As an American expat living and working in Japan, Adam Pasion faces several difficulties in publishing his journal-style mini comic Sundogs and other zines. Connecting with the locals can be tricky when words like “consignment” and “distribution” don’t translate easily into Japanese, or when professional magazines outsell personal projects.
Glossy, high-end art and fashion magazines are the norm, but zines still have managed to survive and thrive – sometimes by mimicking mainstream culture’s style. However, as Pasion notes, “A zine can look fancy and glossy as long as it is being made by individuals who want to participate with the zine community by trading, writing reviews, and all the other things that advance the zine scene. People who take part in this community are all making zines as far as I am concerned.”