Contemporary in-store comic zines

Village Books

I decided to put my comic book zine design into further context by looking at comic zines in person; this would further allow me to gather inspiration from existing work to inform my own final outcome.  These primary images were taken in Village Books, which is a focal point for contemporary publications in Leeds. 

The Happy Sailor by Josh Wayles is a play on the Simpsons and traditional tattoo art, using illustrations to create a hybrid zine of illustrative styles. I really like how the zine explores the Simpsons, and puts a twist on the original cartoon, as it links to my concept of drawing the Garfield minus Garfield comic in a more exclusive style. 

The store had a section dedicated to independent zines, which links back to the idea of the zine revival in my second essay.

This zine played with the Simpsons cartoon style, yet in a plasticine form, which was nice in adding a playful sense of voice; the plasticine in a sense, provided a 3D element to the zine, which made it more immersive. I could possibly try this to create a more immersive user experience in my own design?

I found the process of looking into the atmosphere of a independent publication shop really helpful in allowing me learn the demographics and potential audiences for my comic zine; it is a very niche market, but even the merchandising of Village Books itself was very exclusive and intimate.