Primary coverage: Europe
Issue: 12 (2)

See Down Rocks.

Primary coverage: Italy, Europe, Worldwide
Issue: 4 (2002)

Garage's latest effort represents a marked change of pace for the zine, with a decreased focus on hardcore bombing, and a new emphasis on innovative (at times, downright brilliant) emerging graffiti styles. That's not to say that Garage has gone girly -- there's still a wide variety of traditional action to be had, especially on trains -- but it's the coverage of the new styles being laid down by Stak, Hnt, and Space Invaders that really stands out. Along similar lines, Garage also goes far afield from its native Northern Italy, to cover Japan, Russia, Greece, Argentina, Mexico, and several other seldom-seen lands.

Of course, all of this additional coverage necessitated expanding the zine significantly, which now weighs in at nearly 50 glossy full-color pages, housing roughly 500 excellent photographs. The layout, which has always been a strong suit, has also improved, and the articles are also better, though the English translations remain awkward at times. Still, that's a minor quibble against this daring publication -- if only more zines would push the envelope like this!

Issue: none

Primary coverage: France, Europe, Trains
Issue: 4

Wow! Graff It! is a full color graffiti tour-de-force that will leave the reader dizzy by page 32. Expect to see absolutely ridiculous productions, pieces, bombs, and even tags, presented in complete and total shameless excess. Perhaps most amazingly, at least in issue 4, expect to see no advertisements!. The flicks are roughly categorized, but no attempt at logical organization can protect the poor reader's mind from overload. The photos themselves are tight and right, although often too small to absorb the full impact of the given graffiti work. Although the zine does contain some written content (in French, of course), this is a zine first and foremost about flicks, and it doesn't disappoint. Now for some Tylenol.

Primary coverage: Brazilian cities, primarily Sao Paulo, with a few very nice pages of productions from abroad.
Issue: 4

This well-established mag from the Brazilian capitol offers something for everyone, but focuses mostly on the unique Brazilian styles and huge productions the area is famous for. This issue has an interview with How and Nosm, a spread on graffiti "no fashion" week and the popular hobby of painting on women. Snoop Dog's concert gets a small feature, which also includes some graffiti. A skate meeting and a few Portugese hiphop films are also covered. As a bonus, the center pages unfold into a couple of double-sided wall posters. A few ads support the effort, but they are for relevant products. Most photos are labeled well and set off from their neighbors in a relaxed way. The emphasis is on pieces and productions but there are some fine trains and pichacao as well. The first three issues are just as good.

Primary coverage: South America, North America (California)
Issue: 2 (October 1997)

Graffiti Attack is one of the only magazines to chronicle the South American graffiti scene, and it does so admirably. Besides many exclusive and intriguing photos of the evolving scenes in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, there are graffiti how-to's and reports on graffiti events. Top writers from outside South America are also well-represented. While Graffiti Attack is professionally done, it could benefit from an improved layout and more pages per issue. Also, while the photos are crisp, some are too small and force the reader to squint.

Primary coverage: California, United States, Trains
Issue: none

From the editor:
Issue three is unique: the first 10 pages are full of piecing flicks, and the last 10 pages are full of hardcore bombing flicks. The layout is in a collage format with overlapping photos.

Issue: none

From the editors:
Graphic Scenes & Xplicit Language appeared back in '88 as one of the first graff zines after T.I.G.H.T., and is back. GXSL is a black-and-white zine that covers both graffiti and political issues. One issue contained an interview with Shone, the Norway Scene, characters, and articles such as "Decoding Graffiti to Solve Bigger Crimes". Send an SASE for more information.

Primary coverage: United States (east coast)
Issue: 3

Graphic Violence is a zine which would be better if it was in full color and cut down on ads. As it stands, the magazine has very high quality flicks of super pieces, many of which would benefit immeasurably from full color. While the magazine features the east coast scene almost exclusively, NYC and Danbury are enough to make just about any writer jealous.

Primary coverage: United Kingdom
Issue: unknown

This zine is so nice that you'll want to put it on your coffee table. The pictures are clear, the stock is heavy and the interviews and articles are diverse. Graphotism features lots of information about graffiti events around Europe and especially in the UK, so it is a nice place to keep current of the goings on across the big drink.

Issue: none

Primary coverage: trains
Issue: 0 (1999)

Hainemy is a hardcore all-steel all-flicks zine focused on the Paris Metro. While the zine is well-assembled and features a nice, simple layout and captioned photos, the graffiti itself is not consistently captivating and seems to be more focused on quantity than quality. Still, there's a lot of nice footage here, including some good shots of the tunnel walls and stations themselves.

