L.A. Zine Fest: Shia LaBeouf Is a Dick and Four Other Things We Learned

By Siran Babayan Mon., Feb. 20 2012 at 1:45 PM

The world is becoming increasingly paperless, but don't tell that to the paper peddlers at last Sunday's inaugural L.A. Zine Fest, who proved that if you can doodle something clever, copy, staple and distribute -- voila -- you've got a zine.

Nearly 90 DYI-ers from Gardena to Portland gathered to sell and trade their comics, drawings and stories at downtown's the Last Bookstore, at an event that also included workshops and panel discussions led by Meltdown Comics, Machine Project and Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go, in addition to a talk with Henry Rollins and publisher V. Vale.

The zine East Village Inky

There was something for everyone, from Silver Lake mainstay Secret Headquarters to Tom Neely and and Scot Nobles of Igloo Tornado, creators of the now-ubiquitous Henry & Glenn Forever gay spoof comic book, which, we were pleased to learn, has a new edition. Here are a few other things we learned while perusing with the unwashed hipsters.

5. Female angst makes the world go 'round
Whether it was Sheika Lugtu of OMGCow's cute comic diary or illustrator Mari Naomi's graphic novel Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22, there's never a shortage of young, lonely and funny chicks. Naomi's series of sketches were published by Harper Perennial and even got a plug from Armistaed Maupin.

James the Stanton of Gnartoons

4. Cassette radios and typewriters may be making a comeback.
No, they're not equipped for social media, but everything old is new again in the hipster world.

The Doktor Is In

3. The wackier the title...
Couldn't decide which of these was funniest: The Doktor Is In's Marry Me, Michael Showalter; Adam Villacin's Famous Skinheads and Dead Wrestlers; or J.T. Steiny's Porniture, a book of drawings about furniture simulating sex, which gives new meaning to the word woodie.

Henry Rollins, right, with V. Vale

2. Zines helped invent heavy metal
Henry Rollins interviewed S.F. writer-editor V. Vale, who recounted starting his late-'70s punk zine Search and Destroy with loans from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti before creating RE/Search Publishing. Vale also was a founding member of an early incarnation of the late-'60s blues-rock band Blue Cheer, whose cover of "Summertime Blues" is widely considered the first metal song.

1. Shia LaBeouf is a dick
Before seeing him inside, we spotted the actor outside, sitting with his girlfriend on the sidewalk along Fifth Street. When an MTA bus stopped and pulled up a little too close in front of LaBeouf, he shouted at the driver, "Why don't you run over me, you fuckin' asshole?" Fighting words for a pint-size fella.

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Location Info

Venue

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The Last Bookstore

453 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA

Category: Music

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comic books, zines

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Angie

I don't think that comment alone makes Shia a dick. I've had to swerve multiple times to avoid being swiped or run into by LA bus drivers. Anyway, the zine fest was crazy. Glad I went. Super proud of everyone involved.

Theo Adam

Whoever wrote this is a dick.

Isaac

This is such a neurotic read. The event was really inspiring and clearly a lot of work went into it. How can you trash talk something like this? I don't really get it. The author's overuse of the word "hipster", used pejoratively, is lazy and tacky.

This even ruled. Don't believe the hype.

Johannes Bugliens

Maybe I'm just insensitive, but this article reads to me as being pretty positive about the LA Zinefest. I'm not seeing where they're making fun of anyone, except I guess, of Shia (who I personally think is pretty cool, actually).

Elisa H

Agreed - this does a pretty poor job of summing up the event. More credit is due to the dedicated organizers, volunteers, artists, writers and panelists.

Someone gave a pretty good definition of "hipster" that seems to apply for this article's author: "anyone under the age of 35 I feel threatened by."

Mari Naomi

Thank you for the mention. The LA Zine Fest was an amazingly well-orchestrated event full of so many brilliant, creative, passionate people. I hope I can go again next year!

Claire Palermo

"Female angst" and stupid hipster jokes? Really? That's all you can think of to say about an event that hundreds of brilliant creative people put countless hours and months of work into setting up, that was completely community-funded and supported, that represented an incredible range of art, music, writing and printing? Events like this are gems in an age of corporate hegemony and mindless mass entertainment. Siran Babayan and L.A. Weekly, you can both take your sexist, weak attempts at wit and shove it.