A Shop Called Quest Plans IE Zine Fest at Augie's Coffee House in Redlands

People who manage A Shop Called Quest, also known as Comic Quest, are planning the IE Zine Fest this Saturday at Augie's Coffee House in downtown Redlands.

The event is intended to showcase local artists who produce their own graphic art in the zine format gaining popularity with do-it-yourself artists, Ray Duran, a manager at Comic Quest, said Sunday during an interview.

Similar zine events have been held in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Chicago and New York, Duran said.

The IE Zine Fest is subtitled "Fear & Loathing in the Inland Empire," a reference to Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" that first appeared in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971.

The original "Fear and Loathing" was illustrated by Ralph Steadman, and fliers for the IE Zine Fest include "Nevada Hunter" by Aaron Crawford, art that evokes Steadman's rendering of Thompson more than 40 years ago.

"Aaron Crawford is a friend of the shop," Duran said. "He let us use his print. He's based in Augusta, Georgia."

The use of "Fear & Loathing" in the IE Zine Fest subtitle is to remind people there is more to Redlands and the Inland Empire than stereotypes that prevail in some circles, Duran said.

"Most people in Los Angeles and the bigger cities, when they think of the Inland Empire they think of it on their way to Vegas, they think of it more as a desert, with no life," Duran said.

"And we wanted to illustrate that there is life artistically out here. Most people think it's a bunch of dirt and cactus. But we're the Citrus Belt, there's a vibrant community out in the Inland Empire, and we just want to showcase that."

Locally-produced zines at Comic Quest sell for $2 to $10, prices that help cover printing and other costs, Duran said.

Comic Quest has been at its current location, the northeast corner of Orange and Citrus, about two years. The previous location was on the same block, at the southwest corner of 5th and State.

"Some people look at the windows outside, they didn't even know there's a comic shop in Redlands," Duran said. "We've been around for 20 years."

The IE Zine Fest is scheduled 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday Nov. 17 at Augie's, 113 N. 5th St. There is no charge for admission.

Sponsors for the IE Zine Fest include Loaded Sound, the Dregs, Color Ink Book, Focus Victory Clothing Gallery and A La Minute.

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