Primary coverage: European Trains
Issue: none

Issue: none

Primary coverage: Hawaii, United States
Issue: none

From the editor:
Hawaiian Knights is available in trade for high quality flicks. It has lots of Hawaii graffiti, b-boyin', DJin', and emcee's all captured in photos, with occasional photos from the United States mainland as well. The zine itself consists of 4-10 Xeroxed pages, containing a collection of submitted flicks from readers.

Primary coverage: California, United States
Issue: 10 (Summer 2002)

Borne out of a high school English project, Helmet Heds quickly gained notoriety as a high-quality photocopied zine put together by someone crazy enough to give it away. Of course, the laws of modern economics eventually caught up with Helmet Heds, but it's still remarkably cheap, not to mention looking better than ever, with piles of cool graffiti, interviews, and original content.

With its latest issue, Helmet Heds surprises with four full-color graffiti-laden pages (including a very disturbing photo of Santa Claus), in addition to the traditional grayscale flicks. As always, expect to see oodles of high-quality graffiti shoehorned onto each page, especially from lesser-knowns and up-and-comers. In addition to the graffiti, Helmet Heds also serves up a few interviews and some provocative articles on a variety of topics. Cool.

Primary coverage: Los Angeles, California
Issue: unknown

Completely average, yet baffling at the same time, Hep 137 refuses to make any sense. Take a high-quality photo collection of early 90s West Coast graffiti, assemble the flicks in no particular order and make the zine using a process that distorts the colors. Next, stir in some excellent blackbook art and cut out some ladies from Cosmo. Last, put incomprehensible rambling in the center, and you have Hep 137. About as much sense as Esperanto.

Primary coverage: Belgium, France
Issue: none

Primary coverage: Britain
Issue: 3 (2001)

Hold No Hostage is a graffiti assault that will leave you speechless by page 1. Chocked solid with some of the best graffiti on the planet, Hold No Hostage will quench even the most voracious graffiti thirst, and it does it in style. Although clearly focused on the illegal side of the movement, Hold No Hostage covers graffiti in all of its various types and styles, and does so in a dizzying style that hearkens back to Defrag and Molotov Cocktail. While many of the flicks are small, it's hard to fault Hold No Hostage -- they simply have too much excellent content and not enough space.

However, it would be an insult to label this zine strictly an orgasm for the eyes -- laced throughout are informative and carefully assembled articles and interviews. For instance, the how-to on aerosol paint blending in the reviewed issue is so excellent that it seems criminal for it to be buried inside a publication where only a few thousand can benefit (hopefully they will republish this elsewhere).

If you love graffiti, you need Hold No Hostage. Trust me.

Primary coverage: San Francisco
Issue: 2

This is a black-and-white magazine out of the Bay Area, and like anything graffiti-related from San Francisco, it's top-notch. The issue reviewed had an interview with Mr. Element, a comic strip (which could have been spared), and a slew of pictures from around town -- for those somehow out of touch with San Francisco styles, it's getting pretty crazy! The main problems with the zine are length and lack of color. While it was well worth the money, this reviewer would gladly pay twice as much for full color.

Primary coverage: United States, San Francisco
Issue: 9 (Spring 1999)

Huffer is a unique zine out of the Bay Area put out by Giant, who is best known for his ubiquitous productions. However, the hardcore graffiti in Huffer makes it clear that Giant's about more than legals, and the results are wicked. Most magazines which attempt to showcase graffiti's raw side end up either looking carelessly thrown together or flashy to the point where it seems like the point has been forgotten. Huffer does astoundingly well at finding middle ground: while professional in appearance and clean in design, it is also a black-and-white, regular Xerox-paper affair. In addition to the graffiti, one finds a collection of nudies culled from around the Internet, for better or worse. Although some may be bothered by this or the zine's shameless self-promotion, on the whole Huffer is everything a raw graffiti zine should be. Huffer is also available online, check it out!

Primary coverage: Australia, Trains
Issue: 31 (Spring 2000)

After a few tenuous years which had only a couple scattered issues and some broken promises, Hype is back and ready to be a heavyweight again. For those who remember, Hype pretty much unleashed the Australian graff scene on the rest of the world in 1989, and for several years was Oz's hip-hop ambassador to the rest of the world.

