The Unofficial Underground Comix thread... 14 14

[wpbooks01]

I got into Undergrounds because I was a poor Risk player in the early 1970's.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

7 hours ago, wpbooks01 said:

I got into Undergrounds because I was a poor Risk player in the early 1970's.

The key is Siam!!  

For me, I saw the cover to Zap Comix #0 in a comics publication around the millennium... It blew my mind! I had been into comics for ten years at that point and I had never even heard of or saw underground comix. How could it be that this whole world existed outside of mainstream comics!? Then, c 2002, the wife found me a copy of Estren's History of Underground Comix and it changed my collecting for the next 12 years. 

Edited August 13, 2018 by oldmilwaukee6er

[wpbooks01]

You may be correct about Siam, but while I waited for my two pals to finish the game I was directed to a pile of comics that belonged to my one friend's older brother. In that pile were Zap #0 and #1. Hard to go back to Spidey, FF, Supes and the Caped Crusader when one has taken a walk on the wild side at such a formative age. That Estren book was bought by me moments after it was published. For a few years it was my go-to reference in tracking down UG and was my favorite book on comics!

[FoggyNelson]

I love my freak brother comics reprints ??‼️❤️?

[50 Cent #II (1st)]

On 8/10/2018 at 2:59 PM, wpbooks01 said:

I've had a copy on order since 2/12. A week or so ago I got notification it will be shipping soon and I'm paying the around $13 price I locked it in at from Amazon back when I 'purchased' it along with another book that was part of the order and delivered. Looking forward to finally seeing it!

 

Where does the author 'post', BTW?

You got lucky,  I ordered from amazon the book and for some reason, they cancelled the order.  Had to reorder it. You got lucky.

Carl Richter posts on facebook.

[RebelVisions]

Hi everyone. I haven't seen this forum for a while. I didn't know it still existed but a friend sent me a note saying Black Prince of the Underground was brought up, and here I am. Feels like deja vu.

We had a release party yesterday at the Hollywood theater in Portland, my home town. I presented a 45 minute slide show on Osborne. It was a good turnout too, for such an obscure cartoonist. The book is available from Fantagraphics, and reprints 99% of Osborne's published work. There was a Tiny Tim poster from the 1980s that I couldn't track down, and I think he had an illustration in Dude magazine (Home of the D-Cup) but I'm not sure.

I've been a busy boy and I have two other books coming out this fall. 

PR

[wpbooks01]

You have been, indeed! Waiting for my Osborne book to arrive and have the others on order. So what film was shown at the JO event? I saw the announcement on the FB site. Wish I could have been there. Congrats on all the new projects! My most anticipated books of this or any year!!! Thanks Patrick!!!!

[Brother J]

There is a discussion about price stickered books in the Bronze section, which reminded me of a neat book I bought off eBay a while back. Super Soul Comix. Here's the first one I have, it's stickered, but a pretty common sticker to undergrounds:

 

[Brother J]

Then there is this one, which I thought was weird when I saw it on eBay. Thought I had discovered a new variant. It turned out to be a pretty unique looking sticker, with the old price blacked out with some type of marker. Also included was an info sheet on Grass Green. 

[wpbooks01]

Those red stickers tend to dry and fall off a lot of the comix they were placed on. I started to collect them......just because! They seem unique in style to UG, and are therefore part of the zeitgeist......at least that's how I appreciate them! Collect them all!

[wpbooks01]

On 8/26/2018 at 2:07 PM, RebelVisions said:

Hi everyone. I haven't seen this forum for a while. I didn't know it still existed but a friend sent me a note saying Black Prince of the Underground was brought up, and here I am. Feels like deja vu.

We had a release party yesterday at the Hollywood theater in Portland, my home town. I presented a 45 minute slide show on Osborne. It was a good turnout too, for such an obscure cartoonist. The book is available from Fantagraphics, and reprints 99% of Osborne's published work. There was a Tiny Tim poster from the 1980s that I couldn't track down, and I think he had an illustration in Dude magazine (Home of the D-Cup) but I'm not sure.

I've been a busy boy and I have two other books coming out this fall. 

PR

Patrick,

 Out of curiosity, how does Fantagraphics decide which books are published as hardcovers versus trade paperbacks?

 

Wondering why the Sheridan book gets the HC treatment when the probably as equally obscure Osborne doesn't?

