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THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW "Shark Tale"  by Mike Smith "Shaun of the Dead"  by Nolan B. Canova

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Concert Review: THE CRAMPS, w/The Chesterfield Kings, and The Downshifters   by Terence Nuzum

COUCH POTATO Fanzine Memoirs, Part 5, the Gazette Period   by Vinnie Blesi

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SPLASH PAGE Dead At 77!  by Brandon Jones

MATT'S RAIL Debated and Debatable....Thanks, Cheney!....Rodney Is Gone  by Matt Drinnenberg

MIKE'S RANT Get Well Soon....The Next Logical Challenge....No Mas....Do Not Pass Go....Passing On....Meet The Beatles, Part 37  by Mike Smith

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Fanzine Memoirs.
In 1977 I published a comic fanzine called Advent. Subsequently I went on to publish Advent #2 and Gazette (with Ben Gregory). This ongoing feature will contain my thoughts and musings of those times.

Part 5, the Gazette period
First off to all those who have waited 26 years for the answer to the comics quiz in Advent #2 here is the answer at right:

A year after the release of Advent #2 saw the release of a new art-zine in Tampa called “Gazette”. Soon after the release of the second issue of Advent I became more interested in Pink Floyd, the Sex Pistols, consciousness expansion, religion and philosophy than comics. Unfortunately this meant the premature death of Advent. I grew apart from many of the dear friends I had made, as they just thought I was plum crazy as I continued on my unique path.

“Gazette” was published for three issues spanning late 1979 and early 1980. My co-conspirator and collaborator for “Gazette” was the legendary “Benzini”, Ben Gregory. The issues provided a glimpse into our lifestyle at the time, one of searching and questioning. Isn’t that what youth is about anyway? We turned our “revolt into style”.

Here are some of my highlights from “Gazette”:

Issue One, “dum vivimus vivamus”: The cover featured a picture of me and Ben from the 1979 Blondie concert that was hijacked from the local big time newspaper. The forward to the issue was written by a writer from that same big time newspaper, and now big time local city mucky muck, Miles Stylish Penguinaire. The first installment of “Academy” which was my first collaboration on a comic strip with Ben, and a back cover with art by me, one of my few lame excursions into the graphic field.

Issue Two, “I, Vegetable”: Eyeball creature cover by Nolan B. Canova. The ad for Loube’s bookstore and his band Small Talk. In a strange bout of capitalism advertising was actually solicited for this issue, which included an ad for “The Book Nook”.

Issue Three, “Gage D’Amour”: Eyeball artwork by Michael Taylor. The underground comix “Captain Cannibis” by Chris Moffitt, the back cover artwork by Mark Bingham, and the parody classified ads that featured such ads as: “Personalized Bed Pans! Be the first on the block to have one. Send full name, address, old bed pan, charge card number, clock radio, 4 radishes, Sunday’s newspaper, family portraits, 6 pounds of flour, sirloin steak, sewing kit, your house keys, urine sample, some silverware, 8 snow tires, an arm and a leg, 2 parakeets, 499 feet of copper wire, a dinette set, tablecloth, toaster, bushel of cabbage, the living room furniture and $9,346,452,746.35 cash to: Silliness House, San Silly California.