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

The Notorious Hatte Brothers Gang (first and second printings)

Published by: Recent Future Productions; Contributors: Basil Hatte; Loondancer; J.W. "Roldo" Lake given thanks credit in second printing; Date: 1980 and 1981; Price: no cover price; Page count: single folded sheet that forms 4 pages;

Size: large mini; first printing (5.5 x 7.25); second printing (5.5 x 7.50); Kennedy #: 957; Print information: first printing number of copies unknown; second printing 250 copies;

Bail Hatte and Roldo were members of the "Free Kluck" team in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The team as a membership and individually were responsible for dozens of Canadian underground comix in the late 70s and early 80s. What could make Hatte Brothers interesting to some collectors is the way the first and second printing can be distinguished. The the back cover of first printing has trees designed using plaid zip-a-tone and credit is given to Roldo in the second printing for something (making the books?).

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Mississippi Mud Comics #1

Published by: Winston Harold Bray; Contributors: Joel Weinstein; Jim Blashfield; Winston Harold; Dennis L. Cunningham; J. Ross; Robert A. Kertell; Dana Hoyle;  Date:  1981; Price: dollar twenty five; Page count: 20 pages;

Size: magazine; (8.5 x 11); Kennedy #: 1272; Print information: one printing; 1,000 copies;

Mississippi Mud is a literary/arts periodical from Portland that started out as a mimeographed handout in 1973 that evolved over 25 years into a slick and glossed magazine publication. In 1981, a single all-comix issue that deserves more attention was produced as part of this transformative journey. For years, I had assumed that the "Dennis L. Cunningham" that played a role in its content was the same person as "Dennis A. Cunningham"  who worked with Richard Corben on Tales from the Plague and Weirdom - they are not.

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Cerebus the Aardvark #1 Counterfeit

Published by: unauthorized edition; Contributors: David Sim; Deni Lobert;  Date:  1982; Price: one dollar; Page count: 28 pages;

Size: magazine; (7.5 x 10); Kennedy #: cited in abovegrounds #22; Print information: unknown

Yesterday I posted this information in a Cerebus thread, but waste not want not. I managed to purchase a raw example of the Cerebus #1 fake. Previously in this thread I had to snag on-line images of the fake and compare those to images of my real example. I would like to revisit most stated tells using side-by-side images of my real and fake examples of Cerebus #1. Any effects from camera and lighting conditions should apply equally when both books are viewed together. I hope this comparative run-down will assist those of you planning to buy an on-line example based on its posted images.

1. Inner Cover Gloss

This is the best tell because it is the easiest from both potential buyer and seller to check and understand. Earlier in this thread I had to resort the curling back the front cover of my real example back onto the inner cover to show this comparison. It's now pretty easy with an example of each. Real examples have glossy outer covers but the inner covers have a matte finish. While fake examples a glossy inner cover stock that matches the gloss of the outer cover:


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2. Front Cover Print Quality

As discussed earlier in this thread, the quality of the black print on the front cover should not be used as a criteria for determining whether a book is fake or real. I do concede that a healthy percentage of real examples do have scummy/dirty black print on the front covers, but many examples are just a sharply printed as the "better" printed fake. If I did not label the side-by-side image below, would you be able to distinguish by black print quality which was real and which was not?

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3. Red Hue on the Cover

Yes, the "red" on the covers of fake examples is lighter and less rich than those of real ones. I believe this is the tell that Sim uses to spot a fake at 10 feet away at past signing events. But on-line images and the conditions under which they were taken has a big effect. It would be difficult to tell one way or the other when buying on-line because reality could be shifted. Also as pointed out earlier by ecgt, the effect of fainting from UV light exposure may also be a factor. I could distinguish a colour difference between my copies but when an image was taken with a camera this difference virtually disappeared in the final result.

