Underground/Newave Comix: Post Your Obscure, Undocumented or Rarely Discussed 7 7

[the blob]

2 minutes ago, CDNComix said:

Sold an unrecognized Snatch #1, first printing - Ouch! If there's any underground/newave book that I have posted or that you had in mind that wish to have more information about, then just send me a PM! I would love to help and encourage someone else to get into the hobby, including buying something on the market (like eBay) at a fair price.

Or as mentioned before, www.comixjoint.com is a great resource for learning about the better known UGs (it's out-of-date concerning Big As* Comix #1, Freak Brothers #2), but it could have helped you with Snatch #1. Eggs (Howard Greber) was pretty active on the headcomix wiki and many of that gang are still active on the unofficial underground thread (started by Guy B.) found on this very forum.

I happen to enjoy the obscure end of the hobby, but you do not have know all the "minutia" to start collecting. Just ask, most of us enjoy sharing.

I dunno, maybe it was not a first... All I know is that I had it up with a $25 BIN and it was gone in 3 minutes and nobody asked what it was. My listing said I could not determine.

[CDNComix]

All About Alice

Published by: self published; Contributors: Al Greenier; Date: 1976; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 8 pages, unbound

Size: mini, (4.5 x 5.5); Kennedy #: 38; Print information: unknown

A straight, photo collage, dada-zine from one of the most experimental mini creators of the era - Al Greenier. I would suggest that Kennedy gave a lot of weight to who the creator was rather than focusing too much on what type of book it is, when deciding whether to list All About Alice in his guide. There are piles of similar material from countless non-underground artists that would never make his guide.

Edited November 5, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales Too Tough for TV

Published by: Bill Shut Television Publications; Contributors: Jamie Alder aka Bill Shut; Kerry Alder; Date: 1978; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 12 pages

Size: comic, (7.0 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1972; Print information: one printing; 200 copies

If this thread has inspired you and you were thinking of starting a little collection of your own, then I would recommend that you consider collecting the Tales Too Tough series. It's not too rare or costly and is a nice representation of the newave movement within the larger underground genre.

Edited November 7, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales Too Tough for TV Too

Published by: Bill Shut Television Publications; Contributors: Jamie Alder aka Bill Shut; Kerry Alder; Jim Valentino; Chris Rock; Brad Foster; Douglas Bryson; Date: 1979; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 12 pages

Size: digest, (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1973; Print information: one printing; 200 copies

Jamie Alder continues the second issue of series with the support of some well known friends.

Edited November 7, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales Too Tough for TV #3

Published by: Happy Times Productions; Contributors: Jamie Alder aka Bill Shut; John Valandingham; Wayne Gibson; Rick McCollum; Eric Vincent; Bruce Chrislip; Curt Metz; Jim Valentino; Chris Rock; Brad Foster; Douglas Bryson; Kelly Alder; Date: 1980; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 20 pages

Size: digest, (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1974; Print information: one printing; 200 copies

Another issue, more friends, more pages and a surprise (see the next entry).

Edited November 7, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales Too Tough for TV #3 Ad Supplement

Published by: Happy Times Productions; Contributors: Jamie Alder aka Bill Shut; John Valandingham; Wayne Gibson; Rick McCollum; Eric Vincent; Bruce Chrislip; Curt Metz; Jim Valentino; Chris Rock; Brad Foster; Douglas Bryson;  Date: 1980; Price: giveaway; Page Count: 16 pages

Size: mini, (4.5 x 5.5); Kennedy #: not listed but cited; Print information: one printing; 200 copies by deduction

Those participating with the production of Tales Too Tough for TV #3 were given a reward/incentive with some ad space in an accompanying ad supplement. Kennedy follows his own rule and did not give the ad supplement its own guide number, since it (according to Kennedy) it was never sold on its own. There's something a little fishy about this, since I have yet to see a copy of TTTV #3 sold with its supplement or offer an explanation why the number of supplements offered for sale is scant when compared to the total number of TTTV #3.

Edited November 8, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales Too Tough for TV #4

Published by: self published; Contributors: Jamie Alder aka Bill Shut; Wayne Gibson; Jim Ryan; Richard Pettibon; Clay Geerdes;  Date: 1982; Price: 75 cents; Page Count: 8 pages

Size: mini, (4.5 x 5.5); Kennedy #: post Kennedy; Print information: unknown

I believe that Alder completes his TTTV series with issue #4 that was too late to make the Kennedy guide. If a subsequent issue was produced I have yet to come across it.

