Review of Gag Me With A...by the Rotherham Zine Library

[Deirdree Prudence]

Hailing from Long Beach, California, Gag Me With A . . . is a pic’n'mix of counter-culture, essays, collage, photos, poetry and music. Featuring a roll call of far-flung contributors, the result is a colourful miscellany of topics. There are musings on Cab Calloway’s hair, comic strips, an intrepid account of cycling around the world and some short fiction pieces — my favourite being ‘Crispin, Prudie & The Flamingos’ which is like Mills & Boon penned by the Angel of Death. Memorably, Issue One also features an essay on Kappa: Japanese water nymphs who suck the life out of their victims. I could tell you exactly how they go about this, but it’ll put you off your kappamaki. Which, incidentally, you’ll find a recipe for on the next page.