Megazine Issue #1 Contributors
Remember to check out the Megazine playlist created by our artists on Spotify!
Edith Zapata
(Page 3/4) To learn more about our feature artist from Issue #1, visit Edith’s website: www.artezv.com or contract her at ezvdesigns@gmail.com She has many pieces for sale, and many more to see. Her art is now available on her artsy page. She recently finished a beautiful mural in the Norris neighborhood at the Iglesias Garden, which is on her IG @ez.v88, if you want to follow her artistic journey! Starting from May 1 through August 31st, she will have a studio in the Park Towne Place Gallery at 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where you can visit and sometimes interact with Edith as she shares her creative process.
Edith wants to connect with: people who want to develop murals with her art and artists that want to collaborate, learn from each other, and break paradigms!
Song selection: “Relax My Eyes” by ANOTR and Abel Balder
Chris Lau
(Page 6) “I'm Chris Lau (they/them), a self-taught film photographer originally from New York. I'm interested in capturing moments of celebration, community, and creativity, in addition to documenting moments that may be deemed mundane. I hope that my photography makes people feel something familiar and maybe magical.”
Chris, can be found at @crispy__photos, and you can find their work on their website: https://sites.google.com/view/chrislau/portfolio There are many more photos to check out, so be sure to visit!
Chris wants to connect with: other film photographers in the South Philly area!
Song Selection: “Alma Mater” by the Bleachers
Catherine Epps
(Page 9/10) “This I-spy page was created as a 2-page spread for my comic book Lil & Friends Die for Real. Within the story, this setting is a video game that Lil and her friends are playing together. If you look closely, you can see her and her friends playing as a princess, a knight, a wizard, and an angel. It’s also the spot where they come to face Death Jr, the son of the grim reaper. (He’s playing as the evil looking bunny up in the clouds!)”
Catherine is an illustrator with a passion for story-telling and comic-making. She enjoys making colorful and silly little digital drawings, especially those with lots of hidden details. You can find her comic on her Etsy page, as “DoodleCatShop” and on instagram @doodlecatcreations — or look at her website!
Catherine wants to connect with: publishers, fellow cartoonists, or anyone who would like to show her pictures of their cat.
Song Selection: “Metamodernity” by Vansire
Eric stone
(Page 12) "I'm Eric Stone (he/him) a 20-something artist living on South Street in Philadelphia. I like drawing aliens and funky wunky lil dudes. My comic included in Megazine compiles a lot of the stories I get from my friends in the city about their dating experiences with dudes (and admittedly also touches a bit on my own neurotic tendencies!) I hope y'all like it!"
Follow him for more great work on IG! @estonedraws
Eric wants to connect with: Any other Philly artists!
Song Selection: "Hopelessness Has Done Nothing For Me" by Johanna Warren
Art Wendler
(Page 15) A 20 year Philadelphian, Art has been working as a freelance artist for 30 years. He has created many great illustrations, which you can find on his website: artwendler.com
If you want to get in touch with him, email artman@artwendler.com to see if you can commission some work or partner with him on something remarkable! You can find some mercy on Art’s TeePublic and Redbubble
Art wants to connect with other artists and patrons who may be interested in his artistic and graphic design skills.
Song Selection: “We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together” by The Velvet Underground
Anti-Theist Comics
(Page 16) Comprised of the duo Zachary Root (writer/letterer) and Nicolas Nieto, anti-theist comics is about to release the second part of the Reptile saga. Zachary is an Oregon native, and Nicolas is an Argentinian, combining to make international epics! Nicolas also worked on Displacer (Noble Comics) and Mundus Tenebras (Bloodmoon Comics), while working as a fine arts teacher. Their creation is equal parts metal mashup and Blade Runner, with stoner humor and frightening twists. It is available in hard copy or PDF, and they have posters and merchandise on their website. Check it out at www.reptilegraphicnovel.com
If you love their stuff, add on a donation! Independent publication is tough — just ask Megazine! Everything helps.
Julie Woodard
(Page 17) Julie “Juicebox” Woodard is a multi-disciplinary artist with a passion for storytelling, community, and creative reuse. She dabbles in everything from street and installation art, to private commissions, slow-fashion wearables, and low-waste workshops that’ll get your creative juices flowing. Learn more about her work on her website and follow her @juiceboxworkshop for a peek into her process and upcoming projects.If you’re reading this, it’s likely I want to connect with you!
Julie wants to connect with many Philadelphians! She is always looking for new opportunities to exhibit work, and/or create a unique and sustainable work for your space.
She loves gathering friends together to do a creative activity, so contact her to work together to create a custom workshop that meets the interests of your group.
If you are holding onto clothing from a lost loved one that you’re not sure what to do with, Julie would be honored to help you pay tribute to your loved one by transforming some of their belongings into a meaningful piece of art that you can cherish forever.
Avid or aspiring upcyclers that want to grab some coffee are also highly encouraged to reach out!
Song Selection: “Love, Try Not to Let Go” by Julia Jacklin
*Julie’s photos by Eric Dale & Julie Woodard
Megazine Issue #1 Stories
Chinatown vs. Center City Stadium
Chinatown’s fight against the planned 76ers stadium construction rages on, with people marching through Lunar New Year parades with signs expressing their opposition. WHYY.org continues reporting on the issue as it comes together, as nothing is set in stone yet. With this developing story, please stay tuned at WHYY.org. You can search their archives for past articles as well. You can search “Chinatown stadium” and find a trove of information. Thanks for caring!
Song Selection: “New Year’s in Guang Zhou” by Onra
James Forten
If you are interested in learning more about James Forten and his amazing life, the Museum of the American Revolution featured his story at the start of this year. Although their feature is over, they have an online version of it that takes you through the tour in 3D. Highly recommend the journey. Here is the link. There is a historic marker in old town that is in front of his family home on 336 Lombard if you are interested in paying that a visit, although a walking tour that focuses on Black history in Old Town might be much more inspiring. Here is where you can line that up if you are interested. There is a wealth of information about him online, and we highly suggest doing some digging. A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten is a biography that you can purchase at your local book store. If you want a thrift edition, try here!
Song Selection: “Black Star Line” by Brand Nubian
Cuzzy’s Ice Cream
If you want to swing by Cuzzy’s, you can find him at 618 S 5th St, Philadelphia, PA, just off South Street and sandwiched between the blocks bookend by Nocturnal Skate Shop and Emmy’s Squared. Both also come highly recommended for Nike Blazers and a great square pie, respectively. You can follow Cuzzy on IG @cuzzysicecream and feel free to give him a shout for an event or special requests. I’m sure he’d be open to accommodating reasonably informed ice cream wishes. This is his official site. Go enjoy some ice cream!
Song Selection: “Daydream in Blue” by I Monster
Row Home Feature
Row Homes are so essentially Philly that we coined a style: Philadelphia Row. Sure, that may be from the 19th century, but it’s still hot. As the issues of Philly Megazine mount, we will be featuring new fun facts about row homes, but more importantly (and probably more interestingly), we will feature homes around Philly with particular pizazz. If you know somebody with that popping paint, that killer garden, or that beautiful gas lamp sconce… hit us up! Fortunately, we have a few (dozen) beauties up our sleeve to show off, along with some fun history. Stay tuned! These houses aren’t going anywhere, don’t worry.
Song Selection: “How We Ride” by Jake One feat. Freeway
*All other art within the first issue of Megazine Philly is produced by our design team, which is comprised of retired Oompa-loompas, re-located gnomes from Iceland and imported fairies from Ireland.