Edited November 8, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

All Slug Comics #5

Published by: Graphics Story Guild College #5; Contributors: too numerous refer to image below; Date: 1976; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 44 pages

Size: magazine, (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 1816; Print information: one printing; 585 numbered copies

All Slug #5 supports the premise that in a lot of cases an underground by another name is a fanzine. My copy and some others that I have seen come with a "signed" and numbered certificate of authenticity.

Edited January 3, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Meat Cat (red limited edition version)

Published by: self published; Contributors: Steve Lafler; Steve Beapre; Date: 1981; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 28 pages

Size: magazine, (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 1237; Print information: one printing; four or more variants; 1,000 copies total

I am a sucker for anything with a silkscreen cover and would love to get all the cover variants of Mean Cat, but only have managed to the limited purple cover variant to date. According to Kennedy there were three different covers:

1. "regular" green/black cover;
2. "regular " purple/black cover;
3. "limited edition" cover.

I believe that Kennedy did not get the full story, so he was unable to post it in his guide. I have seen a third variant of the "regular" cover - blue and red AND the limited edition has at least three different versions( green, purple and red).

What really puzzles me is Kennedy's lack of explanation of the run breakdown of all four variants. I read his citation as 1,000 copies total between all the variants. This yields no clue if and how much scarier the limited editions are over the regular covers. The Fogel Guide also sheds nothing extra beyond Kennedy. In an attempt to nail down the facts, I managed to contact Steve Lafler and specifically asked for a print run break down, but all I got in response was that "the limited editions are extremely rare". If you know the answer to how many variants were produced and how many of each were produced then please share.

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Chicago Mirror #1 (first printing)

Published by: Mirror Publishing; Contributors: Jay Lynch; Peter Green; Skip Williamson; Art Spiegelman; Date: 1967; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 16 pages

Size: magazine, (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 444; Print information: two printings; first (matte stock); second (glossy stock)

After Zap Comix, the Chicago Mirror trilogy occupies the second highest position within the hierarchy of early underground serial publications. Although not a true underground comix publication, as pointed out by the Kennedy Guide, its gang of contributors would quickly go on to produce such important standards as Bijou Funnies and Arcade.

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Chicago Mirror #2

Published by: Mirror Publishing; Contributors: Jay Lynch; Peter Green; Skip Williamson; Art Spiegelman; Gilbert Shelton; Robert Crumb; Wally Wood; Date: 1967; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 16 pages

Size: magazine, (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 445; Print information: one printing; copies unknown

Chicago Mirror #2 is even less of an underground comix than the first issue, but still manages to provide a few entertaining flashes. Included are letters from some notables concerning the first issue.

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Chicago Mirror #3

Published by: Mirror Publishing; Contributors: Jay Lynch; Peter Green; Skip Williamson; Gilbert Shelton; Robert Crumb; Harmon Shay; Nard Kardell; Date: 1968; Price: 35 cents; Page Count: 16 pages

Size: magazine, (8.5 x 10.75); Kennedy #: 446; Print information: one printing; number of copies, see below

Kennedy did not disclose (and probably did not know) the number of copies that were printed for Chicago Mirror #1 and #2, but does takes a stab at the third issue with a "800(?)". I believe the number has been to lowered to only 100 copies, but I have forgotten the source of this information.

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Cranium Frenzy #1

Published by: self published; Contributors: Steve Willis; Date: 1981; Price: $2.50; Page Count: 36 pages

Size: small comic, (7.25 x 8.50); Kennedy #: 554; Print information: 1st printing, 40 copies; 2nd printing, 25 copies; 3rd printing, 25 copies and a mid-90s edition.

Since the publication of the Kennedy guide, someone has done some fine work with filling in the gaps regarding the early issues of Cranium Frenzy. Kennedy cited that his entry for Cranium Frenzy #1 was based on an example of the third printing. At the time, he was unaware of how many copies of the third printing were produced and that all three printings are (for now) indistinguishable.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Cranium Frenzy #2 (first printing)

Published by: self published; Contributors: Steve Willis; Date: 1981; Price: $2.50; Page Count: 36 pages

Size: small comic, (7.0 x 8.50); Kennedy #: 555; Print information: 1st printing, 40 copies; 2nd printing, 25 copies; and a mid-90s edition.

