Factsheet Five is back... with a vengeance! We have to admit that a little bit of our will to live was lost when editor/publisher Mike Gunderloy called it quits several years ago. As the original Beyond Cyberpunk! went to press, Factsheet Five was abruptly, sadly pronounced dead. Within days, one Hudson Hayes Luce stepped forward and promised to bring the mag back to life. Luce had no publishing experience, but was a fan of zines, and felt, in true DIY spirit, that he could keep the small publishing legend alive. Well, as anyone in zine publishing knows, it's hard work! (as the saying goes: "They don't get laid, they don't get paid, but they sure do work hard!") Luce managed to put out one issue before calling it quits.
It looked as though the final nails would be driven into the coffin when rumors started circulating that Seth Friedman, editor of the zine Food for Thought, was going to try and revive the quickly decomposing corpse. We Neowobblies didn't hold our breath (that could be dangerous!), but news of this possible resurrection gave us some degree of hope and prevented us from doing anything stupid with high- powered weapons and explosives.
Well, we're here to tell ya that Seth and friends have done it! It's back, it's beautiful, and it seems to have a viable future. Friedman has done an amazing job of capturing the spirit of the old F5 while making some needed design and business changes. The new F5 is better laid out, easier to read, and even sports an index! Sure the eccentric and colorful Gunderloy is missed, but Seth, Jerod Pore, Larry-Bob and the other reviewers are no slouches either.
In the business department, Seth has designed a data base template that allows reviewers to send in reviews ready-to-import into the magazine template. He has also come up with a post card system whereby he sends a zine's review to its editor printed on a post card instead of having to send an entire complimentary copy of the magazine. This saves him lots of money. Hey, this guy seems to know what he's doing!
The NeoWobblies say: "One publishes to find comrades." The rowdy beer hall where the comrades meet and exchange war stories from the front is called Factsheet Five. We're thrilled that it's open for business once again. The next round's on us!
(G. Branwyn)
Links:
ACCESS:
Factsheet Five
Seth Friedman, publisher
P.O. Box 170099
San Francisco, CA 94117-0099
$4/issue, $20/6 issues
graphic: The Joey Zone ad in Factsheet Five
Here is the TEXT POPUP for (The New) Factsheet Five:
"Factsheet Five - Electronic" dumps the electrons that go into the paper version of Factsheet Five into your electronic mail box. You can either get them as they're generated (the "update" version), or after they've coalescent into an "Issue." For more information e-mail Jerod Pore at: jerod23@well.sf.ca.us
The Zine Exchange - If you produce a zine and want to exchange multiple copies of it for a pile of other zines, send a bunch of 'em and a LARGE envelope with lots of postage on it. Jerod Pore will fill your envelope up with (hopefully) cool stuff and send it back to you. You can't request a specific zine, but you can give him general categories: "sex," "technology," "comics," etc. Write to: The Zine Exchange, Factsheet Five, 1800 Market St. SF, CA 94102
Some recent "Editor's Choice" selections:
Dead Jackie Susann Quarterly
A lesbian zine that mixes political humor with pop culture. $2. Dead Jackie Susann Quarterly, 496 A Hudson St., Suite K40, New York, NY 10014. (28 pages)
Electronic Surveillance Project
Microwave Harassment and Mind-Control Experimentation
THE most frightening, paranoia-inducing publication that we've come across. $15/4 issues. Julianne McKinney, Electronic Surveillance Project, 921 Pleasant St., Assoc. of Nat'l Security Alumni, Des Moines, IA 50309. (23 pages/professional)
Paranoia
The Conspiracy Reader
All the latest conspiracy news in a bold, clear style...heavily researched, well written, and plainly documented for further study. $3/issue. ROS, PO Box 3570, Cranston, RI 02910 (24 pages/slick)
