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

[porcupine48]

6 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy this thread, even if I never have anything to add to the discussion.

It's one of my favourite threads,hands down.I try and get everyone I know on the internet to check it out.

Full of such great,interesting information!

Oh,and I'm not stalking you,you just post in a lot of threads I follow  

[CDNComix]

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 10:45 AM, CDNComix said:

Gimmeabreak Comix (aka Rhuta #2)

Published by: Rhuta Press; Contributors: J. Festus Hockman; Terry Fowler; Randy Marks; Dan Stubbs; Lynn Robinson; Peter Nestor; Susie Bethany; Win Perry; Dennis Bowen; Thor; Date: 1971; Price: 50 cents; Page Count: 48 pages

Size: small comic (6.25 x 8.0) Kennedy #: 831 Print information: only one printing, number of copies unknown

City Chomper #1

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: J. Festus Hockman; Max Church; Date: February 1973; Price: free; Page Count: single folded sheet

Size: folded (8.5 x 11) Kennedy #: not listed Print information: unknown

These two publications share the common thread with the involvement of James Hockman. Gimmeabreak is definitely a foundational book for any self-respecting collection. It even caused some grief with the collecting community over the years with its inner front cover advertisement for Rhuta #0 (Election Day Funnies) and Rhuta #1 (Mother Country Comix). I just confirmed with someone (who knows way more than I do) that both books are phantom books and were never produced.

Gimmeabreak and the two phantom books must have left void and created an appetite for more Festus, since his lessor known peripheral material like City Chomper #1 and #2 are still being sought.



City Chomper #2

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: J. Festus Hockman; Max Church; Date: February 1973; Price: free; Page Count: single folded sheet;

Size: folded (8.5 x 11); Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: unknown;

I recently managed to find a copy of City Chomper #2. I had originally posted City Chomper #1 on page 2 of this thread back in January but the content is now locked.

Edited August 16, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Sadistic Romances Part 1 - Majestic Love of Cynathia Von Krupt

Published by: House of Milan (HOM Inc.); Contributors: Morningstar (aka William Robert Lucero); Date: 1972; Price: $3.00; Page Count: 36 pages;

Size: magazine (8.25 x 11); Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: unknown;

Although adult comix are not true undergrounds these publications definitely share some similarities. The industry had it own share of controversies, legal woes, public outcry, bad press and proposed censorship. When I purchased my copy of Sadistic Romances the seller's description claimed that Morningstar (the creator) had the rare distinction of being a woman in a male dominated field. The story-line and its perspective seemed to support this claim with having its central character (the Baroness) interested in power and control (in the boardroom and bedroom) than sex itself. But when performing my due diligence, I had found several copyright records that Morningstar is in fact a man named William Robert Lucero.

It seems that my copy has a special dedication from Morningstar to Gary Arlington because he provided some special advice to Lucero. Hopefully this was publishing advice and not technical bondage advice.

Edited August 19, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Kosmixphopters - Return of the Kosmixphopters (Part 1)

Published by: ZZZEROOOO GROOUND KOMIX; Contributor: Artie Bohm; Date: 1978; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 8 pages on heavy stock;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 1126; Print information: unknown;

Kennedy has a significantly different description for his guide entry of Kosmixphopters than what I am about to show you. Perhaps he was describing a similar but different Bohm publication, but I will guess what I think happened and why. He describes a 22 paged, magazine sized, publication called Kosmixphopters that was "assembled from pages at hand...contents vary from copy to copy as does page count".

In the 8 page publication that I have Bohm is quite clear on the bottom of page 2 that the Return of  the Kosixphopters is in 4 parts, 8 pages per part for a total of 32 pages in total (see red underlines in image). In addition, my cover for Part 1 has the number "3" located in a star (see red arrow in image). I believe this to clearly be the third issue of  Kosmixphopters (more proof to follow). Pay attention to the last 2 pages marked on the bottom of the pages as "1" and "2" in the provided images.

1) Why did Bohm call the publication (shown above) Return of the Kosmixphopters?

2) Why is it numbered as "3"?

3) What happened to issues #1 and #2?

4) What publication was Kennedy describing in his guide?