I have placed a fake book back cover up (on the left) directly alongside the real book front cover up (on the right) and aligned the cover design. Not much of a difference and almost looks to be the same book and not two:

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4. Screened red dots

This is a decent tell, but it confuses most and should be viewed in person with the item in hand. On-line images may be blurry or produce moire patterns that obscure the reality of the image. The best areas to view the difference is on the front cover: upper shield glare of center bottom red solider and chest of the white soldier above will have extra red print in white areas around the black print when compared to a real example:

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5. Staples

I forgot about this one, but it is a great tell that was first published in the Kennedy Guide back in 1982. Real examples have bright silver staples and the staples of the fakes that were produced in 1982 are bronze in colour:

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6. Darkened Screened Images of Cerebus

This is a really well-known tell and may be the second most useful after cover gloss. Most inner images of Cerebus appear darker on the fake when compared to the print of the real example. In fact, some images almost appear to a dark solid grey opposed to a screened grey. One of the best spots to check in on the "Dragon Page", where you do not even need the print of the real example to compare it to - it’s just way too dark to be correct:

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7. Possible New Tell - Extended Cover Back Page Design with White Line

Although its unconfirmed and probably too good-to-be-true: my fake has a white line along the page edge of inner back cover. This has to do with front/back registration and the jogging/squaring of print stock prior to printing and cutting. This is because for whatever reason the design of the last back cover page was extended about an inch and half from the original film. You can see a darker wavy printed ribbon in from the edge both on the fake and on the real example, meaning this change make post original film. There is a small chance that this white edge always appears on the back inner cover of all fakes. I doubt that with time that the “white line” will become a true tell, but never know and you heard it here first!

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8. New Tell: Phantom Registration Markings

On the back cover on real examples there is a noticeable black registration target mark and faint lines extending from the red title border into the black margins. This supports that the width of the book was extended with solid black print post-film/plate the design should have ended at the red border. I am not too sure of the reason for the extension, so ask Sim. These marks also appear very faintly in the fake examples which are printed in red not black. These markings are difficult to spot on the fake to the point of not being there. As far as I know, I may be the first to report there presence.

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9. Stars Wars Ad

On real examples the reverse image of the Stars Wars ad shows through to the back cover just below the upper red title. It's difficult to see and may not be too useful if trying distinguish what is and what is not real on-line.

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Up from the Pitts

Published by: Kat and Heap; Contributors: Jim Phillips; Dennis Hood; Date: 1978; Price: no cover price; Page count: 24 pages;

Size: comic; (7.0 x 10.0); Kennedy #: 2116; Print information: one printing; 2000 copies;

Another supposed 2,000 copy book that's tougher to find then its run size would suggest.  I really like the artwork and sense of humour that the duo put into their effort. I tried to determine if this is the same "Jim Phillips" who was involved with some or all of the following: Slug Comics, Eternal Truth or several early surf productions, but I could not in time for this posting.

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Cap'n Crudd's Tales of Ol' Monterey Bay & Other Worlds

Published by: Oblivia Pictures; Contributors: D. B. L.; Heath, Richard Heath; Date: 1971; Price: no cover price; Page count: 16 pages;

Size: small comic; (5.5 x 8.25); Kennedy #: 378; Print information: unknown;

I was reviewing this book just prior to posting and noticed the 1971 credit date. It seemed that a book of this "type" was published so early in 1971. Sure enough its Kennedy citation makes note of the same fact and suggests that it may been printed a later date - 1978ish.

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Fresh Comix #1

Published by: self-published; Contributors: Topper Helmer; Bruce "Ol' Chris" Chrislip;  Date: 1974; Price: no cover price; Page count: 16 pages;

Size: small comic; (7.0 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 779; Print information: one printing; 500 copies;

There's nothing really "underground" about Fresh Comix. It's more of a DIY comic-zine that has the attitude of an underground.

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Holy Sh*t!

Published by: Non-Organization Comics; Contributors: unknown;  Date: 1980; Price: one dollar fifty cents; Page count: 28 pages;

Size: comic; (6.5 x 10.0); Kennedy #: 993; Print information: unknown;

I first I saw and became of the existence of this publication until it appeared on-line sale on-line about 2 years ago. I did not end-up winning that copy but managed to find another since. Holy Sh*t is listed in the Kennedy Guide, but I guess I just skimmed over it for years. The colour front cover is silk-screened which is unfortunate for trying to ball-park how many were printed. Colour litho print orders for undergrounds usually had a minimum of 500 - 1,000 copies, if not more. While some silkscreen runs can number as low the dozens.

