The Journal, Entry No. 22

nik.mercer — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:26:10 -0700

The finest, most sophisticated "'zine" around, New York City's The Journal, has been an engaging read for all twenty-two of its issues, but with each quarterly publication, the book gets better and better. Entry No. 22 is heftier than any that came before it, better constructed, and even a bit more fun to read. (Art journals can, after all, be rather dry and overbearing.) Also, the writers and editors at The Journal have finally figured out how to write in that intriguing Paris Review style, raising the quality standard bar a few notches.

The Spring/Summer 222-page installment features thorough interviews and profiles on artist Jonathan Meese, extraterrestrial dude Terence Koh, and photographer Lisa Oppenheim. Each lengthy write-up is, as usual, accompanied by gorgeous high-resolution samples of the subject's work (so don't fret as there's plenty of eye candy in this tome). The shorter pieces include a cute illustrated look at musician Destroyer (AKA Dan Bejar) and introductions to up-and-coming artists Ry Fyan, Evan Gruzis, and Michael Williams. Oh, and then there's the music review section (comprised of instant-message-style debates over the merits of each artist) and the book and 'zine overview portion. And don't forget about the Meese DVD that's included... or the Jack Pierson bonus book of sketches!

Anthem cannot wait for its next dosage of The Journal. The multimedia extravaganza that is Entry No. 22 ought to tide us over for quite some time still, though...