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

Famous Potatoes

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: Bryon Werner; Clay Wilson (one issue) Date: 1978 - 1981; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 20 pages

Size: small comic (6.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: 7 issues; one printing; copies unknown

Byron Werner combines the comix that he produced in the early 1970s as "Your Name Here", with newer: dada collages, spoof news stories/ads and dialogued stock photo images, as a mock tabloid series. Interestingly, enough Matt Groening is given "special thanks" with providing his technical advice for the first issue. Whether this series is truly underground is open for debate, but I feel it's worth consideration and should to be collected.

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Fanboy #5 (the "real" first printing)

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: under pseudonym: Jay Lynch; Glenn Bray; Denis Kitchen; Bob Armstrong; Al Dodge; Date: 1972 or late 70s; Price: 35 cents and one dollar; Page Count: 21 single sided pages (first printing); some later printings were rumoured to have material added

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11) Kennedy #: 701; Print information: at least three or four printings; first printing 11 copies and 20 copies per later printing

Ohh, man!  Some work has to be done here.  I do not believe that Kennedy was entirely correct with his information concerning Fanboy and to make matters worst there are conflicting stories from some of those involved.

At a Chicago Comic Con (Kennedy states late 70s and Lynch much earlier 72 or 73), Jay Lynch (as Al Judson) and Glenn Bray (as Bill Beasley) produced a Xeroxed fanzine called Fanboy. As stated by Kennedy, it appears that some of the art was produced by "left hand only".  Only about 11 copies were produced (mainly for the contributors) at the event itself.  Then came the reprints which there are at least two other printings. 

I am going to recount what Lynch personally told me about a year before his death (perhaps he got some of the details wrong).  According to him the first printing of Fanboy:

1) has a 35 cent cover price NOT the one dollar as stated by Kennedy and shown by the Illustrated Checklist image

2) does not state "Special Chicago Comicon Issue" as stated by Kennedy and shown by the Illustrated Checklist image, (first image below)

As proof he provided on image of the original art on regular lined foolscap, (see second image below) and compare it to my copy (images #3 - 6).  He also stated that:

1) even though Fanboy was titled as being #5, there were no earlier issues

2) all later printings had a one dollar cover price

3) the second printing was subtitled as the "Special Chicago Comicon Issue" as a non-contributor giveaway, after the first 11 copies were produced;

4) there was a third printing produced, much later after the event by one of the contributors who added extra pages.  The third printing stated in its subtitle "The Underground Heads Ish"

I never seen or come across a copy of Fanboy with a one dollar cover price and no subtitle as stated by Kennedy as being the second printing.  But I have seen examples of the 35 cent "first printing" that have been produced on colour paper.  This "fanboy" is definitely at a loss.

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Heat Theatre #1

Published by: Pumpkin Press; Contributors: Steve Fastener; Larry Becker; Raymond Allard; Tim Collier; Date: 1976; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 24 pages

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11) Kennedy #: 964; Print information: one printing; 200 copies

Heat Theatre #2

Published by: Pumpkin Press; Contributors: Steve Fastener; Larry Becker; Raymond Allard; Tim Collier; Richard Larson; Charles Smith; Taurus; Date: 1977; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 28 pages

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11) Kennedy #: 965; Print information: one printing; 100 copies

Two issue fanzine effort from some well known contributors within the underground scene and outside of it.  Kennedy probably listed it due who was involved with the creation of Heat Theatre, rather than actual content. 

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Somewhere in Plasticville USA

Published by: Artchie Strips; Contributors: Archie Strips; Don Clafa; Marcia; Stephen Date: 1971; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 28 pages

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11) Kennedy #: 1852; Print information: one printing, unknown number of copies

This infrequent visitor to the marketplace is the second part to the extremely rare Artchie Strips. Its content, a photo collage essay about old-time drug prohibition, does not meet the promise of its great cover. But what's really interesting about this book is the little known person behind its creation "Archie Strips". He was a photo-documentarian and a person of note in the Andy Warhol/Max's scene. Artchie also published the exceedingly rare, Kennedy listed Artchie Strips, before shortly after meeting his demise during while SCUBA diving (according to someone on a blog).