Kosmixphopters #1 and #2

Published by: ZZZEROOOO GROOUND KOMIX; Contributor: Artie Bohm; Date: unknown; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: heavy stock strip folded into a mini of 5 double sided panels;

Size: mini (folded 3.0 x 4.25); unfolded  (14.0 x 4.25); Kennedy #: not cited; Print information: unknown;

Kennedy probably was describing the Return of the Kosmixphopters in his guide. He probably was sent #3 or Part 1 and some other parts to make a total of 22 pages which is 10 pages short of Bohn's promised 32 pages for the complete series. He failed to noitice the "#3 star" on the front cover or that Bohm provided "Kosmixphopter #1 and #2" on a single page marked as "1" and as "2".

I happened to find numbered mini versions of "#1" and ""#2" that shows the same work provided in the larger magazine pages. Whether these were published before or after the Return of the Kosmixphopters Part 1 is unknown to me. Confused?

Edited August 19, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Buck Boy

Published by: San Francisco Comic Book Co.; Contributor: Gary Arlington; Rory Hayes; Terrence D. Todd; Date: 1976; Price: 25 cents; Page Count: 8 pages;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 356; Print information: unknown;

Strange one indeed. The contributor information cited by the Kennedy Guide has Arlington as managing editor, Hayes as associate editor and Todd as the artist. The last page of my copy lists: Arlington as "manageing" editor" that's right with an "e", Hayes as the associate and the last text panel signed by Todd. Buck Boy is a bizarre Christian publication that attempts to answer (with quoted scripture) or comment upon religious issues of day (homosexuality, premarital sex, sinning, drug use, Jews as the chosen people etc.) possibly for an organization called the Spirit Center in San Francisco. 

Was Rory Hayes about to follow Rick Griffin's or Jim Pinkoski's examples and give-up the underground artist ilfe for the spiritual one? Remember it's around this time that Hayes started to grow dependent on some serious illegal substances that eventually led to his death in 1983. I propose this explanation instead:

1) Terrance D. Todd was not the artist as cited by Kennedy, but the Christian client and contributor of the gospel passages

2) Rory Hayes in fact is the artist. At this point in his life he needed work and money and took any comic work he could get, Christian or not.

3) Arlington was helping out one of his down-on-their-luck favourites earn a little cash by overseeing the production of another non-commercial comic. He was doing the same for Roger Brand a few years later.

Edited August 21, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Flaming Baloney X (first printing and second "special edition")

Published by: Propaganda Ink; Contributor: Jim Blevins; Dennis Janke; Harvey Pekar; Gary Dumm; Roscoe Drummond; R. Johnson; Greg Budget; Munan; Date: 1975; Price: one dollar; Page Count: 32 pages;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11.0); Kennedy #: 745; Print information: first printing (no copyright date or story credits) number of copies unknown; second special edition (1975 copyright and credits on the first page of most stories) with 5 to 10 copies produced;

Am I psychic? How did I know that it was mainly Jim Blevins and  Dennis Janke who were responsible for most of the stories in Flaming Baloney X, when neither was credited in the Kennedy Guide. Or know that Flaming Baloney was copyrighted in 1975 when Kennedy does not cite a date?

Well, I found a copy of Flaming Baloney that has the copyright printed on the inside cover and credits the contributors of most stories (not all) in the lower right corner of the page. Were there 2 distinct printings instead of the reported first and only (no credits or copyright)? Please view the posted images with the "normal" FBX on top and "copyright/credited version" on the bottom:

I have the full story now from Gary Dumm! Nearly everyone involved with Baloney used pseudonyms even though there was no credits in the book:

1) "Roscoe Dummond" was Jim Blevins;

2) "R. Beam Johnson" was Dennis Janke;

3) "Munan" (the monk who never sleeps) was Gary Dumm;

Greg Budgett and Harvey Pekar were themselves. Funny how my landing of an oddball copy with credits finally leads to the proper accreditation of this well known underground title at pretty close to its 50th anniversary.

How Kennedy got this this intended misinformation is beyond me, because the first printing is edition without copyright and credits. How could he cite these false names if couldn't contact one the contributors and become misinformed? Maybe he was in on the joke?

Around 1980, Blevins and Janke were looking for work in the comic industry. Pretty difficult to find work as a couple of unaccredited "nobodies". Blevins had the idea to quickly produce five to ten partially credited editions of Flaming Baloney X to hand to industry people in New York.

