Scumburbia is Sam Grinberg, an illustrator, animator and filmmaker, originally from New York/New Jersey, and now living in LA. Grinberg has tabled at ZineMelt, LAZF, OC Zine Fest, and SF Zine Fest with his handwritten, drawn, and saddlestitched comic zines, including Scumburbia, about two punk kids living in suburbia and As You Were, a punk comics anthology featuring many different artists telling unique stories.
When did you start making zines … and why?
I originally started making folded/stapled paper comics since I was around 10 years old (way before I knew what a “zine” was)..It was the only outlet for me to tell stories that I wanted to to tell. I made my first “zine” around 3 years ago that was a hybrid of stories and comics.
What was your first zine called? What was it about?
It was called “A Loveless Life” and was small mini-comic/zine that featured 4 one page stories about love, sex, & death.
How do you create your zine content?
After I get an idea, I thumbnail out the entire concept/story and then begin to pencil it all out on paper. If there’s a lot of text I’ll write that, but most likely go into Photoshop to clean up the hand written text (I usually never use fonts).
In addition to zines, what are you passionate about?
I’ll always be passionate about comics and animation; my zines will always be affiliated or related to a film or comic I’m working on.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start making zines?
You’ll probably hate the first zine you make, but make it anyway, because each one you make will get better and better.