There is a way to distinguish between the scare first and second printings of Cranium Frenzy #2. The front cover of second printing has thin black line near the 6 o'clock position to the left of the winking dog and the first printing does not. An enlargement of the second printing tell is shown below beside images from the first printing.

Edited November 26, 2018 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Cranium Frenzy #3 (first printing)

Published by: self published; Contributors: Steve Willis; Date: 1982; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 36 pages

Size: digest, (4.5 x 7.0); Kennedy #: post Kennedy; Print information: 1st printing, 60 copies; 2nd printing, 27 copies; and a mid-90s edition.

There is a way to distinguish between the first and second printings of Cranium Frenzy #3. On page 33, the word "know" is missing from the text of the first printing and was corrected in the second (see red arrow in the image below).

Edited January 11, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Work and Turn

Published by: Raw Books; Contributors: Art Spiegelman; Date: 1979; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 40 pages, every other page blank

Size: mini, (3.0 x 3.25 ); Kennedy #: 2238; Print information: unknown

Work and Turn was produced under Spiegelman's Raw Books imprint which produced a number of interesting comic related peripherals. Some of which were listed by Kennedy, like the Zippyscope (posted earlier with this thread) and other items surprisingly were not. Both the story and its title is an abstraction of the act that is performed only by loving mommies and daddies. Some of the panels can actually border on with being humorously graphic - none of which of shown below, unfortunately.

Edited January 7, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Moonchild Comics

Published by: self published; Contributors: Nicola Cuti; Date: 1968; Price: 5 cents; Page Count: 8 pages;

Size: comic, (6.25 x 9.50); Kennedy #: 1305; Print information: one printing, number of copies unknown

The original Moonchild Comics series is another example of a tri-issue that has a third issue with a relative rarity well beyond the earlier issues - like Chicago Mirror and Can O'Beans. Potential collectors should be aware that there at least two other later volumes that extends the series and confuses uneducated on-line sellers. One should never purchase an issue of Moonchild without a seller image/query or you may be inadvertently purchasing an example from one of the later volumes.

Cuti may be known to some Warren magazine followers as a frequent contributor (both as writer and artist) all three main titles. I believe he even had a story published in the first very issue of Vampirella.

Edited March 28, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Moonchild Comics #2

Published by: San Francisco Comic Book Company; Contributors: Nicola Cuti; Date: 1969; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 12 pages;

Size: large comic, (7.0 x 10.0); Kennedy #: 1306; Print information: one printing, number of copies unknown

Nicola Cuti enlists the San Francisco Comic Book Company to publish the second issue of his series. I have heard from other creators that Gary Arlington often insisted that they had to be published somewhere else first, before he would consider even consider publishing their unsolicited material. If true, this proved be to be too high of bar for most, as demonstrate by the limited number of SFCC comic sized material that was produced. Moonchild 2 holds another interest for me because it a very early example of a full sized comic that was clearly reproduced by a method of photo-reproduction, like a Xerox.

Edited March 28, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Moonchild Comics #3

Published by: Moonchild Publications; Contributors: Nicola Cuti; Date: 1970; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 32 pages;

Size: large comic, (7.0 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1307; Print information: one printing, 100 copies

The last installment of volume 1 of Moonchild Comics brings more pages, higher cover price, but way fewer copies. Cuti even managed to land a few sponsored advisements - onwards and upwards.

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Tales From the Steam Tunnels

Published by: Arts Resource Center Evergreen College; Contributors: Craig Bartlett; Eric Martin; Lynda Barry; Tuck Petertil: Charles Burns; Steve Willis; Matt Groening; Jim Chupa; Eric Martin; Gary May; J. Hendricks; EP Galdrich; Date: 1981; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 48 pages;

Size: large comic, (7.0 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1955; Print information: one printing, 500 copies

Tales From the Steam Tunnels is an anthology of student produced art and strips that appeared in various Evergreen State College publications from the 70s and 80s. Evergreen State College is located in Olympia, Washington and must contain something special in its drinking water in order to be able to churn out a large number of well known alumni in such a short period. In addition to the names that will be familiar to most small press comic collectors, a student named Matt Groening later went on the develop an animated television series that I never hear of. One of the editors editor and contributing artist, Craig Bartlett later married Matt's sister (basis for Lisa Simpson) and to develop the Hey Arnold! animated series.

Edited December 10, 2018 by CDNComix