As the millennium came to a close, graphic design took a "Gothic" turn, using a lot of black and doing their lettering in old Victorian fonts such as the one above. "The Smoking Shadow" was the header for my printed contribution to an "APA" or "Amateur Press Association, a do-it-yourself magazine made by the readers. Participants would create their own chapter, print it using old-fashioned copy machines, and send it to the co-ordinator who would sort them and staple them into sheafs, each one composed of everyone's contribution. This one was my contribution to an APA called "Point 5," co-ordinated by a member of my own APA, "Golden-APA." "Point 5" had a darker mood to it than my own Golden, so I unleashed bits of writing, such as rants, that were a bit edgier than my usual humor. As I remember I featured an essay each time called "Gross-out Corner," as well as negative literary and musical criticism.
The APA format, in the world of paper, graphics, and mailing lists, disappeared in the early 2000s, replaced by the Internet. I have heard that one or two of them still survive, mostly for a sweetness of literary nostalgia, before the Dark Ages came. The title reflects my obsession with volcanoes, which, uh, peaked around the time of publishing. "Point Five" didn't last very long, and I have no idea what happened to the guy who ran it. I still have my copies.
Original art was ink and added computer graphics, 6" x 3", 1999.
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