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A History of Underground Comics Is “The Only Serious Attempt So Far to Chronicle This Bizarre Period in Comic History” —San Jose Mercury

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A History of Underground Comics Is “The Only Serious Attempt So Far to Chronicle This Bizarre Period in Comic History” —San Jose Mercury A History of A Preview Underground Seriously funny! Seriously! More than 1,000 illus- Comics trations–many unique to this book! Where the un- by Mark J. Estren derground comics came from–how they developed —where they went–who created them–who tried to destroy them! First-person comments by cartoonists including Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, S. Clay Wilson, Trina Robbins, Jay Lynch and many others! Sex! Drugs! Rock ‘n’ roll! Politics! Feminism! Violence! Censorship! Ecology! Plus some stuff that isn’t funny! The 20th-anniversary edition of A History of Underground Comics is “the only serious attempt so far to chronicle this bizarre period in comic history” —San Jose Mercury “Estren’s book is one of the best studies of comic art in print.” – Seattle Times “A long, loving, yet still perceptive look at the artwork, the philosophies and the satire.” – Santa Barbara News-Press “A generous genealogy of this warped genre.” – Swank Mark James Estren, depicted in the De- nis Kitchen strip to the right, won the Pulitzer for A History of Underground Comics while still a graduate student. Dr. Estren (he holds two PhDs) has worked as a journalist for CBS and ABC News, the Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald, and ran Financial News Network. He was editor of High Technology Business magazine and of the books In Tune with America and Pro- fessionally Speaking, and was a major con- tributor to In a Word: A Dictionary of Words That Don’t Exist, but Ought To. Estren has been a venture capitalist, orchestra conduc- tor, psychologist and herpetologist. Fortune magazine named Estren one of its “People to Watch.” Sexy! Since American society has always placed particular empha- sis on the nature of sex as some- thing personal, private, eminently concealable, and of course not to be suggested or shown to children; since the most strictly enforced taboos of the Comics Code of America, and of the Mo- tion Picture Censorship Board, are against sex; since whatever illicit presentations of sex have existed in this country have ap- peared in plain wrappers, often (as in the case of sexploitation movies) with heavily moralizing narration to compensate, in some perverse way, for the clinical description of sex inside those wrappers–for all those reasons, the underground cartoonists absolutely revel in sex and sexuality. In some cases, the cartoon- ists’ satire focuses on the typical- ly American, puritanical view of sex. Joel Beck’s parodies of this attitude are particularly telling. In fact, all the best underground sex strips treat the whole sexual thing on a satirical or frankly hu- morous level. Their reduction of sex to just another animal activ- ity is the breaking of a greater ta- boo than the portrayal of human Crumb. Robert of permission By Scrum. R. ©1968 2. No. Comics Snatch Crumb. Robert genitals in clinical detail. In his superb study of Love and Death (Breaking Point, 1949), G. Legman writes: “The censor’s unequivocal ‘You must Robert Crumb, XYZ Comics. not!’ is seldom answered with ©1972 R. Crumb. By permis- an equally uncompromising ‘I sion of Robert Crumb. Outrageous Robert infamous Crumb’s center spread from Snatch Comics No. 1. ©1968 R. Cum. By permission of Robert Crumb. will!’ Ashamed to oppose the zled or outraged silence, should Sex in the underground censor’s morality, and afraid read the line as it would be comics is best approached by to contravene his authority, the spoken: “her C’s, her U’s, ‘n’ her looking first at Robert Crumb’s writer’s first reaction is to evade T’s.” If Shakespeare had to spell sex comics. A number of these the censorship, to see what can out his sexual terms, what are we were produced: three issues of be sneaked through, what can to expect from lesser men? Snatch, one issue each of Jiz and be gotten away with, what can Whatever we might expect, Cunt (“the only comic you can be disguised just enough to ass we have gotten much from the eat”), and several other titles. the censor but not so much as to underground cartoonists. They The sex comics came into be- escape the audience.” Legman’s have found it unnecessary to ing soon after Crumb began his statement has applied from time meet the censor uncompromis- association with S. Clay Wilson immemorial, or at least from time ingly; instead, they have merely in 1968. Mike Barrier reports, Shakespearian. In Act II, Scene ignored him. This has led to oc- in