Zine scene thriving in Hamilton

might not be to many people’s tastes, so he was taking a realistic stance about how many of his publications he could sell at the five-hour event.

‘‘If, at the end of the day, I have made enough to buy myself a pizza, I consider that a great success.’’

The 2018 festival had moved to the Meteor from its earlier days at the Creative Waikato offices, around the corner in Alexandra St. There are signs, after at least 70 creators took part, that it could be on the way to outgrowing the new venue.

‘‘It is a great way for people who have created something all by themselves to meet similar sorts of people who they might otherwise never get a chance to,’’ said Bryce Galloway, who established the festival five years ago with his friend Kim Paton, former Ramp Gallery curator.

‘‘It’s primarily a market day, but there are also talks that people give about what they do, why they do it and how they ended up doing it. And every year we throw a great afterparty, too.’’

Many of the zines on display in the theatre on Saturday were esoteric, enigmatic or simply perplexing. Hamiltonian Betty Tills’ Listless was an example of such.

Listless was a carefully compiled and curated collection of lost or discarded shopping lists, most of which she had found in or near the Countdown supermarket on Peachgrove Rd.

‘‘You can find them everywhere if you look,’’ Tills said.

For Hamilton artist and printmaker Jewlia Howard, the festival is a boon. Her zines covered such subjects as ‘‘bad Tinder experiences and puns about bees’’.

‘‘You really need to have a specific festival for zines, because there is not really any other way of promoting them,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s just such a nice community. Everyone is so friendly and nice to each other.’’