The Undead Future of Fanzines

Vend-a-Zine machine in Toronto. Photo by Taral Wayne.

Vend-a-Zine machine in Toronto. Photo by Taral Wayne.

By Taral Wayne: Anything can be commercialized! I noticed this vending machine in the espresso joint on the corner, and knew I had to bring my camera next time! Not even Charlie Brown [of Locus] thought of this…

6 thoughts on “The Undead Future of Fanzines

  1. They look like they’re punk zines, but could also include mini-comics. The big fad for these was in the mid-1980s, and what surprises me is that they haven’t vanished entirely from the face of the Earth by now. But you would probably still see punk zines in used record shops … if I could think of where I’ve last seen a used record store. There must be some way to distribute them around clubs, too. Eric Mayer was one SF fan who went in for mini-comics in a big way, back when.

  2. Here, for a brief period, there were vending machines with movie tie ins, and for x amount of money, you could get a vacuum packed t shirt in a tube. I got a Godzilla shirt that way. . But it was the Matthew Broderick flick, not the more recent one.

  3. Zines (as opposed to fanzines) have been around and fairly popular for some time.

  4. Used record shops are making a comeback. The perversity of youth is such that I wouldn’t be surprised if zines of all stripes resurge–for a decade or so. Then back to the dustbin.

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