show!), snippets of text from the weirder ones, essays about topics that are still relevant (or not). Or a "Big Damn Villains" one that's about bad guys that we love to watch, like John Simm as the Master, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and so on...
(Also your question has totally made me want to seek out a Discworld zine!)
posted by greenland at 10:21 AM on September 28, 2013
Response by poster: greenland, I do have PDFs of the existing zines linked from my tumblr-- same username as here.
I had been on the fence about Pacific Rim because its so new, but y'all are convincing me it's a good idea. Also starting to consider Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, and maybe one themed around early 90s Nickelodeon shows? Although there's already a very good Pete & Pete zine out there.
posted by nonasuch at 10:30 AM on September 28, 2013
I had been on the fence about Pacific Rim because its so new, but y'all are convincing me it's a good idea. Also starting to consider Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, and maybe one themed around early 90s Nickelodeon shows? Although there's already a very good Pete & Pete zine out there.
posted by nonasuch at 10:30 AM on September 28, 2013
Response by poster: (Also, should note that last time around I tried to make some zines that were a little more meta, and had a hard time rounding up contributors. The zine about how people found fandom was just big enough for quarter-size, and the zine about being in a fandom that treats you like an outsider (ie being female in comics or gaming) never got off the ground at all.)
posted by nonasuch at 10:32 AM on September 28, 2013
posted by nonasuch at 10:32 AM on September 28, 2013
I agree with Pacific Rim as the best option, because it's most unusual or of the moment. You asked for smaller fandom suggestions, and I suppose you could look at things with enough fans to work now but also having an upcoming release likely to increase the fan base or just remind everyone about it. Browsing movies 'coming soon,' there's Vampire Academy, 47 Ronin (loose inspiration), Guardians of the Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, Peregrine's Home for Peculiars (a.k.a.), Ant-Man, and my favorite Doctor Strange (e.g.).
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:57 AM on September 28, 2013
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:57 AM on September 28, 2013
Welcome to Night Vale! Its fans are pretty fervent and i think a zine would go over well.
posted by silverstatue at 12:15 PM on September 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by silverstatue at 12:15 PM on September 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
Hannibal. I mean come on.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:32 PM on September 28, 2013
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:32 PM on September 28, 2013
Oooooo. Monsieur Caution's suggestion of Assassin's Creed is enthralling. There is a metric fuckton of excellent fan art, too.
Title suggestions: if you do Sherlock I'd call it Red Pants Diaries. If you do Pacific Rim I'd call it Cancel the Apocalypse.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:52 PM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Title suggestions: if you do Sherlock I'd call it Red Pants Diaries. If you do Pacific Rim I'd call it Cancel the Apocalypse.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:52 PM on September 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am a huge Sherlock fan / Johnlock shipper and Red Pants Diaries is the best idea I have ever heard for a fanzine name EVER. I would probably send you cash and a SASE for that one.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:00 PM on October 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacqueline at 4:00 PM on October 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
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