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Underground/Newave Comix: Post Your Obscure, Undocumented or Rarely Discussed
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534 posts in this topic

Bobby London Retrospective and Art Portfolio

Published by: Cartoonists Representatives; Contributor: Bobby London; Date: 1977; Price: ncp; Page Count: 32 pages;
Size: magazine; (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 305; Print information: one printing; number of copies unknown;

For those who are unaware, Bobby London was a member of the infamous “Air Pirates” crew founded by Dan O'Neill that also included Shary Flenniken, Gary Hallgren, and Ted Richards. I will leave the history lesson to the comix historians, but will encourage those who are not familiar with the depressing “Air Pirates” saga to do a little research.

There’s no false advertising within the title of the “Bobby London Retrospective and Art Portfolio”. It is a collection some of London’s Dirty Duck and Merton of the Movement strips with an occasional offer within to purchase the original art. Finding a copy will be a definite challenge.
 

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On 7/20/2021 at 1:50 AM, CDNComix said:

For those who are unaware, Bobby London was a member of the infamous “Air Pirates” crew founded by Dan O'Neill that also included Shary Flenniken, Gary Hallgren, and Ted Richards. I will leave the history lesson to the comix historians, but will encourage those who are not familiar with the depressing “Air Pirates” saga to do a little research.

I really wish I had tracked down a copy of Air Pirates Funnies #1 earlier, they're getting much harder to find at affordable prices.  I should just bite the bullet and grab one before they get worse...

I did pick up a copy of #2 about three years ago from Dog-Eared Books, which is on Valencia St. in San Francisco.  Maybe it's just me, but it just feels RIGHT to me to buy undergrounds in SF, more than anywhere else, even 50 years later.  Goodness knows they turn up down there a lot more than anywhere else I've seen, for obvious reasons.

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On 7/19/2021 at 8:50 PM, mrwoogieman said:

Pulled this one out of a dollar bin a couple weeks ago. Never saw it before!

 

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Star*Reach is actually a pretty good indie series with a surprisingly large collection of big names contributing art or story content. Like this issue, with the Barry Windsor-Smith cover and contributions from Dave Sim and Steve Englehart (among others).

By the way, this book went to a 2nd printing. First printing has an introduction from Mike Friedrich on the inside front cover; second printing has a list of credits.

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On 7/22/2021 at 1:13 AM, OtherEric said:

I really wish I had tracked down a copy of Air Pirates Funnies #1 earlier, they're getting much harder to find at affordable prices.  I should just bite the bullet and grab one before they get worse...

I did pick up a copy of #2 about three years ago from Dog-Eared Books, which is on Valencia St. in San Francisco.  Maybe it's just me, but it just feels RIGHT to me to buy undergrounds in SF, more than anywhere else, even 50 years later.  Goodness knows they turn up down there a lot more than anywhere else I've seen, for obvious reasons.

Yes, it is cool when you find an underground in SF. I do not know what you would consider affordable but here are some recent sales of AP#1 from the last year. Someone got a bargain about a year ago - $26. Be patient and look everday and I would think that you should be able to land a higher grade copy for $50-75 within a year.

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On 7/22/2021 at 3:42 AM, CDNComix said:

Yes, it is cool when you find an underground in SF. I do not know what you would consider affordable but here are some recent sales of AP#1 from the last year. Someone got a bargain about a year ago - $26. Be patient and look everday and I would think that you should be able to land a higher grade copy for $50-75 within a year.

I would consider under $100 to be affordable... but when I started casually looking a few years ago, I was thinking around 50 but figured I had time, since they turned up not infrequently.  I'm adding it to my regular searches instead of just occasionally looking and will get one before too long.

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On 7/20/2021 at 3:34 PM, CDNComix said:

Thanks for the post. It's a pretty well known bronze age independent/alternative series. In fact there's a really good summary of Star*Reach and its influence on the bronze age and then modern comics in a decent overview book called the Star*Reach Companion. If it is an interest to you: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Reach-Companion-Richard-Arndt/dp/1605490512

Agreed. #1 has Chaykin's Cody Starbuck. When the Star Wars movie came out I thought Starbuck must have been the model for Han Solo. Did Chaykin get any credit for that?

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On 7/23/2021 at 12:51 AM, Albert Thurgood said:

Agreed. #1 has Chaykin's Cody Starbuck. When the Star Wars movie came out I thought Starbuck must have been the model for Han Solo. Did Chaykin get any credit for that?

I am not a "Star Wars" scholar (there's probably graduate degrees these days) but I have always heard that "Han Solo" was based on Francis Ford Coppola. Was there borrowing or inspiration from the Cody Starbuck character? I am afraid you would have to ask the persons involved - Lucas probably has plenty of time these days in between counting piles of money.