Edited August 26, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Melinda Gebbie Peripherals (limited edition cover print and party invite)

Published by: Self Published; Contributors: Melinda Gebbie; Date: 1976; Price: unknown; Page Count: single sheet;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11); Kennedy #: not listed; Print information: Wimmen Comix #7 cover limited to 50 numbered copies;

I normally can resist most peripherals but I thought these 2 were both fun and personal snapshots of Melinda Gebbie. The first is a black and white reproduction of Gebbie's famous front cover for Wimmen Comix #7. Its limited to 50 numbered copies and is credited to "Clothilde".  The second is also from 1976 and is a holiday party invitation from the "Unconscious Collective" of Melinda and Kirk that invites everyone for mulled wine and to make drunken passes at hottie Jesus. I wonder if Melinda has told Alan Moore about "Kirk"?

Edited August 26, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Grokk #1

Published by: CFD Comics; Contributors: Barry R. Shalen; Date: 1981; Price: $2.00; Page Count: 36 pages;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11); Kennedy #: above ground #100; Print information: unknown;

Grokk was a "Savage in a Civilized World" who was created by Barry R. Shalen an "Aspiring Comic Creator in a Sociologist". He was doing well enough in his day job as sociologist to attend (no surprise here) John Buscema's Comic Art Workshop in 1975 and 1976 and then fund this vanity publication five years later. If it weren't for the "Barry's" of the world then: Buscema couldn't have been able to build that addition to his summer house and collectors like me wouldn't have a collection.

Edited August 28, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Dal Lazlo's Creatures of the Dusk

Published by: Dada-Loco Productions; Contributors: James Dittmann; Date: unknown; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 16 pages;

Size: magazine (11.5 x 15); Kennedy #: 565; Print information: unknown;

A series of film noir inspired panels printed for prosperity on non-acid newsprint.

Edited August 30, 2019 by CDNComix

[porcupine48]

On 8/28/2019 at 11:01 AM, CDNComix said:

Grokk #1

Published by: CFD Comics; Contributors: Barry R. Shalen; Date: 1981; Price: $2.00; Page Count: 36 pages;

Size: magazine (8.5 x 11); Kennedy #: above ground #100; Print information: unknown;

Grokk was a "Savage in a Civilized World" who was created by Barry R. Shalen an "Aspiring Comic Creator in a Sociologist". He was doing well enough in his day job as sociologist to attend (no surprise here) John Buscema's Comic Art Workshop in 1975 and 1976 and then fund this vanity publication five years later. If it weren't for the "Barry's" of the world then: Buscema couldn't have been able to build that addition to his summer house and collectors like me wouldn't have a collection.

Whoah!I have this one somewhere in the hoard!

I think I have a few underground commons in my photobucket,I'll look as I'd like to contribute more than golly,this is neat stuff.I'll leave out Freak Bros and the Fat Freddys Cat(althout that cat IS a fave)

I do have a bunch of Canadian stuff,but it's squirreled away,and I'm not great at getting images up,focusing and finding things.

Would you consider,say Pyramid underground of just small company stuff?I have a few oddballs of theirs that featured flexi disk music records ie Galaxina no wave music.edit,I guess it would be independent,not underground after I thought about it.

Not my image,but the company I mean

Edited August 31, 2019 by porcupine48

[namisgr]

Don't think I've seen this one posted yet.  

Published in 1976, of course.  Here's the write-up from Underground Comixjoint:

Only Printing / 1976 / 36 Pages / Yentzer and Gonif Comic Production

Bicentennial Gross-Outs may not be the first comic that comes to mind when listing some of the all-time underground greats, but it really should be, primarily on the strength of two feature stories. One is William Stout's masterful parody of Disneyland, "Realityland," which includes a visit to "Sexual Fantasyland." The other is "Beddy Bi-Centennial Story" from Icelandic Codpiece Comics Studios (a collective of the following comic creators: Brian McBean, Christofer, Gervasio Loma, Jim Ferguson, Bob Taylor and Errol McCarthy).

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES:
It is currently unknown how many copies of this comic book were printed. It has not been reprinted.

