Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines

by Branden W. Joseph, ew Sawyer

The first publication dedicated to artists' zines in North America, a revelatory exploration of an unexamined but thriving aesthetic practice Copy Machine Manifestos captures the rich history of artists' zines as never before, placing them in the lineage of the visual arts and exploring their vibrant growth over the past five decades. Fully illustrated with hundreds of zine covers and interiors, alongside work in other media, such as painting, photography, film, video, and performance, the book also features brief biographies for more than 100 zine-makers including Beverly Buchanan, Mark Gonzales, G.B. Jones, Miranda July, Bruce LaBruce, Terence Koh, LTTR, Ari Marcopoulos, Mark Morrisroe, Raymond Pettibon, Brontez Purnell, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and Kandis Williams. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, this expansive book, bound as a paperback with a separate jacket, focuses on zines from North America, celebrating how artists have harnessed the medium's essential role in community building and transforming material and conceptual approaches to making art across all media since 1970. 

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2024

Reviews

[Zoe Elrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

big ol’ recommendation for anyone who’s a fan of or involved in zine culture. And if you’re not, this is a good (although robust) introduction! It’s definitely a dense read at times, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. it’s one of those books you can approach like a textbook, picking through it section by section depending on your interests.

There are chapters that dive into everything from “post-pop punk art” to “queer zines as queer theory,” so no matter your angle, DIY publishing, identity, politics, or art, (or finding out what the hell a zine even is) there’s likely something in here for you. The book gives great context to the evolution of zine-making, tracing it from the early Xerox days through movements like Riot Grrrl and beyond, highlighting how zines have long been tied to accessibility, resistance, and creative self-expression.

Super interesting and very browseable for little ole zine makers like me and everyone zine-curious.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have really liked to see the show this catalogue documents, but I guess this is the next best thing. I suspect for a lot of people who know about zines - they won't be able to resist bringing up zines that aren't mentioned. For me the big omissions were Circulaire 132 and Node Pajomo. I may be mistaken, but I don't recall Factsheet Five getting a mention either. I really liked that there were lots of pictures of all kinds of zines(for me, this alone, makes it worth having). The essays were a mixed bag for me. While the essay on mail art was pretty good, it barely scratched the surface. I'd preferred less Kathleen Hanna and Miranda July and more discussion of other zines/zine makers (and I'm still not sure how I feel about Miranda having an intern work on her zine). I wish there would have been an essay dedicated to the various forms zines take and thoughts on when a zine is no longer a zine. Also I'd liked to have seen more discussion linking the various zine scenes - who was aware of who - and how art history influenced their work and less by people that were mainly just in a band(I realize this can get pretty murky pretty quickly). The section on zines in Mexico was particularly interesting. Wish that section was even larger than it is. I'm a little puzzled why there's no index. The simple artist bios were nice, but I would have preferred a proper index where I could see where something was mentioned.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.75/10

[Marinafasss · Rating 4 out of 5]

molt xulu, las imágenes son fantásticas + me irá genial para el TFG + gràcies raül i gemma <3

[Joana Diniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concerning only zines made in USA, I must say this is a good book. It covers zines about queer, gay, feminists issues, skateboarding and punk music, among other matters.