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