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Regco's Un-Fold Funnies

Published by: Pockey-Press Pubs; Contributors: Richard "Grass" Green; Oren Evers; Date: February 1981 - March 1982; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: single folded sheet

Size: pamphlet (8.5 x 11 unfolded) Kennedy #: 2094-2113; Print information: 20 issue series; one printing; 60 to 150 copies per issue

Grass Green's Fold-Out Funnies

Published by: Pockey-Press Pubs; Contributors: Richard "Grass" Green; Date: April and October 1981; Price: 65 cents; Page Count: single folded sheet

Size: pamphlet (8.5 x 11 unfolded) Kennedy #: 753-754; Print information: 2 issue series; one printing; #1 (150 copies) and #2 (100 copies)

Who may hold the record for having the most single contributor, comix listed by Kennedy?  It could very well be Grass Green. By my count he has at least 37 separate titles listed in the guide. Shown below are all 20 issues of the unfolded funnies series, followed by unfolded example of issue 8 and then by the 2 issues of fold-out funnies.

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Amazing Sperm-Men

Published by: unknown; Contributors: unknown; Date: unknown; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 22 pages

Size: mini (4.25 x 5.0) Kennedy #: 54; Print information: unknown

This is truly a little book of mystery, including the exact reason why this posting was pulled by a moderator the first time. To avoid legal troubles with breaking copyright and decency laws, the creators of Amazing Sperm-Men left no clues regarding who, where and when this smut was published. Kennedy describes it as a superhero sex spoof.  However, other than the cover, my copy instead involves a story about Charlie Brown and Lucy from the Peanuts. I have seen a few other copies and all of those have the same Peanuts strips. It could be that Kennedy never actually viewed a copy past its cover.

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Rum and Lime - Special Senseless Death Issue

Published by: unknown; Contributors: Alan Huber; Bob O'Leary; Genovese; Spricket; Date: copyrights dated to 1975; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 20 pages

Size: digest (5.5 x 8.0) Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: unknown

A two-main story fanzine with colour outer covers. I would consider this to be an underground due to its topic matter: brutal child abuse, drug use to escape the reality of being a sex captive and some nudity. Other than that, there is very little more that I can offer for information on this title.

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Antipasta 13 "O.K." Drawings

Published by: Release Press; Contributors: Harry Zirlin; Date: 1974; Price: $2.50 according to Kennedy; Page Count: 40 pages

Size: digest (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 92; Print information: one printing, 300 copies

Besides some large publisher, anthology comix books, Antipasta is probably the only Kennedy listed "underground" with an ISBN number!  It is definitely not underground and I am not to sure why Jay would have listed it.

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Peeping Tom Comix #1

Published by: Sorcerer Studio; Contributors: Wayne Gibson: Date: 1981; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 8 pages

Size: small comic (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 1499; Print information: one printing,100 signed and numbered copies (my copy is not)

Peeping Tom is themed as a spoof publication - a periodical for peeping toms.  Honorary frat boy, Wayne Gibson, does his best National Lampoon take and delivers, especially with the back cover (last image below).

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Hogwash

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: John A. Mahomet; Date: 1979; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 32 pages

Size: small comic (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 990; Print information: unknown

You have a pretty good indication of young John Mahomet's future career when you flip through the pages of Hogwash. The all "g-rated" content of Hogwash, shows off the raw talent of a person who would later go on to work as a cartoonist and an illustrator of children's books.

