Underground comix
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Underground comics (or comix) are small press or self-published comic books. The United States scene originated in the underground press and the burgeoning hippie counterculture of the 1960s. The largest center of the comix community was San Francisco, but the movement also included artists and publishers in New York, Chicago, Austin, Texas and Vancouver, Canada. Prominent artists associated with this movement, many of whom also act as editors or publishers, include Vaughn Bode, Robert Crumb, Kim Deitch, Justin Green, Rick Griffin, Jay Lynch, Dan O'Neill, Trina Robbins, Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, Larry Welz, Robert Williams, and S. Clay Wilson.
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[edit] History and themes
Underground comix reflect the concerns of the 1960s counterculture: experimentation in all things, drug-altered states of mind, rejection of sexual taboos, and ridicule of the establishment. The spelling 'comix' was established to differentiate these publications from mainstream 'comics'. The notion of comic books outside the mainstream was suggested by Harvey Kurtzman when he used the headline "Comics Go Underground" on the newspaper-format cover of Mad issue 16 (October, 1954). The term 'underground comics' was created by writer-editor Bhob Stewart during a panel discussion at the July 23, 1966, New York comics convention. On a panel with Ted White and Archie Goodwin, Stewart predicted the birth of a new type of comic book: "I want to say that just as mainstream movies prompted underground films, I think the same thing is going to happen with comics. You will have underground comics just as you have had underground films. This would be more like James Joyce in comic book form. You can see the beginning of this in some of the cartoon panels that have been appearing in the East Village Other."
Mainstream comics are typically produced by a team (including a writer, a penciler, an inker, a letterer, and an editor), while underground books were often done by a single person. As it can take very long for a single artist to produce a full-length work, many underground artists contributed shorter works to anthology comic titles. A well-known example is the comic Funny Aminals (1972), edited by Terry Zwigoff with short pieces by Crumb, Griffith, Lynch, Spiegelman and Shary Flenniken.
Underground comix were initially distributed primarily though head shops.[1] In the mid-1970s, sales of drug paraphernalia was outlawed in many places, and the distribution network for these comics (and the underground newspapers) dried up, leaving mail order as the only commercial outlet for underground titles.[1] In the late 1970s, major publishers Marvel and D.C. agreed to sell their comics on a no return basis at large discounts to comic book retailers, which led to later deals that helped underground publishers.[1] In 1982, the distribution of underground comix changed through the emergence of specialty stores.[1] Today, reprints of early underground comix continue to sell alongside modern underground publications.[1]
[edit] Legacy
Film and television began to reflect the influence of underground comix in the 1970s, starting with the release of a film adaptation of Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat directed by Ralph Bakshi, which was the first animated film to receive an X rating from the MPAA.[1] Further adult-oriented animated films influenced by underground comix followed, including The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat and Down and Dirty Duck.[1] The influence of underground comix has also been attributed to films such as The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Forbidden Zone (1980).[1] Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus originated from a strip published in a 1973 underground comic.[1] Bill Griffith's Zippy the Pinhead originally appeared in underground titles before being syndicated.[1]
[edit] Publishers
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Selected bibliography
- Estren, Mark James A History of Underground Comics, (Straight Arrow Books/Simon and Schuster, 1974; revised ed., Ronin publishing, 1992)
- Kennedy, Jay. The Underground and New Wave Comix Price Guide. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Boatner Norton Press, 1982.
- Rosenkranz, Patrick. Rebel Visions: the Underground Comix Revolution,1963-1975 Fantagraphics Books, 2002. ISBN 1-56097-464-8
- Sabin, Roger Comix, Comics and Graphic Novels, (Phaidon, 2001)
[edit] External links
- Moore Collection of Underground Comix - A special collection of the library of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)
- Lynn R. Hansen Underground Comics Collection - A special collection of the library of Washington State University