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Fit to be Tied

Published by: self-published; Contributors: Jim Valentino; Diane Prosperi Valentino and various members of her family;  Date: 1981; Price: free commemorative; Page count: 12 pages;

Size: digest; (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 741; Print information: one printing; 150 copies;

Like Curt Metz's Amabolis Insania (shown in the first few pages of this thread), Fit to be Tied was produced to commemorate the marriage of an underground/newave artist to their beloved: Jim Valentino to  Diane Prosperi. Unlike Amabolis Insania, there is no fancy gold embossing or specialty print stock used to produce Fit to be Tied. It was imply was unnecessary, because after reading it you can tell that both the bride and groom were (and probably are) deeply in love.

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Dr. Atomic's Marijuana Multiplier (first and second printings)

Published by: Kistone Press; Contributors: Larry Todd; Adam Gottlieb;  Date: 1974; Price: "first printing"; no cover price; "second printing"; one dollar; Page count: 20 pages;

Size: digest; "first printing"; (5.5 x 8.3); "second printing"; (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 632; Print information: at least four printings; copies unknown;

Why would and how does someone multiple marijuana?  Marijuana multiplication involved the extraction of psychologically active and inactive compounds from lower grade weed and/or lower yield parts of the plant and then chemically treating the isolated resin to turn inactive compound isomers into active ones. Basically boosting the strength of bad weed. It's fun for me to imagine a bunch of stoned hippie cheapskates going through some of these dangerous steps (boiling petroleum ether in a double boiler on a the stove top, handling concentrated sulfuric acid). The legal disclaimers would come in later editions.

Most underground collectors should recognize the name Larry Todd and Dr. Atomic, but may draw a blank at Adam Gottlieb. Gottlieb is the pseudonym of a person or persons who wrote a number a books about clandestine lab or kitchen techniques for making, enhancing, growing or testing controlled drugs starting in the early 70s. Larry Todd illustrated (quite well) a number of Gottlieb's publications including Marijuana Multiplier. I would love to hear the story how these people got together.

When determining which of 1974 editions is the first true printing both underground guide books (Kennedy and Fogel's) present a bit of a problem. Kennedy states that the 1974 edition without a cover price is the first printing and the $1 edition is the second, following the price progression rule of most other undergrounds. But a number of years ago a member (GB) of the old headcomix wiki pointed out that an the upper right corner of the edition with no cover price looked filled over - meaning that the "$1.00" price artwork of the other edition was touched up at a later date, making it the first printing. Seems probable to me.

The 2015 edition of Fogel's adjusted the print order of the editions, but cited a 1974 edition with $1.00 cover price and without any publisher information as the first printing. Try as I might I have yet to encounter such a book. All 1974 editions with a $1.00 cover price that I have ever seen always had Kistone Press listed as the publisher on the back cover. I am not definitely saying that Fogel was wrong, because the edition may exist, but it is more likely an error.

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Toadfrog's Meditations

Published by: Rebel Comics and Radiation Graphics; Contributors: Tom D. Foster; Date: 1979; Price: one dollar; Page count: 28 pages;

Size: mini; (4.25 x 5.5); Kennedy #: 2028; Print information: one printing of 800 copies;

The size of the print run of Toadfrog's Meditations exceeds most of the issues of the Everyman Studio minis. Yet it is available for on-line sale a mere fraction of the time. Something happened to the majority of the issues - unsold sitting in storage; unsold destroyed. The inner back cover provides a nice listing of some of Foster's uncited works. There are more but it's a start.

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After-Dinner Sleights and Pocket Tricks
David Walklett, 1978, A4, 30 pages, Artist(s): David Walklett

Kennedy listed After-Dinner Sleights and Pocket Tricks in his guide, although he didn't know that it  was published in England, regardless of it having been printed A4, a size not commonly used in North America, if at all. I suppose the lack of a cover price didn't help. That being said, the cover was silkscreened and the simplistic artwork featured on it belies the quality of what lies within, which is sad, because I do so love a good cover. Walklett was extremely prolific and published many other comics during the late '70s, ranging from A4 to A6. The print runs were quite small and distribution was mostly regional, meaning that the publications didn't travel very far and are, these many years later, absent from most collections.

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Untitled Bill Griffith Postcard

Published by: forgotten; Contributors: Bill Griffith;  Date: 1973; Price: unknown; Page count: single sided postcard;

Size: two cards per 8.5 x 11 sheet; Kennedy #: uncited ephemera; Print information: unknown;

You know when you have been in the hobby for a while when you start collecting material that either is comix-related ephemera or a related peripheral. Bill Griffith confirms that yes the item is a postcard that was printed for a publisher probably Apex Novelties or Cartoonists Co-op Press..

