ComicBitsOnline.com

And that statement is not legally binding,of course.

SHAVINGS 

A5 [Digest]32pp,black and whiteWant a description? Try:  

“…pages of comics, illustrations, reviews, articles, computer-game humour, crafts, edgy celebrity satire and much more, created by nine artists/webcomickers/writers/general weirdos, and edited by Gunn…Rhiannon Gunn.”If you’d like a copy, it’s £2 including P&P in the

Paypal to rhiannon.gunn@gmail.com, questions to shavings.zine@gmail.comImportant info out the way and now –the review!!

LOVED the cover…until I realised it was the back cover! Darn. To show the state of my mind at the time:I stared at the front cover for ages -several times!  “What is it?” I kept asking myself. I later mentioned it to “Biscuits” Brown The Garibaldi Garrotter who replied:”A pencil shaving”

My head hit the table but I’m used to concussion by now.

OF COURSE IT’S A PENCIL SHAVING UNLESS YOU HAVE AN ELDERLY BRAIN!!!

Sigh.

“A Brief Introduction To The Characters Involved In This Publication” was nice. A bio of Darron Rolf Travers [Doc N] Northall -very accurate.  “Biscuits” -very,very accurate.  Oh! One of myself. What a surprise. What scurrilous lies!!!  And even one on Editor Rhiannon [”Our Lady Of The Tight Shoes”] Gunn.

One complaint:EVERYONE should sign their work! Who produced “Dress Up And Play Alice”? You can enlarge this onto card and cut out and dress the cute Panda -a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt included [but with those shoes? I think not]. Perhaps a Goth outfit? Maybe a rather saucy little— herm.

Let’s get onto the very famous people in this first sensational,life-changing zine. Well,there’s ME! I dribble fabulosusness [no,that is not a lung condition].  A look at the Golden Age of the British Small Press by…ME!! Why was it “The Golden Age”? Because I was there!  I also contribute a little masterwork -”It’s A Worm’s Life” –exclusively to Shavings [can I have my John Barrowman poster back now,please?]

ooh,I’m just so good. But let’s get on to the little people involved,shall we?

Paul “Biscuits” Brown offers us some of his scratchy scrawlings of every day folk [he can only really draw Vultures in trench coats,you know]. I’m thinking of suing him,you know.  A couple of his “Human Odditties”[sic] I am sure are meant to be me.

Doc N. Doesn’t talk about himself oddly. Instead,he goes on a blasphemic attempt to deride the Sacred Works. Just read “The Unseen “Carry On” [part 1] -okay,Carry On England and what followed was bilge but the Sacred Works before that!!  “Carry On Death Wish”??

erm.

“Bobbity:A Soft Toy In A World Of Action Figures” I loved and,again,a chance of your own cut-out Bobbity figure!!  Red,Blue or green hair…hmm?

Ooh-ooh-ooh,Sarge!! I got it!! “Planet Of The Bobbities” –you simply copy off loads of Bobbity but colour each one for….ooh,playing!!  A “Super Bobbity”,a “Bizarro Bobbity”! A..a…a….hang on. Breath slowly….slowly…ah,better.  A new world just opened up for me. Forget “Kirby’s

That old creative spark that got me to where I am today is still there.     

Oh.

A cute and no doubt accurately portrayed [fake] screenshot of a new game…well..in someone’s young mind maybe. must remember to pinch some of those monsters.

There was a rather philosophical piece entitled “An Insight Into The Underworld”. I read this.  Mulled it over. Pondered it several more times.  It seems true:Hell is fluffy. I suspect a certain Mzzzz Gunn of being responsible here. Hell..is…fluffy. But what,then,is Heaven??

We need an answer to this!!

I was a little unsure about some of the text pieces but what the fluffy Hell! 

This was Gunn’s [how cool is that name?] first attempt at putting together a zine and what is more,rather than get people she knew locally to contribute,Rhiannon went further afield and got the mentally ill involved in the shape of “The Gang Of Three” [Brown,Northall and,er,me]. For a first effort this is quite good and,if I may adopt my “Miss Whiplash” persona for a moment,I do need to chastise this new editor:WHY wasn’t there more of your own work,Young Miss? Hmm?  I think “An Insight Into The Underworld” proves you are quite capable –and no excuses about tight shoes!

If you have a choice between buying Browner Knowle 3 or Shavings 1 –go for Shavings!! [Old Biscuits only spends any money made on hard tack].