Coverage – April 2015

Thank you as ever to everyone submitting their magazines for review. Not all can be given a full review; our new monthly Coverage round-up will note the best arrivals not mentioned elsewhere.

So Young #6
Issue six of the much-loved British music magazine boasts a vibrant yellow cover, our favourite of the publication’s front covers to date. As well as being inspired by punk zines from the past, So Young puts a contemporary spin on the music zine genre by combining a love of music with a love of contemporary illustration. Issue six includes interviews with Palma Violets and Rough Trade Records, as well as artwork by Jac Sachs and Glen Clothier.

Guts #1
Straight out of the heart of Dublin comes the first issue of Guts, a magazine that is purposefully gushy in every single way. The first issue is themed ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’, and it contains personal stories about heartbreak and first love. The magazine is another Kickstarter creation, and it’s been called Guts for a reason: for each story, writers spew their hearts out, writing about their emotions (their ‘gut’ feelings) in a distinctly raw way.

Firewords #4
Winter-themed issue four of literary magazine Firewords has a beautiful cover illustration that could almost belong on the front of The New Yorker. The magazine combines illustration and words, and the spreads are eclectic. Firewords is an example of a literary magazine very much embracing design, and which uses typography and colour combinations to emphasise the written word.

Shooter #1
The UK-based literary magazine has been founded on the principle that they will compensate writers and artists for their work, stating: ‘Far too many magazines and literary journals pay their contributors nothing. Financial acknowledgement sends a message that high-quality work is valued.’ Shooter’s message is important: they have a cause and they’re taking aim at the status quo. Their serious commitment is conveyed by a dynamic cover and their loaded theme - ‘Pulling the Trigger’.

L’Incroyable #1
French magazine L’Incroyable is dedicated to adolescence, a periodical that examines the teenage years of someone famous. Issue one stars Juliette Gréco, and it traces young Gréco’s life between the ages of 15 to 20, a time spent hanging out with Miles Davis and frequenting the Saint Germaine cafés. Unfortunately our French isn’t good enough to understand any of the essays, but the magazine seems like an intriguing take on a person and a specific period of time.

Lodestars Anthology #2
The second issue of Lodestars, a hefty UK-based travel mag, dedicates itself to Scotland, discovering history, craftsmanship and food along the way. The resulting material – writing, photography and illustration – is a beautiful reflection of the country, even if the design relies on over-familiar indie mag traits.

Gerador #3
Gerador, the magazine about Portuguese culture, celebrates local illustrators and designers. Each issue has a different art director, and the contents ranges from interviews with artists and photographers to comic strips and short stories inspired by life in Portugal.

Der Zirkel, der macht #3
Der Zirkel, der macht is an enigmatic publication from Hamburg produced by designer Karl Anders, and its put together in the spare time when Karl isn’t working for clients. The third issue is themed Heavy Birthday? and the contents is a colourful and confusing amalgamation of cake, candles, wild graphic patterns and garish spreads.

The Cleaver #4
The Chinese food magazine includes an essay on how Beijing’s street artists have been reacting to rising pork prices, as well as recipes for Honk Kong classic cocktails and Hakka food. Like other food zine Put an Egg on It, The Cleaver demonstrates that a single gastronomic topic can have a lot of longevity – its scope of features and interviews is compelling.

Reviews by Madeleine Morley and Jeremy Leslie