16/11/2025

ON SUNDAY November 16, 2025 theSunday Special IX

“The word zine, written in combined older Chinese characters, means ‘I have something to say or express’. I believe that in Malaysia, Chinese zines started along with the punk movement when many people wanted to self-publish their work,” said Teh, who is in charge of communica tion for Bang Bang Zine. Bang Bang Zine started as an outlet for the three of them to document their daily lives. Wong has been keeping a sketch book for as long as he can remember. His daily sketches serve as the source of inspiration for the comic and art zines he creates. Leong is in charge of printing the zines and she has been making zines about the process of risograph printing, which is an art form in itself. All of their zines are printed using this meticulous technique. The future of zine “I love reading stories of normal people in literary zines because they are honest and not diluted. It’s also interesting to look back at past zine trends. You’ll notice how certain themes, such as love, anger, or politics, dominate a particular era. I always look at these and think about what happened during that time – whether any major global event occurred and impacted society. I see these zines as a time capsule,” Sue said. As for Khor, he is pleased with the suc cess that The Working Desk has achieved so far. At the same time, he is proud of the writers who have grown since they ZHUH ¿UVW IHDWXUHG LQ RQH RI WKH ]LQHV KH helped publish. “We are not publishing books like Penguin or any of the big publications, but with our zines being picked up by bookstores, these up-and-coming writers now have their works available to wider audiences. Earlier this year, two short sto ULHV IURP 1XW0DJ ]LQH¶V ¿IWK DQQLYHUVDU\ project called Home Groan were selected as required reading for STPM literature students under the new syllabus,” he said. Although zines have never truly disap peared, they have gained popularity in recent years. This could be a response

to internet fatigue, where everyone is expected to be online all the time and the line between personal life and work has been blurred by apps like WhatsApp and Gmail. People are returning to analogue and creating things with their own hands. Zines are the perfect place to start. “People are just tired of life in the digital space and need a way to escape. They find their freedom and peace in zines. With Kuala Lumpur Zine Etc., I hope it will be bigger next year. I would love to see people who came this year, especially the youngsters, joining as vendors and exhibitors next year with their own zines. We are not doing this just for money. We simply love zines. I am an avid collector. Whatever zine we sell at my bookstore, I will always keep a copy for myself,” Sue said hopefully. Freedom means different things to different people and for many, zines have become a space where they can be genuine and expressive. They carry raw WKRXJKWV XQ¿OWHUHG HPRWLRQV DQG VWRULHV that might not find a place elsewhere. There is something powerful in these handmade pages – something that speaks from one heart to another. Supporting zines or creating one is not just about art or words; it is about preserving the spirit of independence and honesty.

People are just tired of life in the digital space and need a way to escape. They find their freedom and peace in zines.”

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Bang Bang Zine is the brainchild of Leong, Wong and Teh.

Zines have become a space for genuine expression.