Exploring The AFTERSHOCK ZINE SERIES
Exploring The
aFTERSHOCK zINE sERIES
The Behemoth staff reflects on zine culture, creative experimentation, and the creation of the Aftershock series.
Aftershock Logo Design Credit: Valentino Di Pietro Hernandez
Aftershock: A Collaborative Effort for a Literary Magazine to Make Something Tangible
Behemoth publishes big issues with big works from all around the big world. They take a lot of time and coordination and whilst deeply rewarding; It can be a bit much at times. The team was looking for a way to explore ideas and art in a less tense environment. The Aftershock Zine series became the perfect vessel which the Behemoth Team could use to pursue whatever art and ideas they had but couldn’t fully explore in a tight Behemoth Issue.
Aftershock is a collaborative multimedia project blending comics, journalism, photography, illustration, prose, and mixed media into one ever shifting publication.
Aftershock premiered its first issue through Behemoth Magazine at the 2025 Fanzineist Art Book and Zine Fair, where an early preview of the debut issue was displayed alongside thousands of international independent artists, small press creators, and experimental publishers. Aftershock was a perfect match for Fanzineist, and the response we got was golden and motivated us to keep going.
The Aftershock series has since appeared at the 2025 Cat Zine Fest hosted by Cool Cat Collective for Tipped Ears, 2025 Fresno Zine Fest hosted by Sour Milk, the 2026 San Joaquin Valley Bookfest hosted by Judging Books by the Cover, and the 2026 Fanzineist Art Book and Zine Fair. Both Aftershock and its companion issue Neon Claws were also featured at the Zine Pavilion during the 2025 American Library Association Conference, bringing the project into conversation with librarians, educators, independent publishers, and readers from across the country.
The publication’s recurring original comic titles include the psychological action title The First of Its Kind, comedic supernatural series Momimimeow, and comedic action project Bust Breaker.
Traditional Sketch for Aftershock Volume 3: Neon Claws Cover Spread by Scott Knoll
The aesthetics of Aftershock is a mix mash of everything the board at Behemoth love and enjoy. From the experimental storytelling approaches seen in creators like Wren McDonald to the work of the Sacramento-based zine Lowpass Magazine and the relentless drive of Synth History. These influences are only one of many with retro video game magazines, fashion magazines, Japanese design-forward publications, and the graphic rhythm of manga and comic books, fill out the rest of our design principles.
The design process itself remains deeply rooted in DIY zine culture. Early editions of Aftershock were first printed, cut, and folded by hand at local libraries using traditional A5 zine settings before later transitioning to professional printing through Torrid Comics.
The creative team continues to utilize a combination of traditional art, Adobe Creative Suite, Clip Studio Paint, Canva, and Photopea to create Aftershock with no two issues following the same format. Some installments remain compact punk-inspired mini-zines while others expand into larger-format collections featuring extended page counts and multimedia layouts.
DIAGRAM IMAGE — STANDARD SINGLE-SHEET MINI ZINE TEMPLATE + Reading Order.
Check out Dirty Little Zine — Free 8-Page Printable Zine Maker if you don’t have the time to format it all yourself.
Aftershock’s most recent release–Volume 3: Neon Claws—is also one of its most significant. Volume 3 was created for the Cat Zine Fest hosted by the Cool Cat Collective. The issue became the first initiative—led by Scott Knoll and Isabella De La Torre—dedicated toward supporting local animal shelters and the TippedEars Foundation.
Behemoth Gives
Confirmation from Behemoth’s first donation following the Fresno Zine Fest.
Through Aftershock 3# Neon Claws, the project expanded beyond experimental publishing into direct community advocacy; demonstrating how independent print culture can also function as a platform for fundraising, outreach, and local support initiatives.
The team at Behemoth has been working on additional Aftershock releases and new zines are currently planned for release in Fall 2026.
The future of Aftershock remains intentionally unpredictable. No set release schedules, themes, or constraints. Pure unadulterated creativity brought to you by the infectious team at Behemoth.
Aftershock is part magazine, part art experiment, and part underground archive; continuing a tradition of DIY publishing that refuses to disappear.