This "second" issue since the rebirth of Hype continues the zine's modernization, with continuing improvements in layout and increased coverage of graffiti in the digital age. However, at its core, Hype is still really about two brothers from Australia who just love graffiti and breaking. As such, expect a few of articles and interviews on all manner of topics (especially breaking) and a lot of quality Australian graffiti (including a really interesting page of "classics" from the mid-eighties). The latter is especially good news for the rest of us since Australian zines, once plentiful, now seem to be an endangered species.

The flicks, which are colorful, plentiful, fairly well varied, and well-chosen, even if too small at times. Hype is distributed through Tower Records and sold through assorted other zines in North America and Europe, and currently has a circulation of over 20,000. For sales and marketing information regarding Hype, please visit their web site.

Primary coverage: Europe
Issue: unknown

With loads of wall and train business, there is nothing stupid about this zine. Jam packed with mainly Dutch and North European photos, but with work from around the planet included as well, this magazine had only two articles -- And they were squeezed in around the photos -- definitely one for those that like eye candy. The only disappointment was that many photos were in black-and-white, but still the picture quality was superb and the paper rich and glossy.

Primary coverage: United States
Issue: unknown

With its chaotic collage of old & new trains and walls from all over, plus interviews and political articles, The International Get Hip Times has been doing the necessary for more than 15 years now. This one is newspaper-sized and mainly black-and-white, but has a color cover and center spread which are good enough to put on your wall. Recommended whether you want to expand your mind or just look at the photos.

Primary coverage: Italy, Europe
Issue: 3

Ill Fame's latest effort is twice as large but otherwise unchanged: expect a wide variety of graffiti ranging from the merely adequate to the exceptional, laid out in a chaotic though professional manner. While the photos in Ill Fame are usually of high-quality, a small but noticeable portion are visually pixelated, which is aggravating. Still, the zine does a good job of balancing the hardcore and artsy sides of the graffiti scene, providing a varied and comprehensive look into the European scene. In addition, Ill Fame covers other elements of hip-hop culture such as breaking and music, though you'll have to know Italian to get much out of their coverage. Finally, there's an outlines section and some well-done comics.

Primary coverage: Baltimore, United States, England
Issue: 3

In the First is a small do-it-yourself photocopied affair that's about graffiti and hardcore music. Graffiti occupies about half the zine's space, comprising mostly flicks (the music side of the zine occupies most of the written content). The graffiti itself ranges from fair to quite good, and is handled admirably given the Xeroxed nature of In the First, aided by the editor's careful selection of high-contrast, simple graffiti. Fun.

Primary coverage: United States
Issue: none

From the editor:
Indecent Exposure is devoted to covering bombing from all over the United States and world. Indecent Exposure is written for writers by writers, so send in those outlines, pictures, articles, and letters. All contributors get free issues and perhaps some photos in return. Send mail for further information or if you are interested in representing your geographical area with articles, photos, or a distribution channel.

Issue: none

Primary coverage: Canada, United States, Vancouver
Issue: unknown

This pocket-sized zine is one of the better low-budget zines on the street, and the postage-stamp-sized grayscale pieces are surprisingly crisp, well reproduced, and give credit where credit is due. Contains lots of photos, articles, contacts, stories, and more.

Primary coverage: Trains
Issue: unknown

Iron Burners is an all freight magazine, featuring flicks from both coasts and in between. The flicks are of decent quality, and the graff is all right. Expect to see Kaws, Nace, and the Network crew.

Primary coverage: Trains, Freights, Switzerland, Worldwide
Issue: 2

As the name implies, It Burns focuses on serious burners from around the globe -- whether they be on steel or concrete. While there's a lot of Swiss and European coverage, there's also quite a bit from far-reaching cities in North America and Australia as well. The zine is all-flicks, which are reasonably sized and generally arranged by city.

Issue: none

Primary coverage: Italy, Worldwide
Issue: none

From the editor:
Juice Foundation is a zine representing the Italian and international hip-hop scene, featuring 46 full color, thick-stock, high quality pages with tons of aerosol flicks along with exclusive articles and interviews.

Primary coverage: Europe, Worldwide, Trains
Issue: 3

It's been a few years since JVS vowed to fill the void left by There's No Limit -- and, well, they're doing a pretty damn good job. Though there are some walls and outlines to be found, JVS is really about steel, and it delivers big time. In its latest effort, JVS features four different trains scenes on multiple continents, along with interviews, reports on various train scenes, and graffiti-on-steel press clippings. Photos are organized by scene and are presented cleanly and effectively. The graffiti is quite good on the whole, though the quality of the photos is understandably variable (after all, many of these shots were taken amidst bombing runs!)