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Andromeda Vol. 1, # 1

Published by: Media Five Publications Limited, London, Ontario, Canada; Contributors: Dean Motter and Bill Paul (editor); Date: 1974; Price: 50 cents CAD; Page Count: 28 pages

Size: Tabloid Newspaper Kennedy #: n/a; Print information: 12,000

Media Five started as a large, newspaper fanzine on London, Ontario, Canada. There were at least six issues of the fanzine published (with issue 6/7 being released together as a double-sized publication). Of the major Canadian fanzines from the early 1970s, which included "Melting Pot" and "Le Beaver," only Media Five eventually released its own comic book. Andromeda Vol. 1, # 1 features a full length comic by Dean Motter, who would later create one of the seminal new-wave characters of the 1980s, Mister X. This early work falls somewhere in between the Underground movement of the early 1970s and the science fiction heavy stylings of comics that were coming out of Ontario at the time. Motter would continue to use the name Andromeda for the more well-known Canadian science fiction anthology comic that was published by Silver Snail in the late-1970s.

Despite having a stated print run of 12,000 copies, Andromeda Vol. 1, # 1 is quite scarce. It is noted in John Bell's (1986) Canuck Comics, but we long thought it was a typo or misinformation. After quite a bit of searching, I was able to procure one last year. Another batch subsequently appeared earlier this year and there are still some available on eBay:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/R-0204-Andromeda-Dean-Motters-Epic-Poem-Media-5-Pub-1974-Collectors-No-1/382478351340?hash=item590d7c7bec:g:Ca0AAOSwStdbEGXE

I think the reason why this comic is so scarce has to do with the way it was printed. All of Media Five's publications were printed in this tabloid newspaper format and the few examples of Media Five items that I have encountered tend to be tattered and/or brittle. It is likely that, despite the large print run, few copies are still extant.

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In the Time of the Clockmen

Published by: Georgia Straight Comics; Contributors: Bob Hunter; Date: about 1971-2; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 36 pages

Size: comic (7.0 x 9.25) Kennedy #: 2015; Print information: one printing; rumoured 500 copies

Definitely one of the tougher Canadian (or otherwise) books to find and if you should be so lucky: it is often in bad shape or the seller is asking way too much. Produced by Bob Hunter, a founding member of Greenpeace who eventually become its first president, Clockmen has a strange weirdo charm that grows on you with time.  Just like me.

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Off the Wall #1 and #2

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: "Easy Axes"; Date: 1972; Price: no cover price; Page Count: #1 (8 pages); #2 (Kennedy states 8 pages; my copy has 12 pages, 4 of which are unbound)

Size: small comic (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 1425 and 1426; Print information: 100 numbered copies each

Who would have thought that alienesque abstraction art could be so raunchy?  I was not too sure what I should or should not censor cover to be able to post an image.  Kennedy must have thought highly of these back in 1982 with a list price of $20 each. Where could these have been possible sold? In an art gallery, a porn shop or a NY nightclub men's room?  Bizarre.

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Ground Zero (8 issues: 1-6, 6.5 and 7)

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: Mike Merenbach; Doug Furse; Clinton Dunlap; Charles Kalav; Shirin Tolle; Thirin Dig; Marc Berber; Doug Fish; David Werkley; G.R. Edison; Date: 1978-1979; Price: free; Page Count: depending on the issue between 4-16 pages

Size: small comic (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 918-925; Print information: 250 copies each issue; 100 copies of each were reserved for a limited edition

A decent fanzine series spearheaded by Mike Merenbach as editor and occasional artist that was surprisingly given away for free.  Issue # 6.5 was created as a stop gap measure to compensate with the delay in publishing issue #7.  Kennedy informs us that there was a # 7.5 which was a calendar and a limited numbered edition portfolio that contained all 8 issues plus a wrap around holder.

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A-Z Comics

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: Walter P. Rogers Date: 1978; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 28 pages 

Size: small comic (5.5 x 8.5) Kennedy #: 171; Print information: one printing of 500 signed and numbered copies

A2Z An Alphabetical Disorder

Published by: Disorderly Distribution and the School of Visual Arts (NY); Contributors: various see bottom image Date: 1982; Price: two dollars; Page Count: 32 pages 

Size: small comic (5.5 x 7.5) Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: one printing; 250 copies

I made the mistake of confusing these two similarly titled books with each other. I bought Alphabetical Disorder first, believing that in was the Kennedy listed A-Z. Although A-Z, is a decent publication with its own merits, Alphabetical Disorder is definitely the better of the two in almost everyway. Among the notables who contributed to the studentzine were Glenn Head and Gwen Seuling. I am glad that I made that initial mistake.

