Insider: Funhouse magazine

Launched last autumn, Funhouse magazine is an illustrated literary title obsessed with bodies. The first issue went big on the grossness of sweating, twisted bodies, and the latest issue focuses on ‘conflicted bodies’, with bodily transformations, mole removals and disease. Lovely.

We spoke to founder and editor Oliver Zarandi to find out how gory comics, Crash Bandicoot and fresh talent contributed to the making of the new issue.

In the making of this issue I…

Explored
Conflicted bodies from a number of different angles. We have Jac Jemc’s short story about mole removal and Brandon Hobson’s terrifying story about waking from a coma. We have also included some non-fiction with Sarah Wambold’s exploration of green burial in her work The Empress of Holes. She’s a funeral director in Austin, Texas and it’s really worth a read if you want to learn more about the link between death and relationships.

We’ve also got a comic from Bridget M called Transform, which is absolutely disgusting in the best way possible (below).

Got sidetracked by
Life. Making a magazine isn’t easy, especially when we’re just a couple of people. Getting the money together was difficult, but we did it. It’s something to learn from for the third issue though. I’m also working on a novel at the moment, so that definitely made things more difficult.

Watched
A lot of John Carpenter films. But I’d probably be doing that anyway.

Drank
Coffee. Then I usually get a headache and drink about a gallon of water.

Sacrificed
Time. I knew there would be a lot of work when I started Funhouse, but there is much more than I thought! It’s a good thing though, to keep busy, to keep reading amazing new stories and essays and other magazines.

Made sure that
All the work in the magazine offers something different. The work that was sent in was amazing and the ones that made it into the second issue are just fantastic. I am proud of all the writers and their amazing work and feel very lucky to feature it in Funhouse.

Worked from
Home! Mostly playing Crash Bandicoot 3, Mortal Kombat and about a million other computer games. And reading a lot from this ol’ bookshelf (below)

Was excited about
The next issue! We’ve already started work on it and we’re currently looking for essays on place and the body. We’re also starting a reading series and we’ll be at Review in Peckham on 18 August for our first one. Come along!

Couldn’t stop laughing at
Bridget M’s work in the second issue. As the girl texts her friends that ‘it kinda burns LOL’ as she applies cream to her face. It’s the kind of funny I like – a bit gory, a bit Evil Dead 2.

And everyone should buy a copy because
The writing and the illustrations go really well together! We made a conscious effort to have illustrations that matched the story and to make sure the two are seamless. I feel like it really came together well for this issue and the work here took a long time to get together.

One of my favourite pieces in the magazine is Bryony White’s This is Where I Normally Stand, an essay about a photograph of her sister. I feel like she’s already a fantastic writer and will go on to create some amazing work. Also, watch out for Valerie Emma’s poetry in the magazine – it’s the first time she’s been published.

The illustrations in the second issue are just insane too, with work by Lola Belran, Liane Plant, Sam Dunn, Elena Boils and Jan Bielecki. I’m really proud of how the magazine looks and we’re only on our second issue.

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