Almost twenty years ago I
started a little ‘zine, which later became a minicomic, called The
oBliVioSiteR. Over the five and a half years that I produced it (1995-2000) I
cranked out thirty two issues.
Looking back it’s really an impressive
amount of stuff… considering most “’zines” at the time rarely made it to issue
#2. ‘Zines were like the “blog”of the 1990’s.
To tell you the truth I had
never heard of the term “zine” when I first started and had NO IDEA how many
other kooks were out there doing the exact same thing. I was at the time going
back to school and was taking Studio Art at the University of Saskatchewan. I
was mostly painting, but wanted to find a more… I don’t know… “democratic”
means of expression and remembered a school newspaper I had tried to start up
in grade six that was mostly collage and doodles and the occasional attempt at
an article typed up on old manual typewriter, pasted up, and photocopies. The
first issues of the oBliVioSiteR was just that… but ruder… and the stuff I
typed up (on that same, ancient manual type-writer was more or less
stream-of-conscious nonsensical nattering about… whatever…
Most of it was utter crap… but I
have to say I produced a LOT of that crap. I wish I could be so productive now…
(There is a great article by
Danny
Gregory called
On
Making Shit which susinctly summariazed why I don’t look back on this
period as a complete and utter waste of time, and why I am in fact a little
envious of my former self)… but still… crap… produced by an young man trying to
be “edgy” (mostly be being nonsensical and occasionally rude).
If nothing else if eventually
got me drawing comics….
Also, around the time I
published the second or third issue I stumbled across a copy of the Factsheet 5
and discovered that there were many, many more kooks out there doing the exact
same thing. I started trading the oBliVioSiteR with all sorts of other ‘zine
and comic makers and made friends with some brilliant folks, some of whom I am
still friends with today… others I wish I knew where they ended up… regardless it was great to realize
there were other weirdoes out there in the world and I was not alone… it
probably kept me alive through the ‘90s.
The numbering system for the
first 22 issues used a sort of binary code…
oBliVioSiteR #00001 (#1), 1
January 1995, Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 4 pages
Mostly stream of conciousness
rambling, an article about a plot by the CIA to kill Lucien Bouchard, and
interviews with band members both fictional and not-so-fictional, some faux
classified ads and… good gracious…a poem!? Well, it was a start…
oBliVioSiteR #00010 (#2),
Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 8 pages
A stream-of-consciousness
“obliviositorial”, THE FIRST COMIC – JJ BMX Courier (he deserves his own blog
post at some point), and article from Christian Knudsen called “The Straight
Truth”, an article from “Big Mad John” (Burt) called “the Right Answer”, a
crossword, a movie quote quiz, other nattering…
oBliVioSiteR #00011 (#3), 15
February 1995, Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 8 pages
A stream-of-consciousness
“obliviositorial”, an entire page by Christian Knudsen (including and article
called “Why Cowboy” and “The Meaning of Life”, A day in the life of JJ BMX
Courier, some collage, a JJ BMX Courier paper dress-up doll, another faux band
interview, a reader survey, and a
couple pictures from my stay in Calgary the previous year.
