Life's So Rad Zine & Comix
LSR Zine & Comix was published in Lansing, MI, by Corey Marie Kitley (now Parkhill) and Sarah Shay. It was created as a physical companion to Parkhill's webcomic, Life's So Rad.
Format and History
Parkhill was signed to the Keenspot webcomics network in 2000 on the strength of her comedy/drama comic series "Common Grounds." In 2002, she switched formats to autobio, and began Life's So Rad. She began to publish the zine that same year. It was published sporadically, for a total of six issues printed between 2002-2003. The zine was photocopied, half-legal size, with colored paper covers.
Each issue was half comic book, half magazine. The comic half was always a contained storyline, set in the webcomic's universe but not published online, illustrated and written by Parkhill (often co-written by Shay). Other content revolved around music, DIY lifestyle, activism, and comics. Content was mostly written by Parkhill and Shay, with articles and illustrations submitted by their friends and fans. Most issues contained a page about their real life: moves, new jobs, comic conventions attended, etc.
Parkhill and Shay also ran a small distro, selling their zines, minicomics, t-shirts, patches, and buttons. The last page of the zine regularly featured a "Mail Order Is Fun" section advertising their wares.
In 2006, Parkhill self-published a book about the comic, which contained re-drawn versions of web strips, remastered versions of the zine comics, and a CD-ROM of all the web comics.
The Comic
The comic was loosely autobiographical, with characters based on Parkhill's friends at the time: her boyfriend Justin, his bandmates Nate and Jack, her friend/roommate Sarah, and others. Shay, artist of the webcomic Angry People, was from Seattle and became a recurring character in the web and print comics when she moved to Lansing in the summer of 2002.
The printed comics were much less auto-biographical than the webcomic: stories included the gang meeting Weezer and finding out they are robots, and Justin taking Jedi classes at the local community college.
Issues
1: The Gang Meets Weezer.
2: Corey and Justin Clean House. Interview: Pop Unknown. Angry People comics, The Denny's Game, tampon safety, how to make a duct tape wallet.
3: Flashback Episode. 10 Reasons To Quit Eating at McDonalds, Guide to Make a Rad Mixtape.
4: Corey and Sarah Meet Newfound Glory. Interview: The Plain White Ts. Show review (The Recital, The Plain White Ts, The Stereo), San Diego Comic Con recap, Why not to watch TV.
5: "It Came From Stevo's Lair." Rad Libs, album reviews (Ben Kweller, the Weakerthans), DIY fortune cookies, Nine Webcomics to Watch Out For.
6: "The Last Temptation of Justin." Interview: Slow Reader.
7: "Meet The Beatles." Interviews: Motion City Soundtrack, The Stereo, OKGo.
