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==Life and work==
==Life and work==
Wilson was born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] and later attended the [[University of Nebraska]]. He was trained as a medic in the [[United States Army]] and held odd jobs before moving to [[San Francisco]] in 1968. Wilson lived in Lawrence, KS before moving West. He met up with [[Charles Plymell]], who was publishing [[Robert Crumb|Robert Crumb's]] ''[[Zap Comix]]''. Wilson had been drawing since he was 12, and needed little persuasion to contribute to ''Zap''. His work was praised by such counterculture icons as [[William S. Burroughs]] and [[Terry Southern]].
Born in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]], Wilson attended the [[University of Nebraska]]. He was trained as a medic in the [[United States Army]] and held odd jobs before moving to [[San Francisco]] in 1968. Wilson lived in Lawrence, Kansas, before moving West. He met up with [[Charles Plymell]], who was publishing [[Robert Crumb]]'s ''[[Zap Comix]]''. Wilson had been drawing since he was 12 and needed little persuasion to contribute to ''Zap''. His work was praised by such counterculture icons as [[William S. Burroughs]] and [[Terry Southern]].


Wilson was also featured in ''[[The Rip Off Review of Western Culture]]'', in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with
Wilson was featured in ''[[The Rip Off Review of Western Culture]]'', in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with
Wilson, interviewed by Robert Follett, the editorial director of the magazine/comic book.
Wilson, interviewed by Robert Follett, the editorial director of the magazine/comic book.


According to Charles Plymell (an editor of ''Grist'' magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in ''Grist #7'' magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in ''Grist #9,'' also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of ''Grist.'' His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form).
According to Plymell (an editor of ''Grist'' magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in ''Grist #7'' magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in ''Grist'' #9, also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of ''Grist''. His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form).


A striking feature of S. Clay Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage.
A striking feature of Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage. Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring zombie pirates and visualizations of the [[Our Lady of Guadalupe|Virgin of Guadalupe]] as a rotting vampire mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many [[counterculture|countercultural]] figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered.


⚫
The main book collection of Wilson's comics is the ''Checkered Demon Anthology Vol. 1'' from [[Last Gasp]]. ''The Art of S. Clay Wilson'', published in 2006 by [[Ten Speed Press]], covers his prints and paintings as well as his comics work.
Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring [[zombie]] pirates and visualizations of the [[Our Lady of Guadalupe|Virgin of Guadalupe]] as a rotting [[vampire]] mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many [[counterculture|countercultural]] figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, S. Clay Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered.

⚫
The main book collection of S. Clay Wilson's comics is the ''Checkered Demon Anthology Vol. 1'' from [[Last Gasp]]. ''The Art of S. Clay Wilson'', published in 2006 by [[Ten Speed Press]], covers his prints and paintings as well as his comics work.


==Brain injury==
==Brain injury==
On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_suffers_severe_b.html ''The Oregonian'']</ref> After attending the [[Alternative Press Expo]] in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_so_much_of_his_b.html S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"]</ref>


On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_suffers_severe_b.html The Oregonian]</ref> After attending the [[Alternative Press Expo]] in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_so_much_of_his_b.html S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"]</ref>
After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but he still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of [[aphasia]] following a trauma of this sort.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_out_of_icu.html Steve Duin]</ref> He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_the_long_and_win.html Steve Duin]</ref> when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.<ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_benefit.html Steve Duin]</ref>
⚫
Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.<ref>[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/ Wilson and Me: An Update, July 2010.]</ref>

After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of [[aphasia]] following a trauma of this sort.<ref>http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/11/s_clay_wilson_out_of_icu.html</ref> He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,<ref>http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_the_long_and_win.html</ref> when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.<ref>http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2008/12/s_clay_wilson_benefit.html</ref>
⚫
Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.<ref>[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/ WILSON AND ME, an update……July 2010]</ref>


==S. Clay Wilson characters==
==S. Clay Wilson characters==
⚫
Tree Frog Beer is the drink of choice for many of these characters.
*[[The Checkered Demon]]
*[[The Checkered Demon]]
*Star-eyed Stella
*Star-eyed Stella
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*Hog Riding Fools (motorcycle gang)
*Hog Riding Fools (motorcycle gang)
*Club Choad Charley (a member of the Hog Riding Fools)
*Club Choad Charley (a member of the Hog Riding Fools)

