Radioactive was a black-and-white graffiti ‘zine published between 1991 and 1996. It briefly returned with one official issue in 1998 and a few small, privately printed editions in 1999. The magazine was created by members of HRC and their friends.
The early issues mixed Finnish, English, and Swedish — an approach inspired by Gasmask, an earlier Helsinki-based graffiti ‘zine. At the time it felt funny and worth imitating. Once Radioactive found its own voice, the language was switched permanently to English.
Since many texts were written by early teenagers without any editorial help, the grammar (and sometimes even the point) could be a bit rough. For this site, the texts have been lightly proofread to make them more readable, while keeping the original spirit intact. The mixed language sections are also translated to English.
The first issues focused mainly on graffiti from Espoo, Finland’s second-largest city. From issue #4 onward, the coverage expanded to it’s surrounding areas. Occasionally Radioactive received material from pen pals abroad, including the Netherlands (Bomber Magazine) and France (Xplicit Grafx & 33 C’est Fresh!), who sometimes forwarded photos from cities like New York, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.