Oliver East’s Trains Are … Mint: Walking Train Tracks

This chapter explores Oliver East’s series Trains Are … Mint as a psychogeographical case study, emphasising how zines can articulate urban and rural interstices. East’s narrative journey along train tracks becomes a meditation on space through the use of frame transitions in his comics, effectively spatialising time and encapsulating the rhythm of his walks. His method of inscribing the city, through graffiti and text embedded within the urban landscape, reclaims and personalises often overlooked spaces. The analysis considers the role of “autographics” (Whitlock) and metafiction in East’s work, highlighting how these elements blend reality with imagination to enhance reader engagement. East’s self-representation in the narrative explores subjective experiences of place, emphasising psychogeography’s potential to transform mundane landscapes into sites of personal significance and creative expression. By integrating these aspects, the chapter argues that East’s zines not only document his physical journeys but also challenge conventional mappings of space, inviting a re-evaluation of these “edgelands” (Shoard) as spaces rich in narrative potential.