Scam The First Four Issues by Erick Lyle

(Microcosm) One of the best zines ever is compiled in a hefty book. Scam is a legendary zine that featured not only hilarious, irreverent advice and stories telling you how to do simple scams like get free copies and free pop and  mooch off campus food in nearby schools but also more serious stuff -- how to survive in jail when scams go bad may be the most compelling section. This has some normal zine stuff, but they're all twisted up --review sections with absurdist non-reviews...mostly making fun of Billie Joe from Green Day for looking like he's on Beverly Hills 90210 and ridiculously conversational interviews. The second best thing about it is the look - as zine as zine can be with xerox collages, slopppy handwriting with fat markers, and no respect for visual conventions, but the best thing is the artist formally known as Iggy Scam's writing -- I always thought he was a better storyteller than Mr. Cometbus. If you have this and the new Touch and Go book weighing down your shelves you have two deades of zine magic at your fingetip. What  a world we live in!