The Unofficial Underground Comix thread... 14 14

[Albert Thurgood]

This is definitely underground. It was printed on a large sheet of paper that was then folded into four, but not cut. So to read it you have to open it out.

It is so rare that it is not listed by MCS and in fact is even beyond the reach and ken of Google.

 

Obviously the quality of the paper was not the best - though it was a match for their spelling.

 

 

 

[Morganmi]

Just Found this Zap 3 at my LCS. Does anyone know how to tell if it's a first or second Edition. I guess the 1st print has a heavier cover stock paper and the cover stock seems heavier than a normal comic on this one,  but hard to tell without another to compare it with.

[OtherEric]

50 minutes ago, Morganmi said:

Just Found this Zap 3 at my LCS. Does anyone know how to tell if it's a first or second Edition. I guess the 1st print has a heavier cover stock paper and the cover stock seems heavier than a normal comic on this one,  but hard to tell without another to compare it with.

http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix3-1st.html

They recommend using a micrometer to figure it out.

[Morganmi]

18 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix3-1st.html

They recommend using a micrometer to figure it out.

Thanks!  Guess I'll go look for a micro meter somewhere.

[L Ludwig]

Regarding precision calipers, the following information is via Steve Fox:

From the measurements I have taken of multiple 1st and 2nd printings, the 1st prints measured from .0060 to .0072 inches. The 2nd prints run from .0032 to .0047 inches. The wide range of 2nd printing measurements is due to the diversity of paper stocks used in different press runs.

But if the cover measures under .0050 inches, forget about getting it authenticated as a 1st printing.

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 2/18/2021 at 12:18 PM, OtherEric said:

The line from the EC's to the Undergrounds is incredibly direct, running right through HELP!  Kurtzman gave a lot of the underground cartoonists their first national exposure in that magazine.

 

First appearance of Fritz the Cat in this issue. 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 2/23/2021 at 11:57 PM, Albert Thurgood said:

After all those nice arty covers above, here is the most provocative cover. It was risky even for the '70s. But funny!

 

They were right about the warning...

This book has a Harvey Pekar story that predates American Splendor

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 3/6/2021 at 3:24 PM, OtherEric said:

http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix3-1st.html

They recommend using a micrometer to figure it out.

Yeah one year on the Comics Price Guide message boards we all bought micrometers and measured our Zap 2-4 covers. 

Moreso than most you can really feel the cover stock difference with #3. Make your comparisons versus typical modern stock and you should be pretty safe with this issue. I like to lie the book flat, open it up and kinda bounce the cover in my hand to gauge relative springyness. 

[Morganmi]

6 hours ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

Yeah one year on the Comics Price Guide message boards we all bought micrometers and measured our Zap 2-4 covers. 

Moreso than most you can really feel the cover stock difference with #3. Make your comparisons versus typical modern stock and you should be pretty safe with this issue. I like to lie the book flat, open it up and kinda bounce the cover in my hand to gauge relative springyness. 

I know I have a  micrometer somewhere just haven't been able to locate it yet. The cover definitely feels heavier and stiffer than the average comic cover though.

[Morganmi]

8 hours ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

Yeah one year on the Comics Price Guide message boards we all bought micrometers and measured our Zap 2-4 covers. 

Moreso than most you can really feel the cover stock difference with #3. Make your comparisons versus typical modern stock and you should be pretty safe with this issue. I like to lie the book flat, open it up and kinda bounce the cover in my hand to gauge relative springyness. 

Still cant find my micrometer and got bored so tried what oldmilwaukee6er said. First compared Zap 3 with a Zap 2 which I thought was a second edition and both seemed to have the same stiff paper ( see pics 1 and 2)

They seem to have the same stiffness but the Zap 3 looks and feels more thick as a whole comic than the Zap 2 for whatever reason.  (see pic 3)

Then I busted out a regular old  80's comic and there was no comparison that it was more floppy. (see pic 4)

So with all that fun the best I can figure without finding that darn micrometer is that my findings are inconclusive on weather its a first or second print but only that the stock paper on both these 50 cent Zap 2 and 3 are much more stiff than a regular comic.

[Morganmi]

weird the pic of Zap 2 didn't show in the last post.

[OtherEric]

9 hours ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

First appearance of Fritz the Cat in this issue. 

That's why I chose that issue in particular.

[FoggyNelson]

1 hour ago, OtherEric said:

That's why I chose that issue in particular.

Another X rated movie in the works

[wpbooks01]

Still looking for the DOPE T-shirt, but it aFrppears I've managed to track down the rest of the SDCC 2019 Freak Brothers swag, unless someone here knows about more???

[felixthecat]

On 3/17/2021 at 1:35 PM, wpbooks01 said:

Still looking for the DOPE T-shirt, but it aFrppears I've managed to track down the rest of the SDCC 2019 Freak Brothers swag, unless someone here knows about more???

That’s awesome. Did you get most of them at the con?

[wpbooks01]

Last SDCC I went to was 2000. so I must answer "NO"!

[Northern Book Ranger]

In regards to The Freak Brothers; I see that Famous Brandz owns some rights to reproduction on certain merchandise and that Famous Brandz is owned by HighTide Inc.(Canadian Company). I have no idea what their future projects might be but they are in control. I just received a ripped up torn up shredded copy of Freak Brothers 1 myself. Of the 800 undergrounds I've been hauling around since 1973 Cosmicon it's one of the most amusing.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

 

[L Ludwig]

Not strictly Underground, but my copy of FOO! #1 just closed at Heritage Auction for a much higher price than I was expecting. This coupled with the recent sale of "Crumb's last Zap" at PBA Galleries early this year leads me to wonder if there might be a positive inflection point for key artifacts and Comix? (I have heard that 2008 was the high water mark for Undergrounds.)

[wpbooks01]

$19,200 is a princely sum, indeed! Seems much scarcer than a Plymell Zap, so obviously the Crumb provenance played a major role!  Got the other issues to go with the Foo! #1? Congrats!