I’m happy to share four new reviews of NMSD-18 (the pet issue) with you from Xerography Debt!
“Rolling out of my review stack was a copy of Delaine Derry Green’s latest issue of Not My Small Diary, proving once again our kind editor does know each of our passions! Gone are the days of the hand-assembled, hand stitched, 2-volume NMSD packs of yesteryear, the latest issue pulls out all the stops! This publication is a sweet, perfect-bound pack of pure comics pleasure in 148 pages. In issue #18 of NMSD Delaine gathers together nearly 60 of the best mini- and indy comics creators to jam on a single idea. Billed as “The Pet Issue”, this thing is packed with some of the most touching comics and stories I’ve ever seen collected between two covers. Yes, there are some heartbreakers, of course, but there are also lots of fun, loveable, and quirky pets to meet as well. We get dogs and cats, yes, and also rats, guinea pigs, fish, chameleons, crickets, snakes, birds, hamsters, and even a toad! As for the artists participating, favorites of mine include Campos, Porcellino, Siergey, Goldfarb, Kraiger, Gregory, Motley, Traffic, Zervakis, Froh, Woody, Clotfelter, Foster, Kirby, Fields, Yost, Green, and McNinch. Of course there are many others stretching across all comics styles. All high quality work – no filler in this one. Delaine has completely killed it with this issue of NMSD, how will she ever top this one? Truly one of my favorite comics collections of the year. And in my mind an absolute steal at $5 + $3 S/H. A must have.” – Anne Thalheimer
“As always, NMSD delivers. But the more that I study it, what’s curious about it is that it’s a hybrid. It’s not sure if it’s a zine or a book. It’s not sure if it’s a community project or a commercial one. It’s not sure if it’s about vanity or exposure for the artists. Of course, none of that really matters if the writing is good, which it is. It’s intimate like a good zine, and amateur art only serves to increase the credibility and meaningfulness of the work. When people write about meaningful pets in their lives, you feel their tears. When Ayun Halliday puts a snake into an oven because she’s trying to bring it back to life, I’ve never felt so invested in a snake that I’ve never met. When it survives, I cheered out loud. When Ben Snakepit’s childhood dog dies, I cried with him. Perhaps this is the real value of anthologies like this: You can truly share not only in the creative energy but in the actual, raw emotions of each creator.” – Joe Biel
“Delaine produces a real gem each time she puts these things together: a professional-quality book that still retains the look and feel of a zine. Fifty-six+ talented artists/writers offered their comix-like contributions to this issue with the theme of ‘pets.’ There are stories about dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chameleons, snakes, birds, rats… just about anything that can provide companionship or entertainment for their owners. There are tales that celebrate the acquisition of pets, the antics that they indulge in, and tributes to those who have passed on. Ben Snakepit writes about Buster, a dog that his family had to give away when they moved into a new house that didn’t allow pets. Although the new house was three blocks away from the family that had taken the dog in, and across a major highway, Buster dug under a fence and somehow followed Ben’s family’s scent, showing up at their front door a few days later. Much of the artwork from the contributors is very impressive; of course, I wish I could draw as well as even the least talented of the bunch. I was especially impressed with the handiwork of Martin Jaepelt of Brazil; Chad Woody (whose work resembles that of the legendary Robert Crumb’s); James Burns; and my favorite, Brad Foster (whose work is regularly found in Robert Jennings’ zine ‘Fadeaway).” – Ken Bausert
“Delaine is back with yet another amazing issue of the long-running NMSD. This is ‘The Pet Issue’ and it features the work of 57 artists and zine publishers. Each one weighs in with their true tales of the highs and lows of pet ownership. There is some hilarious stuff in here and, as you can imagine, some real tearjerker moments as well. Not only is the artwork of very high quality, but the printing – it has a great full color cover – and the binding are top notch too. And the price… are you kidding me? Only $5? Are you still reading this? You should be ordering this right now. Why are you still reading this?” – Kris Mininger