The practice of making fanzines originated in science fiction fandom in the 1930s, when they were called fanmags. The first printed fanzine was “The Comet,” a fanzine published in 1930 by Raymond Arthur Palmer and published by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago. 

The term fanzine itself dates to at least 1940, and zine may be a back formation. The term and the tradition spread to the emerging media fandom in the 1960s and 70s. Another branching off occurred at roughly the same time with punk culture acquiring the practice via rock music fans who were familiar with sf fandom. Note that punk zine scholarship usually ignores the existence of media fanzines and describes a narrative of historical evolution from sf zines to punk zines to a broader zinester culture. Another inspiration cited for the rise of nonfannish zines is the alternative press boom in the 1960s.

Zine in Fanlore (via udnoestaaqui)