COMIC CREATORS:
William Stout - 1-23
Unknown Contributor (Morgan?) - 24-25
George DiCaprio - 26-27(s), 28-30 (researcher)
Warren Greenwood - 26-27 (art)
Jim Serpiello - 28-30
Icelandic Comics Studio - 31-34
Romanek - 35
Jim Himes - 36

Edited August 30, 2019 by namisgr

[CDNComix]

On 8/30/2019 at 2:59 PM, porcupine48 said:

Whoah!I have this one somewhere in the hoard!

I think I have a few underground commons in my photobucket,I'll look as I'd like to contribute more than golly,this is neat stuff.I'll leave out Freak Bros and the Fat Freddys Cat(althout that cat IS a fave)

I do have a bunch of Canadian stuff,but it's squirreled away,and I'm not great at getting images up,focusing and finding things.

Would you consider,say Pyramid underground of just small company stuff?I have a few oddballs of theirs that featured flexi disk music records ie Galaxina no wave music.edit,I guess it would be independent,not underground after I thought about it.

Not my image,but the company I mean

Funny that you should mention that publisher and others like it from the midish 80s. I had a very recent discussion with a couple of collecting friends about the "copper age quirkies" and one of them threw me this site from a guy who is really passionate about them:

 https://www.instagram.com/power_comics/

https://powercomics.tumblr.com/

Jay Kennedy listed Grokk in the second part of his guide as an "aboveground"  and not as "underground".  Back in 1982, he could see the demise of the underground and its replacement by what we call now alternatives or independents. I personally like and collect that pocket (whatever you want to call it), but a lot of classic underground collectors would not and that's their loss. The reasons I posted it in this thread is because this type of Bronze Age self published stuff is rarely talked about and deserves some comment. I am glad that you picked up on it.

Publishers like Pyramid or Alchemy are really copper age and deserve their own separate thread and discussion. IMO these are the legitimate children of the newave and underground movement.

[CDNComix]

On 8/30/2019 at 3:46 PM, namisgr said:

on't think I've seen this one posted yet.  

Thanks Namisgr. No Bicentennial Grossouts has not been posted by me, just because it is a pretty well-known title. I tend to leave books like that to Mr.Steven Fox (involved with the publication of last Fogel Guide) and his great website:

http://comixjoint.com/bicentennialgrossouts.html

Which I see that you already have found!

His site was one of the first motivators for getting me into collecting, so I am showing him my respect and trying not to cover areas that he already has.

[CDNComix]

Filipino Food (first edition)

Published by: David Dawdy(?); Contributors: Ed Badajos; Date: 1971; Price: $1.25(!); Page Count: continuous folded pages glued to two outer hardwood boards that are bound by a hemp cord;

Size: outer hardwood boards (9.0 x 11.5) pages (8.5 x 10.75); Kennedy #: 733; Print information: 1000 signed and numbered copies;

I would first like to apologize to an Italian collector named Mario would was shrewd enough to ask  earlier in this thread: what the difference was between three editions of Filipino Food that provided images of? I was dismissive and answered that I did not consider any of the editions of Filipino Food to be either all that rare or obscure. But I was wrong, sorry Mario.

At a 1,000 copies the first edition of Filipino Food is not really that rare and copies usually can be found for sale on-line at crazy book dealer pricing. Kennedy technically did not describe this edition in his guide, but the second Olympia Press edition (definitely not rare!). In the citation, Kennedy did speculate about the existence of an earlier edition via an ad in the Whole Earth Supplement. He also described Filipino Food to be closer to art than to an underground publication.

Here's what Kennedy missed when he failed to identify and describe the first edition of Filipino Food. It's:

1) a commemoration of an Ed Badajos exhibition held by a Los Angeles gallery (Molly Barnes Gallery on February 15th, 1971);

2) made up of a continuous strip of 76 pages (70 of which are; art plates) that are folded accordion fashion to form a book;

3) about 70 feet long when unfolded and then stretched end-to-end;

4) bound glued to two hardwood plywood boards that has a hand branded title;

5) simply one of most unique and coolest things in my collection, "comicbook", "underground" or not!

I will post information about the other the 2 editions following this posting. The first edition only has one page that is not included for publication in the later editions - the "hotfoot" credit frontispiece (see image below).