oBliVioSiteR #00100 (#4), 67
Chaos 3161 (8 March 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 8 pages
Apparently I started using the
Discordian
Calendar on this issue. A stream-of-consciousness “obliviositorial”,
an article about the fun stuff I was getting in the mail (a hobby at the time
was sending away for all sorts of bizarre free stuff from… well… any one that
would send free stuff through the mail – mostly bizarre newsletters and
catalogues from bizarre religious types and wacky survivalists and goodness
knows what else), JJ BMX Courier comic, nonsensical “Things You Ought to Think
About Next Week”, an interview with
Shane
Neville who was, at the time, a fellow art student at the UofS and
publishing a ‘zine called “Oops I Hit a Moose”, Reader Survery Results,
doodles, collage pictures…
oBliVioSiteR #00101 (#5), 8
Discord 3161 (33 March 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 8 pages
Collage cover, stream-of-consciousness
“obliviositorial”, JJ BMX Courier comic, Witchcraft by Mail article (more
strange stuff I was getting in the mail), Vampires, an article from Christian
Knudsen called “Special Post-St. Paddy’s Day Special”, I Met A Martian Once,
other nonsense…
oBliVioSiteR #00110 (#6), 23
Discord 3161 (6 April 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 16 pages
A stream-of-consciousness
“obliviositorial”, JJ BMX Courier comic, “Fight Fight Fight” (and article about
attending a Campus Socialists meeting), “Kill Computers”, More weirdness in the
mail, Answers to the Movie Quote Quiz, “Weasels Among Us” by (“Big Mad”) John
Burt, a recipe for oBliVioSiteR’s Curried Rice and Potatoes, “Life on Puree” by
The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), “Shiny Side Out”, “Epistle to the Idiots”, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #00111 (#7), 50
Discord 3161 (3 May 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 24 pages
Obliviositorial, Letters, JJ BMX
Courier comic, “Life on Puree” and
collages by The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), more weirdness in the mail, spring
pictures, “Bad ‘80s Music”, “Accesorize Scottish Style”, “The Right Comment” by
(“Big Mad”) John Burt, a recipe for oBliVioSiteR’s Kraft Dinner & Veggie
Dog Casserole, reviews of other
’zines
oBliVioSiteR #01000 (#8), no
date, Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 16 pages
That top picture is me holding
the typewriter that most of the oBliVioSiteRs were typed on.
Obliviositorial, letters from
and reviews of other ‘zines, JJ BMX Courier comic (vs. Cthulhu), reviews of
bands and shows (including Furnace Face), The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), more
stream-of-consciousness ramblings and stories, “Paranoia” by Christian Knudsen,
a recipe for oBliVioSiteR’s Veggie Nachos, an interview with The Dalai Lamas
(local band)…
oBliVioSiteR #01001 (#9), 39
Confusion 3161 (4 July 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 20 pages
Obliviositorial, letters from
and reviews of other ‘zines, JJ BMX Courier comic, more weirdness in the mail, The
Blender (Meshon Cantrill), “More Paranoia… and A Call to Arms” and “Why The
Simpsons Could Be The Most Dangerous Show You Watch” by Christian Knudsen, a
recipe for oBliVioSiteR’s Omlette, (“Big Mad”) John Burt, a poem by Stephen
Micklewright, more stream-of-consciousness ramblings,
oBliVioSiteR #01010 (#10), no
date, Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 16 pages
Obliviositorial, letters from
and reviews of other ‘zines, JJ BMX Courier comic, more weirdness in the mail
(some now completely unsolicited – because of reviews in the Factsheet 5), (“Big
Mad”) John Burt, “Mr. Pumkinhead Stuffs It…Mr. Pumpkinhead Snuffs It”. “ I
Cheesefish” (more stream-of-consciousness ramblings), another poem by Stephen
Micklewright, “The Blenders Guide to Good Business” by The Blender (Meshon
Cantrill), a recipe for Hot Wings by (“Big Mad”) John Burt, still more
stream-of-consciousness ramblings …
oBliVioSiteR #01011 (#11), no
date (probably September 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 16 pages
Obliviositorial, (“Big Mad”)
John Burt, JJ BMX Courier comic vs Spasm (by guest artist
Shane
Neville), “Kinky ≠ Perverted” by da veeb (Brian Weibe), “Zombie Sex
Fiend” by The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), “Fear and Loathing in Dundrun, SK” by
Christian Knudsen,
a recipe for
Oatmeal Lace Cookie by Darisia Diduck, more weirdness in the mail, Amanda’s
Page, proofs of some of the smaller prints I was making in a printmaking class,