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Air Pirates - Special Pirate Edition

Published by: New Mouse Liberation Front; Contributors: Dan O'Neill; Bobby London; Gary Hallgren; Ted Richards; Shary Flennikin;  Date: 1971; Price: no cover price; Page count: 32 pages;

Size: digest; (5.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: not cited; Print information: one printing of 200 numbered copies;

One of the rarer publications relating to the Air pirates Collective, the spun-off Mouse Liberation Front and the their long battle with Disney. Special Edition has some new content beyond the Air Pirates comix series and some content that would be re-purposed for some later publications. 

It's odd that Kennedy did not list Special Edition in his guide. He probably was not aware of its existence even though he was aware of other equally rare related publications: Disney Rapes (1971), Walt Dismal Versus (1976) and MLF Communique #2 (1979).

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Winnipeg Jam-Pack: Bottem Doubt; Cosmic Flotsom; Holey --script; Scribbling Rivalry; Snot Reel

Published by: Free Kluck Productions; Contributors: Basil Hatte; Bobby Star; J.W. "Roldo" Lake; Frank McTruck; Jack D. Zastre; Martina; Kenny Moran; Date: 1981; Price: $2.50; Page count:  40 pages total as 5 unbound minis (8 pages per) with silkscreen printed holder;

Size: mini; the books (4.5 x 5.5); the holder (5.0 x 6.25); Kennedy #: the set (#1058); individual books alphabetically (335; 548; 992; 1755 and 845); Print information: one printing of 100 sets; sold with a second printing of Holey --script (see earlier posting in this thread);

Taking a cue from their American counterparts, seven Canadian artists collectively produced a set of five mini-jams in 1981 called Winnipeg Jam-Pac. I believe that all five books were specifically produced and sold together as a set. As stated earlier in this thread, there was a problem with the first printing of Holey ---script and a second printing had to be produced as a replacement.

When Kennedy cited within the his guide, a unique number for the entire set and then again for each individual book, he seems to indicating that these were also sold separately. I am not sure if this was the case with the exception of the first true printing of Holey Script that did not make the cut.

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The Adventures of Primero Dinero

Published by: Follett Publishing Co.; Contributors: Steve Jackstadt; Yukio Hamada; John Dawson; Date: 1971;  Price: no cover price; Page count: 52 pages;

Size: magazine; (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: not cited; Print information: unknown;

Primero Dinero is an edu-comic presented in the underground style. It was produced either for a high school level or heavens forbid a post-secondary economics course. An instructor's edition was also published that I have not personally handled.

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Surf n Turf

Published by: Hermitage House; Contributors: Jim Siergey; Jeff Siergey;  Date:  1981; Price: no cover price; Page count:  16 pages;

Size: small comic; (6.5 x 8.5); Kennedy #: 1928; Print information: one printing; 200 copies;

A g-rated anthropomorphic from the Siergey brothers that rarely surfaces for sale. Copies were originally sold through the mail and sales may have suffered from a lack of formal distribution.

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Tales from the Rear of the Closet

Published by: Bobby Sommerkamp; Contributors: Bobby Sommerkamp; Dave Coleman; Chris Estey; Richard Roseberg; Ed Dorn; Jamie Alder; Seth Dormaglan; Lari Davidson; Larry Weir;  Date: 1981; Price: no cover price; Page count:  12 pages;

Size: mini; (4.5 x 5.5); Kennedy #: 1954; Print information: one printing; 200 copies;

One of the many newave minis listed in the Kennedy Guide. I am a fan of this sub-niche, but even I must say that beyond the cover this effort is not very inspired. One point of interest (for me at least) is the presence of Canadian Lari Davidson.

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London Life Graphic Entertainments

Published by: Applegarth Follies; Contributors: Mike Hannay, Jim Neuschwanstein; Doug Rogers; Roger Baker; Chuck Gammage; Mike Niederman; Rick Saliba Date: 1976; Price: one dollar; Page count:  42 pages;

Size: magazine; (7.5 x 10.75); Kennedy #: not cited; Print information: unknown;

London Life was an opportunity missed by Kennedy to document a great Canadian publication.Way ahead of its time for 1976 with its mid-80s front cover and proto-alternative content.

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