by heidi olmack TRIPOD RESOURCES: BUST breaks loose. Ariel Gore is a Hip Mama

Girl zines, just like the girls who make them, come in all shapes and sizes. Chances are there's one out there that's just your type. Some are bold and beautiful; others are plain and simple (but they could be just as good, maybe better). You'll come across women of many words, and women who make their point as strong, silent types. Girly girls and tomboys. Femme fatales and fateful feminists. You get the idea: The array is endless. From that array, I've highlighted four very different zines — some of the best available — for your sampling. These titles all have good distribution, and should be easily accessible at your local cool bookstand, comic shop, or record store. If you don't have such a place in your neighborhood, order the zines direct from their makers. It's a great way to make new friends. Without further ado, let me present four of the finest ladies in the world of zines: 1. Ben is Dead review 2. W.I.G. review 3. Artbabe review 4. Girlyhead review Pinball punk, zine contributor (Cake, Hermenaut, Stupor), critic of comic books, and interviewer of society's underdogs and eccentrics, you'll find Heidi Olmack listed in the rock star category on any coolness chart. Her agent says that "Miss Olmack's greatest passion is preserving the vision of off-beat legends," hence her interviews with Miss Sarah Jacobson, Mister Tiny Tim, Miss Cynthia Plaster Caster (Cake, Fall 1994) and Mister Quinten Crisp. That also might explain her role as business manager of travelling font salesman Mister Chank Diesel. © 1997 Tripod, Inc. All Rights Reserved.