 

Also, I'd think Jay Lynch would be worthy of a hardcover as while his UG material may be less known these days, in recent years he sort of became a quasi-celebrity to a new generation of Wacky Package collectors.....and I do wonder why Wilson's trilogy gets the HC w/DJ honor while Spain rates the TPB treatment?

 

Wondering if you could explain the logistics or thought behind such an editorial or economic decision. Also, looks like the top 2 books pictured are regular Fanta releases while Osborne and Sheridan are part of the Fantagraphics Underground 'subsidiary'. How does that work?  Glad that all these books are coming out in any form, but the various forms do make me wonder, sir! Thanks in advance!!!

[RebelVisions]

Yeah it is confusing. I prefer my books in hardcover but I don't always have a choice. Fantagraphics Underground, or the FU Imprint publishes books with limited appeal in small print runs of 500 or less. Generally they are only sold on the company website or at convention tables. The George Metzger reprint of Beyond Time and Again was one of those. The new Crumb Compendium by Carl Richter is another. Black Prince of the Underground too. They say the FU imprint allows them to take a chance on books that might cost too much to produce and distribute the old way. 

Wilson got hardcovers and Spain got softcovers. No disrespect to Spain, but they could knock five bucks off the retail price of each book that way. They thought they would sell more copies.

Sheridan is another story. The editor Mark Burstein wanted the book to look big and beautiful so he not only waived royalties but also added some of his own money toward production costs. Now that's commitment, huh?

These economic considerations become more critical as old underground fans ride off into the sunset and the youngsters no longer care for the rampant obscenity and impunity that make the undergrounds so damn funny. They're not laughing in this political climate.

I wrote an article for this year's Comicon souvenir book about the 50th anniversary of Zap and I didn't hear even one comment from anyone about it. In fifty years the pendulum will swing back to the left and my grandchildren will benefit from the reprinting of my books to art schools and English departments.

[wpbooks01]

Are you allowed to post the article here, for us who didn't make it to Comicon, or is there some sort of proprietary issue?

Amazon is torturing me having stated yesterday as the day Osborne would be in stock. Apparently it is, and yet I've received no notice of shipment..! Have not seen a copy in person, so I'm champing at the bit to get my grubby hands on it. Sadistic pigs!

Interesting story about the Sheridan book. I've been enjoying it for a couple of weeks now, but I got it through In Stock Trades, which sadly utilizes Diamond as it's distributor, and when I asked about Osborne, was told that it wasn't scheduled through them until Halloween. What kind of game is being played here?

[flashlites]

It's hard to believe Zap is 50 years old this year? I would like to think undergrounds will endure even in this strange and politically correct environment. There are certinally more gags to write and draw about what with the rampant hipocrocy and ridiculous politics.

 

 

[wpbooks01]

From a VHS tape of a news magazine I recorded, originally broadcast on ABC in the early 90's. Can't recall the title.....(shot off my TV screen as I located it tonight while looking for another tape)

 

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by wpbooks01

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 8/27/2018 at 11:10 AM, Brother J said:

Super Soul Comix.

That insert is dynamite! Do you have a scanner J? I would love a copy of it for posterity 

I enjoy this book and was happy to add a nice copy to my collection from a local dealer. Overall, I think this book and Ebon (which I gave away to a co-worker years ago) are undervalued given the run-up of Black Panther, Luke Cage, etc. Many collectors don't know about these. 

Of course I love it for it's local Milwaukee publishing roots. ?

Edited August 30, 2018 by oldmilwaukee6er

[oldmilwaukee6er]

From WWChi... Missing the cyan

Still haven't found the elusive 1st print #1 with the local Milwaukee ads!  I look through every copy I find 

Edited August 30, 2018 by oldmilwaukee6er

[oldmilwaukee6er]

He was 75 when he was 30! Now he's really 75... 

Another WWChi pick-up

[flashlites]

I read that Dennis Kitchen was speaking at SD comicon this year did any one get to see him?

[Brother J]

5 hours ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

From WWChi... Missing the cyan

Still haven't found the elusive 1st print #1 with the local Milwaukee ads!  I look through every copy I find 

If I recall correctly, I believe I picked up my copy of #1 with the local ads from Collector's Edge, the one time I was able to convince them to allow me to root through their underground boxes.

This is a scan of the insert above, I can print it out if you need that, or feel free to just save a copy for yourself. Let me know.