Funnyworld No. 10, that “the 5 of Twelfth Night, Malvolio has casional obscenity busts of some focus of Crumb’s work shifted to this speech: “By my life, this dealers in underground comics the Forbidden, to all the words is my lady’s hand: these be her (see Chapter 10); but in general, and things and activities that very C’s, her U’s and her T’s; legal hassles have been avoided have been off limits to everyone and thus she makes her great P’s” by the production of overtly sex- but hard-core pornographers in (lines 96-99). Anyone needing ual comics in very small numbers the past. Sex and elimination, assistance in reading this speech, and for very limited (and rapid) in other words.” And for read- which critics pass over in puz- distribution. ers who haven’t yet guessed, under another alias), Rory Hayes, Jim Osborne, Victor Moscoso, Irreverent and others. The comics amount Barrier adds that Snatch “is at one thing, contains the center to a working out of personal least as raunchy as you think it spread, “The Family That Lays hangups on paper, being more is.” This first Snatch, which was Together Stays Together” (see of a free-for-all for the artists unlike anything in comic-book Chapter 7), a drawing which is involved than trenchant attempts form since the days of the old both funnier and more sarcastic at social satire – with the few ex- Eight-Pagers (see Chapter 2), than “The Great Intercontinental ceptions (such as the “Dicknose” caused more furor than any other Fuck-In and Orgy-Riot” which strip) invariably done by Crumb underground sex comic. Crumb is the center of Snatch No. 1. himself. Crumb has been quoted printed the comic in an edition And Jiz contains a truly classic as saying, “If taboos were bro- of eight hundred copies, all of sex strip, by far the funniest of ken by Snatch – groovy! Then - mission of Robert Crumb. Compare with the center spread of Snatch Comics No. 1, pg. 117 . Above: Robert Crumb. The centerAbove: spread Robert from SnatchCrumb. Comics No. 2. ©1968 R.Scrum. By per . which quickly sold out in San its type to appear in any under- we can move on to something Francisco, where they originated. ground comic: “The Adventures else.” And Crumb has moved on Snatch No. 1 quickly became a of Dicknose.” The “Dicknose” (though how far and to where is a collector’s item, and copies were strip lasts a full eight pages, mak- debatable point – see pages 127- commanding prices of twenty- ing it also the longest continu- 138), though not all his collabo- five dollars apiece and more less ous strip in any of Crumb’s sex rators have. than two years after they were comics. Since the sex comics, Crumb published. All the Crumb sex comics has been particularly success- In fact, though, Crumb’s contain drawings by artists other ful in perfecting the character work in Snatch No. 1 does not than Crumb himself: S. Clay of Angelfood McSpade, who match his later efforts in Snatch Wilson (usually under the pseud- represents all white men’s re- No. 2 and Jiz. Snatch No. 2, for onym “Crank Collingwood,” or pressed sexual desires. An Clearly, Crumb has moved and funny, but still…a dead beyond the overt, enjoyable, but end for a talent as great as his.” finally pointless sexuality of his Crumb seems to have proved sex comics. This is not to say Barrier wrong by finding new ©1968 Jay Lynch. ©1968 Jay Lynch. that readers invariably found ways to use the overt sexual ex- these comics enjoyable in any pressions of his sex comics; but No. 2. sense. Writing in Funnyworld not all the artists in those comics No. 10, Mike Barrier comments, have been able (or willing) to go “A detailed physical descrip- on to new things. S. Clay Wil- tion of a sex act doesn’t convey son, for one, is still doing comics Chicago Mirror what’s really going on, any more similar to those in the sex books. than a detailed physical descrip- tion of eating conveys how it By permission of Jay Lynch. feels to consume a fine meal, Skip Williamson, Williamson, Skip and a detailed physical descrip- Joel Beck. The Profit. ©1966 tion is all that smut provides… Joel Beck. By permission [Crumb’s sex comics are] relaxed of Joel Beck. extensive piece on Angelfood in Zap Comix No. 2 explains: “For one thing, she’s illegal. And she has been confined to the wilds of darkest Africa, the official excuse being that civilization would be threatened if she were allowed to do whatever she pleased. …Men would quit their jobs if they got a chance to see ol’ Angelfood shake that thing! The over- whelming smell of her…er… ah…THINGIE tends to disrupt clear thinking. The stockmarket would take a nose-dive!” Barney Steel. Armageddon No. 2. ©1973 Barney Steel and Last Gasp Eco-Funnies, Inc. By permission of Barney Steel and Last Gasp Eco-Funnies, Inc.
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