What I can offer is a suggestion (which seems to become reality in the eye of public very quickly these days) instead. Chaykin was given the opportuntity (which he took) to produce the artwork for the first 10 issues of Marvel's "Star Wars" 1977 series. I believe the first 6 issues were a recounting of the movie and then he was given the oppotuntity to breakaway from movie's storyline and tell the tale of what happened afterwards. Quite an honour, but why was it given to Chaykin? Only Yoda knows.

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Good Food – Cartoons to Color

Published by: CSU Extension Office; Contributors: Artie Romero; Mike Gordon; Mel Grier; Date: 1977; Price: ncp; Page Count: 22 pages; including 12 coloring pages;
Size: magazine; (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: non-underground; Print information: number of printings and copies unknown;

On page 6 of this thread, I posted a similar publication from the CSU Extension Office, another non-underground (Starfood Comics - Capt. Bushboogie & Co.) produced by Artie Romero as an edu-comic to develop good nutrition habits for kids. Definitely not everyone’s collecting area, but finding early peripherals like these always gives me a thrill. If you have any, please post.

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Goose Lake Gags

Published by: Goose Lake Park Inc.; Contributors: Gary Grimshaw; Al Shamie; Songer; Rick Giff; Larry Benjamin; Bobby Mann; Chip Charlton; Ginn Russo; Tom Wright; Pat Cully; Carlson Goodson; Shawnee Mission; Date: 1970; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 20 pages;

Size: magazine; (7.5 x 10.75); Kennedy #: 880; Print information: one printing; number of copies unknown;

About a year after Woodstock and Altamont, there was the Michigan’s Goose Lake Festival of August 1970. Building on the mistakes from the better known previous mega-events, Goose Lake was situated on a fully planned site dedicated to holding large music festivals. One of the fruits of their pre-planning was Goose Lake Gags, a program that provides site information, a map of the festival grounds, act information concert schedule and a tip-of-the-hat to underground comix.

It’s cover is a definite contender for “my all time favourite underground comix cover”. My copy is the “trimmed version” and was not stapled or bound. Note of caution: I have seen copies posted for sale that have the center pages missing (festival grounds map).
 

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The Hang-Up

Published by: Aboveground Comics; Contributor: Randall Muir; Date: 1978; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 36 pages;

Size: magazine; (8.0 x 10.0); Kennedy #: 944; Print information: one printing; number of copies unknown;

An obscure, adult themed, morality tale from (I am proud to say) from Canada. From Thunder Bay, Ontario of all places. Both this book and its creator seemed to have dropped off of the face of the Earth since its publication.

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Storybook  Comics

Published by: self published; Contributors: Joe Zabel; Bud Perkins; Bill Loeb; Date: 1981; Price: ncp; Page Count: 32 pages;
Size: digest; (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1895; Print information: one printing; number of copies unknown;

I love bronze age, horror/Sci-Fi/fantasy comics zines as much as true underground comix pubs. I would shovel them all day long into my comic boxes without ever tiring of them.

Storybook Comics (imaginative name) contains three stories from a trio of collaborators. Zabel and Loeb had paired-up a year earlier for another Kennedy listed book, Agent Gedon. Bud Perkins appears on page 5 on this thread in a similar horror digest Grue-Toons.

Until about 2 months ago, I did not even know what SBC looked like until it was spotted sitting a top of a couple other comics as part a large underground lot. Part of the reason is that its harder to identify something that does not a cover title, but mainly because its seems to be on the rarer side like most of the Kennedy listed horror/Sci-Fi comic zines.

BTW - the same person who pointed out the lot that had the example that was my first sighting, also messaged that there a copy for sale in Europe about a month later. Thanks V.

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On 5/15/2021 at 6:57 AM, salamandersleaze said:

The Incomplete Underground Comix Checklist and the Son of the Incomplete Underground Comix Checklist by Shelby Kirch, with a drawing by Jay Kennedy (1975 &1976)

pretty cool collectors paraphernalia. these were in the first print copy of Chicago mirror #1 that I got a couple months ago, with some handwritten waitlists as well that have some information on some comics... pretty good resource especially for seeing what was really obscure even then. many of the comics on the want list, if not all, are still pretty damn hard to get a hold of. definitely down to trade these if someone makes me an offer... not sure how obscure they are but I haven't been able to find any others online and im assuming that they were just distributed to other collectors in a pre internet fashion of essentially what we are doing here... also, have no idea who Shelby birch is! doing research after I post this... 

 

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GREAT!!!  Thanks to share.

 

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Storybored

Published by: Famous Dog Productions; self-published; Contributor: David Miller; Date: 1981; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 8 pages;
Size: magazine; (7.5 x 10.0); Kennedy #: 1896; Print information: one printing; 100 copies; some signed;

This is the first time that I have posted two books, back-to-back with consecutive Kennedy numbers. Getting lazy!

Storybored surprised me on a few levels because my expectation would have been another “Comix World” type mini, since David Miller has several of those under his belt. It is magazine sized, a true comic with underground content. I am glad that David Miller decided to enter a new frontier with this one.