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Saga of Yukon Pete

Published by: Dedicated Fool; Contributors: S. Clay Wilson; Date: 1974; Price: $2.25 with record; 20 cents without Page Count: 12 pages 

Size: mini (3.5 x 4.5) Kennedy #: 1715; Print information: unknown

I believe that the Saga of Yukon Pete would be the only example of a mini that Wilson produced as the sole contributor.  Produced as a giveaway with the purchase of a 45 rpm record by the Son of Pete and the M*ffdivers. For whatever reason, I had to buy my copy as a sealed package with the record. Kennedy cites a 1982 guide price of $12 and I have seen copies sell for over $120 with the record, but do not be fooled - hold out for a more realistic $20 example.

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Strawberries from Mars, vol. 1 #1

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: Robert Melhorn; Tom Foster; Date: 1975; Price: 35 cents; Page Count: single folded sheet

Size: newspaper (unfolded 22.5 x 30.0) Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: unknown

I do not think that Strawberries from Mars went any further then this maiden issue, even though it advertises a ten issue subscription price. It essentially is a vehicle for some drawn art, photographic art, advertising and a Tom Foster one page cartoon strip (not shown below).

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Bill Griffith Original Comic Art

Published by: Jehu Gallery; Contributors: Bill Griffith; Date: 1980; Price: three dollars; Page Count: 20 pages

Size: mini (3.0 x 4.13) Kennedy #: 274; Print information: between 100 to 200 copies (according to Bill Griffith)

A souvenir produced for a showing of Bill Griffith's work at the Jehu Gallery in April to May 1980.  The colour card covers of the book were folded/repurposed postcards that were bound to the black and white guts.  In comparison, many postcard covers were produced to invite potential attendees to the showing, while only 100 to 200 finished books were produced/available for some actual and lucky attendees.

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7 hours ago, CDNComix said:

Bill Griffith Original Comic Art

Published by: Jehu Gallery; Contributors: Bill Griffith; Date: 1980; Price: three dollars; Page Count: 20 pages

Size: mini (3.0 x 4.13) Kennedy #: 274; Print information: between 100 to 200 copies (according to Bill Griffith)

A souvenir produced for a showing of Bill Griffith's work at the Jehu Gallery in April to May 1980.  The colour card covers of the book were folded/repurposed postcards that were bound to the black and white guts.  In comparison, many postcard covers were produced to invite potential attendees to the showing, while only 100 to 200 finished books were produced/available for some actual and lucky attendees.

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I thought I had one of these, although I have forgotten where and when I purchased it. Just looked inside of mine and noticed it was signed by Bill Griffith.

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Holey --script (first and second printings)

Published by: Jack D. Zastre; Contributors: Jack D. Zastre; Martina; Roldo; Frank McTruck; Kenny Moran; Basil Hatte; Bobby Star Date: 1981; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 8 pages

Size: mini (4.25 x 5.50) Kennedy #: 992; Print information: first printing (very few survivors); second printing, 200 copies

Kennedy was quite correct with his description of the different printings of Holey --script, but it took me a long time to find an example of both printings to confirm it.  Yes, there was a mistake with the enlargement of the first printing, which caused the artwork to be reduced to a size that was too small for the pages of the book.  According to Frank McTruck, via a friend of mine (B. Campbell), copies of the incorrect first printing were not intended for release and McTruck was surprised that some copies managed to make it to the marketplace.  Besides the size of the artwork, other differences between the first and second printings include: as Kennedy mentioned, the first printing had numbered pages; my copy of the first has staples while my second does not and there is a difference between the order/rotation of the artwork on some of the pages.

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