The Pain Issue: 40 Pages of Sex & Violence. Merry Christmas!

Spent the afternoon wandering the streets of Cardiff with The Punk. We ended up by the ferris wheel they've put up for the winter carnival (see my photo above). The idea of a winter carnival is still fairly novel to me. They don't really have them in the summer over here, but then we don't really have them in the winter. The closest thing I've been to in Minnesota was a drive through a field of Christmas lights in the warm safety of a car.

Still, the idea that Cardiff gets bad winters is laughable. Today was so unseasonably warm and sunny that I didn't bother taking a coat with. I'm not complaining, but I still find it ridiculous when everything comes to a screaching halt the moment an inch of snow hits the ground and instantly turns to slush.

Have spent the week working on Issue 3. Good stuff! The literature section is complete, and this time we're doing a short story thing with short fiction from Rhys Owain Williams, Kirsten Jensen, and Liza Penn-Thomas as well as Part III of Amphetamine Logic. I love them all, and I'm noticing a theme as the features come together. We have more than our fair share of comic violence, fetish wear, and *adult situations* (including our Dominated Love Slave Playlist) that this issue needs a very special name... perhaps The Pain Issue: 40 pages of Sex & Violence!

Or, you know, something like that. Send your suggestions to primaryantagonist@gmail.com.

Speaking of which, my super junk filter seems to have eaten a lot of stuff it shouldn't have, so if you or anyone you know has sent in a submission and I haven't replied, please SEND IT AGAIN! My Minions are too lovely to ignore!

Heaven's Basement and Issue 3

Heaven's Basement's Chris, Hannah Yates photography

Have spent the week so far getting ready for Issue 3! I've just interviewed Heaven's Basement (see above), and I'm getting ready to interview Rochester, MN's Metaloa and Bath's comedy group, 100% Balls. Exciting stuff! Also pleased to confirm that this issue's literature section will be geared toward short stories and flash fiction, with Chapter 3 of Amphetamine Logic, and short stories by Rhys Owain Williams and Liza Penn-Thomas. Now, I've already read these, and I'm sure you'll love them!

I've been getting so many excellent literary submissions in fact, that I'm planning on putting together a Literature section on the website so I have somewhere to put all of it! The section is going to stay in the magazine, but it'll be helpful to have somewhere to put all of the other brilliant things I get if the zine runs out of space. If you've got them, you can send your submissions to primaryantagonist@gmail.com!

Have also updated the Facebook fan page with our first four covers (September 2001 - March 2002) and our latest contributor photos. Check them out here.

Am terribly excited about Issue 3, and will keep you updated as the content comes in. Remember, if you'd like to submit to the magazine, this month's deadline is the 20th of November. Get writing!

Documentary Evidence of Terrifying Minions

Have spent all of my time off work with honest-to-goodness SWINE FLU to catch up on the magazine and I'm proud to say that Issue 2 is looking great!

In this issue we've got coverage of Comic Con, Fish and Chips Worth Travelling For, and the unholy alliance between MTV and the Army! The music section has reviews of Sonic Boom 6 (as of Thursday!), Pig With the Face of a Boy, and Clear Air Turbulence, an interview with Razorblade Romance, and the long-awaited Songs About Smack playlist. There's also a back-to-school literature section with Amphetamine Logic Part II and the best in local poetry! Needless to say, we've also got lots more hot girls with big brains and enormous black boots. And this issue is absolutely free! So check back here for a link to your free issue, check the website, check the Facebook fan page, the Facebook group, the Twitter page, and check your email because this issue is going to be coming at you from every which way and you're not going to want to miss it!

In celebration of the near completion of the second issue in this, the biggest and most ambitious incarnation of The Antagonist to date, I'd like to invite you, your friends, and your minions to contribute. There's really nothing to be afraid of -- if we like your stuff, we'll print it, and if we don't, well, I'll dispose of it as I see fit.

Now I understand some of you didn't believe me when I said that I ripped rejected articles into tiny pieces to make papier mache boats and, I admit, that is a bit far-fetched (papier mache boats would eventually melt and sink), but I do have a special Minion who disposes of them for me.

You want proof?



Now, I know that's a scary prospect, but you really shouldn't let it put you off. Go ahead! Send any features, articles, reviews, interviews, photographs, comics, love letters, hate mail, pants, etc. to primaryantagonist@gmail.com.