Primary coverage: Japan, Asia
Issue: 1

Primary coverage: Trains, Europe
Issue: unnumbered

Keep Rollin' is for all the serious train bombers out there. Packed with tons of trains, this zine leans toward the more hardcore end of the graffiti scene, focusing on the most outrageous and risky throw-ups and pieces. Along with the more traditional train flicks, Keep Rollin' also includes many actions shots of Europe's most up bombers in action. If the zine's goal is to capture graffiti at its most raw, it meets this goal with ease.

Primary coverage: San Francisco
Issue: unnumbered

This is a really cool little zine out of the Bay Area, featuring a melding of punk rock and graffiti. Despite the name, KUK is a low-key affair and really a love affair between the editor and his passions, which this reviewer found engaging. Despite the fact that there is some good graffiti to be found here (albeit mostly wrecked by the photocopied nature of the zine), this is not about flicks but about culture. To this end, there is a nice honest interview with Twist THR and a short dedication to Tie THR, along with some punk content. Something different.

Primary coverage: Northern Europe
Issue: unknown

Kilroy is a unique zine featuring a collection of choice graffiti from Northern Europe, especially from Sweden and Denmark. While the graff is nice, what make Kilroy memorable are its unusual layout and format, which combine to give the art an eerie room to breathe. In addition to the graffiti, expect to find a few articles in Swedish. A nice, simple, elegant zine.

Issue: none

Primary coverage: Chicago, United States
Issue: 4

While this reviewer has been told that there is typically more graffiti inside Klip Art, this issue was remarkably sparse in the graffiti department, featuring only a smattering of fine Chicago flavor graffiti. Along with the graffiti, Klip Art features other aspects of the hip-hop culture, and includes interviews with and articles on music artists, breakdancers, and everything hip-hop.

Primary coverage: United States (Midwest), Freights, Illegals
Issue: 1 (1999)

Though Know Name is not the first zine to focus exclusively on illegals (Report springs to mind), and though some of the artwork has been around the block a few times, Know Name is an alluring publication with an excellent layout and pleasing graffiti. Though some of the work here has been in other zines, all of it is top-notch and captures the raw unlawful beast at the heart of the movement. Leafing through Know Name is like going down to your favorite illegal spot to go look at the pieces one more time.. and by the end of it you just want to paint.

Primary coverage: Trains, United States
Issue: 5

Krime Time is a high-quality graffiti magazine, featuring mainly freights, with a smattering of walls and outlines. While there are a few articles, the zine is devoted to promoting all forms of graffiti as art, and meets that goal admirably. All the big names from North America are well represented, along with some lesser-knowns. The graffiti is top-notch, and largely illegal pieces rather than productions. Check it out.

Primary coverage: Italy, Europe, Trains
Issue: 1 (Subway Special)

Few zines have their debut as a subway special, but few zines can match Lettering when it comes to high-quality subway graffiti flicks. While there is some non-wheeled action (in particular, Suede's work is out of hand), Lettering's core competency appears to be steel, and it impresses the reader with clean, clear, and stunning graff, although some of the photos are too dark. A zine of few words (and even those are in Italian), Lettering says plenty through both its high-caliber graffiti and well-organized and easy-to-browse format. Nicely done.

Primary coverage: Minneapolis/St. Paul, United States
Issue: none

From the editor:
Life Sucks Die is a graffiti zine out of Minneapolis, featuring color and black-and-white flicks in a collage style. The flicks contain the best from the Twin Cities, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, and others. Submissions of any kind are welcome and get a real life response suitable for framing. Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Along with the graff, you will see nudity, injury, deformity, death, roadkill and anything else that would shock and horrify a politically correct American.

Primary coverage: Los Angeles
Issue: 6 (2001)

Covering artists like chapters in a school text, and weighing in at more than 100 pages, Lost is more like a book than a zine. Indeed, each issue of Lost devotes itself to a handful of Los Angeles' top writers, each of which gets a chapter with which to showcase their abilities. The art itself covers significant ground, from hardcore bombing, to galleries, to outlines -- there's even a wax page with sticker-tags (really cool)! Most of the zine is in black-and-white, though the photos are so large that this isn't really a serious detractor. Lost often contains some written content as well, though this issue was all flicks. Impressive and innovative.

Primary coverage: California
Issue: unknown

This zine consists mostly of flicks from the San Diego and Los Angeles, all of which are high quality and cannot be found in a zine you can pick up at Tower. There are also some freights and outlines thrown in for that extra pleasure.