Please note a deviation from Kennedy: my copy is not signed (there is a box, lower right corner of front cover) as opposed to the guide’s citation of signed copies.
 

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Amra-Arma Meets The Lurker Within!

Published by: self-published; Contributors: Jeff Karl ; Kurt Bischoff; Jan Stan; Sidney A. Seidenberg; Stanley Marsh; William Hibbard; Mort Garson; J.B; Date: 1975; Price: band giveaway; Page Count: 36 pages;

Size: comic; (6.75 x 8.75); Kennedy #: 68; Print information: one printing; number of copies unknown;

Underground collections are in some ways like bar inventories. Most contents will be considered by many to be “house” caliber or even worse “bottom of the barrel gut rot”.

Amra-Arma is definitely “top shelf” on many levels. All colour, use of high grade production materials (acid free, heavy stock, high gloss cover and marble textured interior stock). Simply delightful.

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Laughing Man Productions Mail Set
Published by: Laughing Man Productions; self-published; Contributors: Mark Fisher; Wylie Fisher; Date: 1983; Price: ncp;

Multi-publication set:

1) card board mailing envelope; 9.5 x 15.25;
2) The Floating Mummy; 8 pages; 6.5 x 8.5;
3) Hi-Tech Fever; 12 pages; 7.0 x 8.5 ;
4) Spencer’s Dilemma ; 8 pages; 7.0 x 8.75;
5) TV Guise ; 8 pages ; 6.75 x 8.5 ;
6) The Cavemen Discover Food; 8 pages; 7.0 x 8.75;
7) Dr. Otto Blotz’s; one side sheet; 7.5 x 8.75;

Kennedy #: published post guide; Print information: one printing; 20 copies; all signed, except Cavemen and mailer; all stickered, except Caveman;

Another wonderful example of a “handmade” publication from one of my favourite “newavers” – Mark Fisher. This time Mark brings his young son Wylie on aboard to share the fun with his Caveman story.
 

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Every Day Has its Dog.

Published by: Raw Books; Contributor: Art Spiegelman; Date: 1979; Price: ncp; Page Count: 8 pages;

Size: mini; (4.25 x 6.0); Kennedy #: 683; Print information: one printing; number copies unknown;

One of about eight mail books (and many more peripherals) published by Raw Books within the first year of its founding. Refer to page nine of this thread to access the other Spiegelman effort “Work and Turn”.

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Critter Papers

Published by: self-published; Contributor: Jerry Collins; Date: 1979; Price: ncp; Page Count: 22 pages; single sided
Size: magazine; (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 559; Print information: unknown;

An “early” anthropomorphic alternative comic fanzine that has some adult content (“bare breasted” cartoon characters). I guess it is that specific content that swayed Kennedy to list it as an underground, rather than as a ground level that are listed in another section at the back of guide, just like Cerebus the Aardvark was.

A couple of years later, Jerry Collins would team up with Tim Fay to produce about a half a dozen other Kennedy listed ani-alternatives. All of them on the rare side, including Cervine Follies #1 and 2, posted on page 12 of this thread.
 

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Those Loveable Peace-Nuts

Published by: Handicap Publications; Contributors: William Stout; Tom Dunphy (aka General Waste More Land); Calypso Joe  (aka General Hershey Bar; William "Bill" Matons); Date: 1967; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 28 pages;

Size: digest; (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 2004; Print information: unknown;

William Matons and Tom Dunphy were participants in something they called "guerrilla street theater" as a “in character” series of protests to the Vietnam war in the mid-60s. Those Loveable Peace-Nuts was written to be a comic representation of their live performances that featured their satirical characters of General Waste More Land and General Hershey Bar.

According to William Stout, he illustrated TLPN over two weekends over his first summer break while attending the California Institute of the Arts.
 

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Visages Portfolio

Published by: Everyman Studios; Contributors: Darrell Anderson; Arnie Romero; Date: 1978; Price: ncp; Page Count: holder, signed and numbered; 20 single sided prints; consecutively numbered on back;
Size: digest; folded holder (6.25 x 8.75); prints (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 2139; Print information: one printing; 80 signed and numbered copies;

Visages is more of sci-fi art portfolio (1978 being the golden age of such things) than an underground. Kennedy probably cited in his guide because of those who were involved rather than content reasons – Everyman Studios. As explained at the top of the inner part of the holder, Visages is a retrospective art portfolio by Darrel Anderson that includes:

  1. 10 black white prints (#1-10) from his early work (1971) that have a definite Bode influence;
  2. 4 colour prints (#11-14) produced via standard four colour process offset;
  3. 6 colour prints (#15-20) produced via four colour with an additional 3 colour secondary print.

I usually pare down contributor credits when it involves editing, poetry, prose and other non-art/comic content. This is the first time that have added someone (Arnie Romero) whose contributions are not cited within the publication or by the Kennedy guide. The four process colour plus three prints are gorgeous and the printer (Arnie) deserves credit. 
 

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