Zine Review: Crime Van Issues Two and Three

Crime Van issues two and three, by Jefferson Ross, feature a series of portraits of vans in various locations across the U.S. and in various states of distress. These portraits - still lives, rolling action shots and a few close-ups of rusty hoods and crevices - are interspersed with other images: Guns, humping pugs, a dead raccoon, a cannabis field, drug paraphernalia, a roll of cash, a paint-splattered fire extinguisher, and many many images of security warning signs and security cameras. As you leaf through the pages of these zines you get a feeling of mounting anxiety, of watching and being watched, of being caught red-handed at an illicit activity even though all you wanted to do was to check out the backside of that Ford E250 or the portholes on that RAM. As the official description for issue one states, Crime Van “explores the relationship between anonymity and exposure,” and it’s up to the viewer to use the puzzle pieces of imagery to imagine what the twisted, dark story behind each van might be.

Issue two consists of 78 pages with b/w photos; issue three has 70 pages and is printed in full color on thick natural stock with a stitched spine. While the mix of photos in issue three is similar to the preceding issue, the most recent Crime Van presents the photos layered onto a background of newspaper clippings. The pairings are seemingly random, but in some cases there is a direct, echo-chamber-like interplay between the images and clippings.

Available now at operationmadman.bigcartel.com. Grab them before the OYE store goes back offline. Bonus: The Reader is also once again available and highly recommended to any fans of the Bookman.

If you would like us to review your zine, book or DVD, please send a hardcopy to

Carnage NYC/ R. Mock | PO Box 2671 | NY, NY 10163

Zine Review: No Bad Days Issue Two

The year has barely started and already it's safe to say that issue two of No Bad Days is going to be one of the most solid graff zines of 2014. From the production and the extras to the content, everything about this issue is top notch. It is printed on thick paper, giving it some real weight, and the inclusion of the Oil pin and the hand-done MQ piece alone make picking this zine up a no-brainer. But as in issue one, the best thing about No Bad Days are the photos.

Throughout the zine, you'll find many instances of someone with a camera being at the right place at the right time. From the crew action shots, MQ action and the PEAR clean train to the OILER tribute and the many WGE and D30 crew stompers (including an awesome D30 whole car), this issue is teeming with images that take you to the time and place when that throw-up or piece you saw from the train or car was actually painted, if you had a chance to see it at all. Most of the shots appear to be from the US and aside from the aforementioned the zine also contains work by SNOEMAN, LIONS, ZOMBRA, CQ, WYSE, NEKST (RIP) and many others. My only minor complaint is that the photo editing is a little inconsistent, but who cares, this issue is an absolute must-have.

Unfortunately No Bad Days issue two is already sold out in most places, but Left Out Store still has a few copies, and you will not regret paying the few extra bucks for shipping from down under.

If you would like us to review your zine, book or DVD, please send a hardcopy to

Carnage NYC/ R. Mock | PO Box 2671 | NY, NY 10163