Edited September 5, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Filipino Food (second edition)

Published by: Olympia Press; Contributors: Ed Badajos; Date: 1972; Price: $3.95; Page Count: 72 page squared bound softcover book;

Size: magazine (8.25 x 10.5); Kennedy #: 733; Print information: unknown;

This edition of Filipino Food is the edition that Kennedy cited in his guide and the edition that most will be able to recognize. Released with a beautiful colour cover and frontispiece that do not appear in the original first edition.

Edited September 6, 2019 by CDNComix

[CDNComix]

Filipino Food (unknown edition)

Published by: unknown; Contributors: Ed Badajos; Date: unknown; Price: cover price; Page Count: 72 page tape bound softcover book;

Size: digest (6.0 x 8.25); Kennedy #: this specific edition is not cited; Print information: unknown;

Someone (Mario) had specifically asked about this particular edition of Filipino Food earlier in this thread. I had seen a few copies offered for sale usually in Europe and presumed that it was a later Euro edition. Knowing what I know now, I should have actually handled a copy before giving that earlier response. 

This edition has no publisher information, copyright information, ISBN number or a cover price. It's front cover is a colourized version of one of the inner black and white plates. It has the same frontispiece as the 1972 Olympia Press edition so it was more than likely produced in 1972 or later. The back cover is either a water colour or pastel that does not appear in any of the earlier editions. On the page opposite the inner front cover there is the following mysterious statement "The profit of this edition is for the country-commune movement and for the revolution anyway...thanx!".

Rather than being a Euro edition, I suspect that it is either an unauthorized bootleg publication or (little less likely) a private edition produced by Badajos to raise funds for one of his charity concerns.

Edited August 2, 2021 by CDNComix

[rjpb]

Truly a treasure trove of the rare and obscure. Most of this stuff I'd never even heard of, though I still have the copy of Flaming Baloney I bought from Gary Dumm at a Columbus Comic-Con  in 1975 when I was a teen-ager. He was a comic dealer back then. 

[CDNComix]

On ‎9‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 2:04 AM, rjpb said:

Truly a treasure trove of the rare and obscure. Most of this stuff I'd never even heard of, though I still have the copy of Flaming Baloney I bought from Gary Dumm at a Columbus Comic-Con  in 1975 when I was a teen-ager. He was a comic dealer back then. 

You really have great taste to have purchased something like Flaming BX in your teens. I guess I am a little younger than you. My first phase of comic "collecting" began in my early teens in the early 80s with standard Marvel purchases, like the 4-part Wolverine mini-series. It took me another 35 years to purchase a copy of Flaming Baloney. Better late than never.

[CDNComix]

Fat Lip Funnies

Published by: Rag Studios; Contributors: Daniel Clyne; Jay Lynch; Bill Marhoefer; Todd Treadway; Jimmy Johnson; Date: 1969; Price: no cover price; Page Count: 20 pages;

Size: small comic (6.0 x 8.25); Kennedy #: 719; Print information: one printing; several cover-stock colour variants;

Other than Jay Lynch and Dan Clyne, I am not too familiar with the work of the other contributors to Fat Lip Funnies. Jay Lynch should not an introduction to anyone reading an underground comix thread. Clyne did some work in the earlier issues of Bizarre Sex Comix, Hungry Chuck and several of Lynch's later "colour cover" comix - Teen-age Horizons and Purple Cat.

Edited September 9, 2019 by CDNComix

[rjpb]

8 hours ago, CDNComix said:

You really have great taste to have purchased something like Flaming BX in your teens. I guess I am a little younger than you. My first phase of comic "collecting" began in my early teens in the early 80s with standard Marvel purchases, like the 4-part Wolverine mini-series. It took me another 35 years to purchase a copy of Flaming Baloney. Better late than never.

Like most here (probably), I started out as Marvel fanboy, but was a Crumb fan starting about age 12 reading a copy of "Head Comix" some hippie friends of my mom had out on a coffee table, getting into the Freak Brothers a couple years later. By the time I was 16 I had stopped buying "mainstream comics" and only collected undergrounds (though I later expanded my interests again). 

My tastes are far less adventurous than yours, though. I only collect undergrounds by creators I really like, though I appreciate the history as a whole and enjoy seeing rarities posted. I probably only bought Flaming Baloney because I liked Gary, and he'd given me good deals on other stuff, from SA Fantastic Four to ECs to Shadow pulps to undergrounds since I'd started going to cons. I also bought American Splendor from him when it was first published.