Punk Planet #15 (Chicago)

Sadly, I recently heard the news that Punk Planet is ceasing publication with its latest issue, its 80th over the last 13 years. The usual suspects are to blame – a dwindling number of subscribers, fewer advertisers and, perhaps the deepest cut of all, distributors that rip them off. The zine's web site mentions a problem over at McSweeney's, where that publication lost $130k with the bankruptcy of one of its larger distributors. I seem to remember Punk Planet having a similar problem a few years ago.

Here's why this is such a problem: distributors are a necessary evil in publishing; the good ones will get your magazine or book out on local shelves across the country and pay you for those you sold. However, bad distributors will take your product, duckwalk it half-ass it onto a few shelves, and "lose" your payment. I'm convinced that many magazine distributors, in particular, are mob-styled operations much like a lot of record companies once were. They're formed as limited liability corporations, they fleece as many of the publications they distribute as they can for as much money as they can, and then they file for bankruptcy and/or simply go out of business, leaving indie publishers like Punk Planet or McSweeney's holding the bag. Many publisher just can't recover from the loss....

Looking back at healthier, happier days, Punk Planet #15 features a wealth of content over its 120-pages. PP took a strong political stance early on, this issue featuring extensive and interesting (punk-cum-anarchist) coverage of the Democratic and Republication conventions from 1996. There are also interviews with punk bands Rhythm Collision, Cheescake and Chamberlain and with Action Girl comic creater Sarah Dyer. You'll find the usual columns and more record and zine reviews than you can digest in a single sitting.

(Click on the cover thumbnail to see larger picture)

VITAL STATISTICS:
• Issue #15
• October/November 1996
• B&W, 120-pages (including covers) on newsprint
• Style: punkzine

ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS
Sarah Dyer/Action Girl comics interview
Rhythm Collision interview
Cheesecake interview
Chamberlain interview
Democrat & Republication convention coverage
--> also reader mail, columns, music & zine reviews