flotation device 11

1t> COM1U'TE M'f 'Z\N£ 0~ THE" FA~ SHA\..L SUREL'\' PERISH!.'

welcome to the new issue of flotation device, only three years in the or longer. this \Vas going to be a regular issue, but that was back in 99 or 2000. i cd up not liking prose so i scrapped it. but i liked the idea. i wanted to talk about how i got into zincs in the first place. so a few years later i came up with the 路 genius plan of having com people draw my stories. lazy. i could keep the idea and work on new issues at the same time. cake! but as is the case, life happens and here is years later. but it's fmally done and i'm super happy to finish it. thanks to all the artists for their time and patience. and thanks to you for reading. write me sometime, let me know what you think and what's up with yr badselves. yay!

ps. the artists i chose are people that have inspired me over the years. here they are in order of appearance. kevin, rob, missy, onsmith, john, ben, jeff, john, ben, kevin, missy, anders, cole, onsmith, gabrielle, allison, onsmith, ryoko, dylan, missy, dylan, ryoko, cole, missy. Iilli.

this is tlotation device 11 by keith helt c. 2005. at least the words that is, the art is by the individnnl artists. florationdcvice@gmail.com 1242 ~,k;m st. woodstock. il 6009R.

The first zine i saw immediately changed my perspective of the world, and I guess the reason I still read them heavily is because they have continued to shape and enrich that persepctive. And in creating my own zines over the years, I was afforded the opportunity to express myself in any way that I chose - total freedom of communication, total art and action. I'd say a great deal of my education has come from zines and some of the most brilliant and wonderful individuals I've yet met were through a shared love of this amazing, vital medium. Essentially, reading zines and creating them is among the things that, from my standpoint, simply makes life worth living.

jon resh- viper press presents / amped

This kid Erik Grotz, who I sort of looked up to in high school in Dumfries, Virginia, did a zine called action time. It focused mostly on the D.C. hardcore scene and it blew me away. I was on the newspaper staff, but a self-published zine was unthinkable to me until I met Erik. Zines were part of the punk rock mystery to me, but they weren't as scary as leather-jacketed thugs asking for cigarettes at shows. People with glasses wrote zines but they weren't as passive as me and my comic book/ AD&D friends. Zines tapped into something that I very much wanted to know about and become a part of. [Zine] writing is way more relevant to my life than the New York Times or Details or the X-men. Of course, the bulk of zines (like any other art form) can be trite, banal, predictable, etc. But stuff like Doris, Scam, King Cat, Cometbus, Scenery, etc., ranks up there with my favorite hardback books. Zines are a tangible embodiment of diy. travis fristoe - america?

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[ 1 33]

Relatives: merry christmas_L

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I'VE GOT ONE MORE S~AMC>VL tONrESSION . u•-T~E IJ~OLE REASON '"rLOTATION OEVICE" EXISTS IS BECAUSE Or .. . \JELL, &EC~US[ or A GIRL .

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a tnillion thank yous alana bailey - amazing printing abilities, incredible patience, total dedication to getting this issue out - without her, this wouldn't exist.

cheryl weaver - technical support, guidance, time. anders nilsen - technical support, veggie dogs, friendship. jeremy smith- technical support, guidance, palsville. eric decourcey - computer construction, swellness. the artists (friends, pals, inspirations) -jeremy, ryoko, anders, ben, missy, john, ted, kevin, cole, lilli, rob, dylan, allison, gabrielle, jeff.

the remaining zinesters - originally i had interviewed a bunch of zinesters asking them how they each got into zines and why they do them. once i switched gears to comics stylee, the interviews didn't really work. but, two excerpts survived: jon resh- who did the truly amazing amped that you should check out; and travis fristoe - who does the equally amazing zine america? travis is also a librarian in gainseville. yay! jon actually spent time in gainseville in a band called spoke before he moved to chicago. come to think of it, maybe they know each other. weird. let's ask them. also thank you to all interviewed zinesters. you know who you are. thank you for yr time. the rories - alex and eric! continuing the over-educated rock star dream! the kids - all of you for waiting for a few years for this new issue to come out. i'm into yr patience. jeff levine, ed brubaker, the minutemen- for inspiring me and setting me on the path of zines, minicomics and diy when i was a wee fifteen .

about them gabrielle bell- genius behind the "book of" series. black, insomnia, sleep, lies, ordinary things. now collected in "when i'm old and other stories." see also orchid and bogus dead. contact her at gabriellabell@yahoo.com.

jeffrey brown- genius behind autobios like "unlikely" and "clumsy" and the hilarious 'be a man." contact him at jeffreybrownrq@hotmail.com. or visit him at margomitchell.com I the I indexthc.htm earn~- aquatic genius behind "deep sea diving," "woodsman pete" and "swell." contact her amazing self at lcarre@ artic.edu and be blown away.

lilli

benjamin chandler- genius behind his own one of a kind artist books as well as a genius anthology supplier. he's also an enigma. where is he? blchandler@sbcglobal. net, that's where. allison cole - genius behind a million mini comics plus the book "never ending summer." contact her at her site, comicsoflove.com. kevin huizenga- genius behind the genius "supermonster" series and the more current "or else. chat with him thru his site www.usscatastrophe.com. dylan horrocks - genius behind one of the greatest comics of all time, "pickle," now collected as "hicksville." learn all about him and his current projects at www. hicksville.co.nz. cole johnson- genius behind the series "sugar free days" and the anthology "pink medicine." talk to him through his website. www.sleepovercomics.com. missy kulik- genius behind so many mini comics, who can keep up? also genius crafter of cuteypie items. see what i mean at indiepages.com l missy and missykulik. com. talk to her at someow@gurlmail.com. ted may- genius behind "it lives!" and genius comics journal praise gainer. yes! also co-genius behind usscatastrophe website. talk to him there. anders nilsen - genius behind the series "big questions" and the newish book, "dogs and water." talk to him at ndrs@hotmail.com or look at his website www. margomitchell.com I the I indexthc.htm ryoko o~chi- genius cuteypie crafter. hats. keychains. drawings. and now comics. see also "baka-geta." chat with her at lucyskydiamond2@hotmail.com onsmith- genius hardest working man in comics, anthology maven and soon to be working on his own full length. see bombtime for bonzo, gag hag and his print gocco box set project. say hi at www.onsmithcomics.com. john porcellino- genius behind "king cat comics and stories." mindblower and genius nice guy. look for his new collection "diary of a mosquito abatement man." communicate with him at www.king-cat.net.

robert ullman - genius behind the series "from the curve." illustrator and pump up the volume lover. keep current at www.ullman.lurid.com.

CU!E BOY ARMY

iERES BAS!AN!E MUCHACHOJ

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