The shutdown was not intended to be the subject of this issue, but, as with everything, this year threw my intentions in the garbage and set fire to them. And as with most unplanned and unexpected occurrences, this issue and all its components turned out better as a result of the pressure.

+ Andy has made a return, writing a dispatch from his Bean Bunker accompanied by art from the extraordinary Tommy Washbush.

+I’ve written something that is, once again, too long.

+You’ll get to see what’s inside a cooks/chefs fridge.

+You’ll also get to see what it was like for cooks in the early days of the shutdown in comic form.

+I talk to Charlie Hustle himself out in Sydney in the first installment of our “socially distanced conversations.”

+Lastly, we’ve got the first episode of SHIT SHOW. Two out of work cooks drink beers and shit talk movies about cooks. First up is the early 2000’s classic “Waiting…” – SPOILER: its a shitshow.

As promised the entire front page is completely new (don’t worry the first issue will be available for newcomers in the read tab up there) – cover by the idiosyncratic Mitsu Okubo with a new suite of pieces. You’ll notice there are less articles. That was intentional. One goal of this issue for me was to emphasize the visual potential of this project so I set out to make more visual pieces this time.

Like the first issue, this one was born from continuous struggle and cobbled together through depression, anguish and anxiety. Unlike the first issue, this one will not be a large content dump. More conversations, more comics, more articles and more Shit Show will follow. Not only does that give me and the wonderful people I work with a chance to finish work, it also gives you a reason to keep passing through.

I really hope you enjoy it. I also hope it doesn’t take this long for me to make the next issue. As always if you’ve got some shit to say or know someone in the industry who does, send us an email or shoot us a DM.

TELL EVERYONE : NOW THERE’S A PLACE FOR US PEONS.

~ Zakk

Special thanks to my parents for being so supportive. My family for championing this crazy thing. Thanks to the K-man for the constant pushes. Thanks to Al, David and Ellie, your excitement and enthusiasm helps more than you know. Thanks to Andy for killing it again. Thanks to Paulie, AKA Jeffie Goldbloomy, you saved the whole thing. Thanks to all the people who responded and kept engaged.