BOOK/ZINE: Chicago Stories by Aaron Cometbus

Title: Chicago Stories
Author: Aaron Cometbus
Publisher: Self-Published
Year: 2004
Price: $3.00

Review: Aaron Cometbus, DIY and punk prose laureate, constant explorer of the road, and publisher of the essential zine, Cometbus has never made a habit of staying in one place for very long. Even while growing up in Berkely during the early run of Cometbus, his location was scattered though limited. When I happened to cross his path in 2001, he was working in a small bookshop in Pensacola Florida. Keeping to a low profile, he never introduced himself but did invite me to a party. I didn't piece together who he was until I left the store.

This collection of vignettes from past issues of Cometbus, focuses on the time Aaron has spent in the Windy City. Dealing primarily with the exhileration and boredom of being alone in a large city despite all of the people around you, this small retrospective is a great introduction to the meandering thoughts of Cometbus' wandering spirit, though for those of you familiar with Cometbus the zine, it may be jarring for you to realize that Aaron's signature handwritten style has been replaced by a word processor for this one.

Most of the selections are no longer than three or four pages and seem to be arranged chronologically. The early pieces describe lazy days as an irregular regular at such places as the Lincoln Park Zoo and a diner where Aaron studies people and basks in the generosity of the waitress armed with free refills of weak coffee. The later pieces glimpse at an aging punk contemplating what it means to mature and the differences between punks and wanderers of yesterday and today.

Having lived in Chicago for four years now, reading this short collection of the viewpoint of an outsider trying to be a temporary insider revitalized my love for my favorite American city. Simultaneously, it also fed the wanderlust that throbs inside of me on a daily basis. A great read for the bus or an overcast day spent huddled in a doorway on Belmont Ave.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Buy Chicago Stories from Microcosm Publishing: Consume.

Buy Other Books by Aaron Cometbus at Amazon.com

-Double Duce (2003)
-Despite Everything: A Cometbus Omnibus (2002)