SHUCK #5

TITLE - SHUCK #5

CREATED BY - ADA NEMESIS & MATT WILLIS 

GENRE - FOLK HORROR/FOLKLORE/FOLKTALES FROM NORFOLK AND ITS SURROUNDINGS  

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - UNITED KINGDOM 

A5/50 PAGES/BLACK & WHITE/PAMPHLET

PRICE - £7.50 + SHIPPING FROM THE SHUCK ETSY STORE

Like "Wyrd", "Shuck" has reached five issues (read my review of the first four issues here) and is comfortably fitting into the folklore zine niche while putting its own spin on the genre. The theme and title of issue 5 is "The Deep", it is a heady mix of weird tales, spells you can cast yourself, bold and vivid art by Matt Willis, tarot, recipes and ancient lore. 

As ever, we are welcomed to the zine by the esoteric and otherworldly (literally, as she resides in the afterlife) Ada Nemesis who presents a collection of sea-tainted tales from the haunted wilds of Norfolk. We meet the Happisburgh Torso, the nearly-headless (save for a gristly string of flesh) ghost of a smuggler, the Norfolk witch who supposedly drowned thirteen sailors by boiling the same amount of eggs, (this article also includes an interesting treatise on the history of eggs and their alleged use in witchcraft through the ages), the dreaded Sheringham Yow-Yows, drowned villages and mermaids. 

Issue #5's spell uses the power of the sea to enable the practitioner to let go of something which no longer does them good. Full and clear instructions are given, as always. The lavish centre-spread features a guide to lunar botany and the various plants associated with the different phases of the moon and tides, and there is also a guide to the superstitions of the sea. The issue is rounded off with a recipe for and short history of the potent sea vegetable samphire by Ada herself.

Named after the legendary spectral dog Black Shuck, who pops up in the stories from time to time, the zine is always incredibly informative, well-researched and a gruesomely fun read with a strong emphasis on natural magic and esoterica. Ada Nemesis' writing and Matt Willis' art and illustrations are always high-quality, combining to create a truly enjoyable experience.