Subvert: Issue #1 by Selby P.: I love reading overtly political zines, and Subvert certainly is that. The subtitle of this issue is: “It’s time to take a stand against censorship.” And the zine as a whole is a direct response to the second Trump administration’s assault on free speech rights in the U.S. I like a lot of the aesthetic choices Selby makes here: The black-and-white approach feels old-school punk and the monospaced, typewriter-adjacent font is a great touch. The style fits the substance!
Content-wise, Subvert feels mostly like an exercise in political education. It wants people to wake up and think about what censorship is, and it encourages its readers to push back against the suppression of speech in whatever way they can. And one of those ways is by making zines! The final few pages include a practical guide to making “yer own zine,” as Selby puts it. Hopefully, readers will take their advice, as physical, printed zines are a useful way to subvert (hey! that’s the title!) the ugly, repressive, dystopian nightmare that is most of the modern internet.
Selby also shared the following message when they sent me their zine to review:
“I’m always up for trades! If you want to trade zines, please message me via Discord (@SelbyP) or Reddit (u/Obsessed-with-zines). If you can’t/aren’t comfortable trading zines, I’ll send any of my 3 minizines to you for free!”
Sounds like a great deal to me!
Here’s a link to buy Subvert: Issue #1 (and Selby’s other zines) online: selbysstudio.etsy.com
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