⚫
("Tree Frog Beer" is the drink of choice for many of these characters).
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wilson.htm Lambiek Comiclopedia entry on Wilson]
*[http://www.sclaywilsontrust.com/2010/07/16/wilson-and-me/#more-1 S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust]
* [http://sonic.net/~goblin/8wilson.html Interview with Wilson]
*[http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wilson.htm Lambiek: S. Clay Wilson]
* [http://www.word-play.com/books/grimm.html Wilson's Grimm, By Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by S. Clay Wilson]
*[http://sonic.net/~goblin/8wilson.html Interview with Wilson]
* [http://www.vlib.us/beats/sclaywilsonplymell.html The Underground Genius Surfaces] On artist S. Clay Wilson, by Charley Plymell
*[http://www.word-play.com/books/grimm.html ''Grimm'' by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by S. Clay Wilson]
*[http://www.vlib.us/beats/sclaywilsonplymell.html "The Underground Genius Surfaces" by Charley Plymell]]


==Notes==
⚫
{{Reflist|2}}


{{Underground comix cartoonists}}
{{Underground comix cartoonists}}
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| PLACE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, S. Clay}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, S. Clay}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:1941 births]]

Revision as of 02:05, 10 February 2012

S. Clay Wilson
Born(1941-07-25)July 25, 1941Expression error: Unrecognized word "july".
Lincoln, Nebraska
OccupationCartoonist

S. Clay Wilson (born July 25, 1941) (Steve or Steven) is an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Wilson is known for aggressively violent and sexually explicit panoramas of "lowlife," often depicting the wild escapades of pirates and bikers. He was an early contributor to Zap Comix, and Wilson's artistic audacity has been cited by R. Crumb as a liberating source of inspiration for Crumb's own work.

Life and work

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Wilson attended the University of Nebraska. He was trained as a medic in the United States Army and held odd jobs before moving to San Francisco in 1968. Wilson lived in Lawrence, Kansas, before moving West. He met up with Charles Plymell, who was publishing Robert Crumb's Zap Comix. Wilson had been drawing since he was 12 and needed little persuasion to contribute to Zap. His work was praised by such counterculture icons as William S. Burroughs and Terry Southern.

Wilson was featured in The Rip Off Review of Western Culture, in which he contributed to the three issues that were published in 1972. The third issue of November/December 1972 has an extensive interview with Wilson, interviewed by Robert Follett, the editorial director of the magazine/comic book.

According to Plymell (an editor of Grist magazine), Wilson's first published work was in 1966 in Grist #7 magazine (a poetry magazine by John Fowler) and then in Grist #9, also from that same year. The first appearance of the Checkered Demon is said to have been in an ad in a later issue of Grist. His portfolio was printed the following year in 1967 (with subsequent printings later on in comic book form).

A striking feature of Wilson's work is the contrast between the literate way in which his characters speak and think and the depraved violence in which they engage. Wilson's later work became more ghoulish, featuring zombie pirates and visualizations of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a rotting vampire mother. In many respects, however, his work has remained consistent since his emergence in the 1960s. In contrast to the many countercultural figures who have moderated their more extreme tendencies and successfully assimilated into the mainstream of commercial culture, Wilson's work has remained troubling to mainstream sensibilities and defiantly ill-mannered.

The main book collection of Wilson's comics is the Checkered Demon Anthology Vol. 1 from Last Gasp. The Art of S. Clay Wilson, published in 2006 by Ten Speed Press, covers his prints and paintings as well as his comics work.

Brain injury

On November 8, 2008, Wilson suffered a severe brain injury.[1] After attending the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco and drinking throughout the day, Wilson left the house of a friend and was found by two passersby, face down and unconscious between parked cars. Among his injuries were a fractured neck; it is not known if he was assaulted or passed out.[2]

After a week in intensive care, Wilson was put on an accelerated therapy program, but he still showed major difficulty in summoning words, a common form of aphasia following a trauma of this sort.[3] He had recovered enough to write his own signature in the first week of December, but continued to require hospitalization as of the end of December 2008,[4] when a benefit was held to assist with his medical costs.[5] Another benefit was held in Hollywood in March 2009. Wilson returned home in November 2009, able to draw well and speak a little but still requiring special care.[6]

S. Clay Wilson characters

Tree Frog Beer is the drink of choice for many of these characters.

  • The Checkered Demon
  • Star-eyed Stella
  • Captain Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates
  • Ruby the Dyke
  • Hog Riding Fools (motorcycle gang)
  • Club Choad Charley (a member of the Hog Riding Fools)

References

  1. ^ The Oregonian
  2. ^ S. Clay Wilson: "So Much of His Brain is Damaged"
  3. ^ Steve Duin
  4. ^ Steve Duin
  5. ^ Steve Duin
  6. ^ Wilson and Me: An Update, July 2010.


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