plugs for other ‘zines, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #01100 (#12), no
date (autumn 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 16 pages
Obliviositorial, JJ BMX Courier
comic, a recipe for oBliVioSiteR’s Scones, A bunch more comics – this is where
the ‘zine slowly started to turn into a comic – including the first installment
of “Eiffel Tower Trailer Park” and “Adventures in the Help Centre”, The Blender
(Meshon Cantrill), more stream-of-consciousness ramblings, plugs for other
‘zines, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #01101 (#13), no
date (late fall 1995), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 20 pages
The first of the non-sequitor,
comic oBliVioSitorials, JJ BMX Courier comic, Adventures in the Help Centre
comic, “Ode to Ben’s Feet” by (“Big Mad”) John Burt, a recipe for Brain
Fritters by My Cousin Kabbage (Mike Kozakavich), Eiffel Tower Trailer Park
comic, “The oBliVioSiteR writes a history paper or sleep deprivation can be
fun!” comic, The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), “Friday means Lunch at Louis’”
comic, other comics (including a jam comic with Shane Neville and Aaron… whose
last name I can’t remember… dammit…), an ad for the Camus Crusade for Cthulhu,
still more comics by Neil “The Bean” (Labine) and Charles Dumont, plugs for
other ‘zines, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #01110 (#14), January 1996, Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 24
pages
Back to the written
stream-of-consciousness obliviositorial, the rest is almost all comics now -
except for the “Interview with an Elder God” by the Kabbage (Mike Kozakavich),…
JJ BMX Courier (vs. the Men in Black) comic, comics about ordering pizza, and
making pizza, and working in the Student Help Centre, and going to see Shuberts
Mass in G, and sitting in the empty halls at exam time, and drunk guys
wandering up from the bar below our apartment and banging on our door looking
for drugs in the wee hours of the morning, comics by The Blender (Meshon
Cantrill), Adventures of Petit Paul comic by Charles Dumont , a jam comic with
Charles and Jasper Bintner, and a sci-fi comic called “Oblivion” by Duane
Russell (and my comic commentary on it…), plugs for other ‘zines, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #01111 (#15), no date (1996), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”),
20 pages
Obliviositorial, Again, all
comics except for “Interview with an Elder God Part Two” by the Kabbage (Mike
Kozakavich),… JJ BMX Courier (vs. the Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow), How
to make an Apple Pie, Eiffel Tower Trailer Park, Shitty Jobs That I Have Had:
Rent-a-Cop, Joe-Guy Rock Star Extraordinaire, The Wasp, Walking to the Detroit
Institute of Art, What Happens When You Base Comix on Personal Life
Experiences, a comic about a fight in the hallway of our apartment, dream
comics by The Blender (Meshon Cantrill), and a comic called “Catch the Boat” by
Robin Bougie,
plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #10000 (#16), no date (1996), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”),
20 pages
My attempt to make the cover
look like a 3-D cover… Pretty sure it doesn't work... but then I never actually tried looking at it with 3-D glasses...?
Obliviositorial, all comics… JJ
BMX Courier, the longest comic I’d don to date – 10 pages – “How the oBliVioSiteR
Met the Love of his Live!” (this was later reprinted as a 20-page minicomic
called “How Tim Met Amanda”), “Stuff that Happened to Me” by Jasper Bintner,
“Les Adventures de Petit Paul” by Charles Dumont, “One Day in Philosphy Class”
by Neil “The Bean” (Labine), “Why I love Tim” by Amanda Plante, “Randy Chaos:
My Hero” by Randy Chaos, plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #10001 (#17), no date (1996), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”),
20 pages
Obliviositorial, “True Army
Tales: RV 92 - Part 1 ‘Marching off to War’” – a comic about my experiences in
the Canadian Forces reserves, a comic about winning a snowboard, “Obliviositer:
Rent-a-Cop, Part 2”, a comic recipe for “the oBliVioSiteR’s Evil Peanut Butter
Chocolate Swirl Pie”a preview of
Robin
Bougie comic “Vincent”, “…Your Move” by Shawn Fehrenbach, plugs for
other ‘zines and minicomics, etc…
This was a real “turning point” issue
where I can look back and say – “yeah, my comics were actually getting pretty
good at that point” and I’m not so embarrassed to say “yeah, I did that”. Actually the one before this wasn't so bad either...
