STRANGE DAYS VOLUME 9

TITLE - STRANGE DAYS VOLUME 9

CREATED BY - ANDREW JUHL

GENRE - FORTEANA/UFOs/CRYPTIDS/PARANORMAL PHENOMENA/HIGH STRANGENESS/WEIRD SH*T

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - USA 

7"x5"/BLACK & WHITE/48 PAGES/PERFECT-BOUND 

PRICE - £8.25 + SHIPPING FROM STRANGE DAYS ETSY STORE

During the quarantine of 2020, creator Andrew Juhl started telling friends they were living in “strange days”. But then he realised, the planet Earth has always been strange, and full of strange events. He created the first issue of this zine in a single afternoon by writing out his favourite weird stories while sitting on his couch, then sending it to the printers. Now on issue 9, “Strange Days” the zine, like the long days of strangeness the world has lived through the past couple of years, shows no signs of stopping.

SMALL, BUT PERFECTLY FORMED...

The first thing that strikes you about “Strange Days” is how small it is. Roughly the same size as a 7”x5” photograph, it is very tactile and easy to read, and still manages to pack in a lot of good content. Like a cross between a folklore zine and the Fortean Times, “Strange Days” is delightfully unrestrained: reports of high strangeness, unfettered in their randomness, follow each other with no overarching theme. Articles are usually written by Juhl with the occasional guest writer, and are just the right length to intrigue, or even sometimes disturb, the reader without becoming boring. Issue 9’s stories include the Japanese “killing stone”, UFOs in Ireland, possible Mothman sightings in Illinois, Pentagon X-Files, crash-sites on Mars, legendary beasts and the strange parallels between UFO reports. This last mentions the ripped trousers of Robert Taylor, who had an alleged close encounter in a Scottish wood - if ya know, ya know! There is also an interview with Fortean-themed black metal/noise artist Ahulabrum.

"STRANGE DAYS" IS DEEPLY IN TOUCH WITH THE SEASONS....

Each issue is dated to the year’s equinoxes, solstices and seasons, issue 9 being Spring 2022, and there is an explanation of the celebration if release falls on one of them, issue 9 being Walpurgis Night. There is also a featured Tarot card plus an introduction to it by Alexandra Emmons, and many illustrations and b&w photos.

Andrew Juhl is a strong believer, and his (infectious) innocent wonder at weird events comes across strongly in his articles; but he isn’t one of those bad-tempered types who attack people for not believing - the zine as a whole has a positive, healthy vibe and is well-written and informative. There is also a dedicated podcast entitled “The Strange Dispatch” which can be found on all the usual podcast outlets. If you read and enjoy Fortean Times, but need something a little more concise, then "Strange Days" is an essential espresso shot of strangeness.