Like many people, I was surprised and confused when I first saw the cover of the new issue of Cometbus.  Aaron Cometbus on tour with Green Day now?  Luckily, he too had reservations about joining his old friends on the road again after 20 years.  He explores a lot of these internal dilemmas in the 96 page zine.  He paints a beautiful picture of friends reuniting and having a blast despite going in different directions in life.  Throughout the issue, there are also many flashbacks to the first couple tours Aaron did with Green Day, most of them including their old drummer Al.  He talks about the tour in a great way that anyone can relate to, even if you’ve never been on tour with a band before.  He notes how far the band has come, but does it in a non-judgmental way despite his personal beliefs and ideals.

I really like this zine for two reasons.  One, I love the way Aaron Cometbus writes.  The way he tells a story is incredible, which is why i’m very excited to see him speak/read at the Chicago Zine Fest.  Anytime he releases a new issue, I run out to buy it as soon as I can

My second reason is that given how popular Green Day is, this issue will be read by many people who normally don’t read zines.  A lot of Green Day fans are also young kids who are looking for something new and exciting to get into.  I really like the thought of this zine introducing a lot of people into the zine community.

You can buy Cometbus #54 at Last Gasp for $4.00: http://www.lastgasp.com/d/37405/