oBliVioSiteR #10010 (#18), no date (1996), Half-Legal (7”x8.5”),
20 pages
Obliviositorial, “True Army
Tales: RV 92 - Part 2 ‘Into the Fire’” – a comic about my experiences in the
Canadian Forces reserves, “Lets Take a Lil’ Stroll Thru the Tourist Trap Called
Chemainus” by
Robin
Bougie plus a three-page jam comic with Robin, “Tall Tale” a jam
comic with Adam Larson, “Suicide Al Does Acid” by Randy Chaos, plugs for other
‘zines and minicomics, etc…
oBliVioSiteR #10011 (#19), no date (April 1996?), Half-Legal
(7”x8.5”), 20 pages
Obliviositorial Q&A, a comic
about my new job as a screen-printer at Tyreman Graphics and how I got it with
a comic book resume (more about those in another post sometime…) including a
reprint of said comic book resume, a reprinting of a comic essay I drew for a
Art History class on post-modernism – it was supposed to be an essay comparing
a modern artist and a post modern artist…. I handed in a comic comparing
Picasso to myself… I got an 80 on the assignment?! My friend Andy who was in
the class was super-pissed-off because I cranked out my comic the night before
the due date and he had worked so hard on his essay and only got a 70… ah well…
there was also a 3-page comic jam with
Robin
Bougie and two pages of plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics (I was
corresponding and trading with a LOT of people at this point) …
oBliVioSiteR #10100 (#20), no date (still 1996), Half-Legal
(7”x8.5”), 20 pages
Obliviositorial, The Return of
JJ BMX Courier, “True Army Tales: RV 92 - Part 3 ‘Les Garçons de Troupe
Radio’”, “Adventures in Zine Publishing”, “TRAGIC – but not actually true perse
– STORIES” by Shawn Fehrenbach, “Gen-X Suicide” by Yul Tolbert, “Heaven Sent”
by Shawn Fehrenbach, a comic about a nonsensical conversation with J.C. and
Steve-o, Güter and Scooter – Abstract Artists on the Roam” by Adam Larson, two
more pages of plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics…
oBliVioSiteR #10101 (#21), no date (still 1996), Half-Legal
(7”x8.5”), 32 pages
The “Working for THE MAN” issue.
Obliviositorial, a 11 pages
comic about working at Tyreman Graphics and “True Army Tales: RV 92 - Part 4
‘Routines”,, “Have You Had Your Crap Today” by Yul Tolbert, “My very First
Petty Tyrant” by Adam Larson, “Pizza Delivery to HELL” by Shawn Fehrenbach,
“Bustin My Ass for th’ Man” by
Robin
Bougie, “Graveyard Caretaker” by
Shane
Neville, two more pages of plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics…
Another “turning point” issue –
I started using brushes and “crow quill” dip pens and I was pretty happy with
what I was doing. Unfortunately, my art had changed so much, so rapidly, I
wasn’t sure what to do about the “True Army Tales” – I had originally wanted to
collect the series into some sort of book at some point, but my artwork had
changed substantially since I started I didn’t think it would look good all
together… considered re-drawing the first few installments…
oBliVioSiteR #10111 (actually #22,
though it was accidentally numbered #10111 – which should have been for
#23), no date (still 1996),
Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 20 pages
Obliviositorial, The entire
comic was one big “True Army Tales” story – plus an add for t-shirts I was
printing and a page of plugs for other ‘zines and minicomics…
oBliVioSiteR #23, 1997,
Half-Legal (7”x8.5”), 20 pages
Obliviositorial, 18 pages of
“True Army Tales: Kitchen Duty”. Last issue in the Half-Legal format changed
mostly because I was mailing these out to a LOT of people at this point and it
was a LOT cheaper to mail a minicomic…
oBliVioSiteR #24, 1997,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 24 pages
Obliviositorial, 18-page “True
Army Tales” comic, ads for t-shirts and the Brown Comix Catalogue – I was at
that point trying to distribute other peoples minicomics through mail order…
oBliVioSiteR #25, 1997,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 28 pages
Obliviositorial, “Pulpspotting”
part one, two pages of paid ads!
oBliVioSiteR #26, 1998,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 32 pages
Obliviositorial, “Pulpspotting”
part two, one page of paid ads!
oBliVioSiteR #27, 1998,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 36 pages
Obliviositorial, “Pulpspotting”
part three, an add for the Brown Comix Catalogue
I only printed 50 copies of this
one and numbered them. I only gave them out to people who I’d been trading
comix with and/or supported me for some time as the collected
Pulpspotting
was being printed around the same time. I should do another post about
Pulpspotting at some point…
oBliVioSiteR #28, 1998,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 36 pages
The School Fight Comix
Compilation – Part One
“How my Teeth got Chipped” by
Carrie McNinch, “Big Head” by Timothy Winkler, “At da Playground” by Morgan
Parducci, “the Day my Grade 6 Class Beat Me Up” by myself, “Temper” by Darren
Schmidtz, “Education… That Lifelong Adventure” by David Collier, “Talk Radio:
by
Suzanne Baumann,
Obliviositorial and plug-ola for all the contributors.
oBliVioSiteR #29, 1998,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 28 pages
A bit of a “filler issue” with writing
and comics about what I’d been up to recently, a brief (5-page) “True Army
Tales” story, and another 2-page jam comic with
Robin
Bougie.
oBliVioSiteR #30, 2000,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 20 pages
After a bit of a hiatus I returned with The School Fight Comix
Compilation – Part Two
Obliviositorial, “Grade 4
Dogpile” by me, “Bully Me” by
Michael
Hind, and a comic by
Jesse
Reklaw. The ISSN is for real – a guy from the Library and Archives
Canada had come around at Canzine the year I went and was signing small
publishers up for ISSNs…
oBliVioSiteR #31, 2000,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 16 pages
A comic about carrots.
Seriously. I was trying to find new meaning and direction in life and taking
classes towards a Prairie Horticulture Certificate, thinking I’d take up market
gardening on the small acreage we were living on at the time and I had to do a
report about a plant or vegetable and so I did a comic about carrots – this is
a reproduction of that assignment.
oBliVioSiteR #32, 2000,
Minicomic (4.25”x5.5”), 28 pages
The Great Canadian Hockey Comic
Jam
The last issue. I was trying to
get this going again and tried selling adds and using the revenues to print the
comic and give them out free again. I think I printed over 1000 of them and
game them away at a bunch of local stores and sent them to the other
contributors to give away in their hometowns… I think I also sent some to
Strange Adventures
in Halifax (since they took out and ad and all!).
The comic itself was a jam comic
with
Michael
Hind, Jean-Guy Brin and Shawn Fehrenbach. I laid out the comic and
drew myself in a bunch of panels then sent it to Mike in Montreal he drew his
bit, then sent it on to Shawn in Calgary who drew his bit, then sent it on to
Jean-Guy in Ottawa, Jean-Guy drew his bit then, I think sent it back to Mike
for some additional bits and then sent it back to me and I finished it up
adding the backgrounds – it was basically a comic about four comic geeks
playing hockey with each other – me and Shawn versus Mike and Jean-Guy… It was
quite the fun romp!
I had a bunch of other stuff
planned – I had another issue or two of my own School Fight comics planned –
one issue of which was mostly even penciled… but I’d run out of steam and/or
lost hope or something and hung up my cartoonist/artist hat for a decade…
It was drawing with my kids that
got me going again and I’ve got PLANS for some new stuff… but more on that in
another post!
Coming soon on Tim’s Art Blog:
Pulpspotting and new comics to come!
