Zap Comix #9 comes out just over three years after the previous one, which ends up making this a tenth anniversary issue for the series that debuted iZap Comix #9 comes out just over three years after the previous one, which ends up making this a tenth anniversary issue for the series that debuted in 1968. It also marks the final issue published by Print Mint. S. Clay Wilson is prominent throughout this issue by providing the cover artwork and a few interior stories as well. For Wilson, it seems like he took the opportunity to showcase his artistic prowess as many of the pages here could easily be artwork worthy of hanging up on walls. "Travelin' Assassin" is one main feature here where there's plenty of bloodshed set amidst a futuristic underworld.
Other comics here include R. Crumb's "Lap o' Luxury", a story about a spoiled, overly aroused little boy, and Spain's sci-fi epic, "Sangrella". Crumb's piece was pretty funny, but I didn't really enjoy Spain's work here all that much. Other contributors include Gilbert Shelton, Robert Williams, and Victor Moscoso, the latter of whom provides a pretty good few page wordless strip.
Overall, a decent issue of Zap, though outside of Wilson it doesn't really feel like the others got word that this was a 10th anniversary issue before they mailed in their pages....more
Spaced Out is a collection of sci-fi, space traversing stories from Thomas Byrd, Ed Verreaux, Jim Pinkoski and Ron Roach. Frankly, most of the storiesSpaced Out is a collection of sci-fi, space traversing stories from Thomas Byrd, Ed Verreaux, Jim Pinkoski and Ron Roach. Frankly, most of the stories here are very underwhelming. The underground comix approach has always had a tenuous grasp on genre fiction, and it's never been more clear than in this one-shot collection of work.
The opening story by Thomas Byrd features no dialogue so it's not the easiest to describe what it's about, but it features a world being destroyed by intergalactic invaders. The art is nice enough, but there isn't really anything about this that sticks out. Verreaux's piece follows and it's a pretty poor story about a fast-food chain summoning an army of robots to annihilate the human race. It has some words, but not many, and the artwork is kind of meh.
Pinkoski delivers a wordy story entitled "Perish the Thought" about a man using his subconscious to travel back home. It's fine, but the excessively verbose nature takes away from the artwork. Ron Roach's "Space Bum" is probably the strongest story of the bunch art wise, though it is also a fairly mundane story about an isolated space traveler. Byrd closes out the issue with another wordless strip that is entirely forgettable....more
A full-color, digest sized comic book featuring the esoteric and mildly erotic works of Victor Moscoso. His contributions to underground publications A full-color, digest sized comic book featuring the esoteric and mildly erotic works of Victor Moscoso. His contributions to underground publications like Zap Comix are revered, but in this issue is what I believe to be the best work from him I've ever seen. From what I've gathered, Moscoso was drawing storyboards for an animated film project which never took off and the ensuing work was collected as Color.
The story here is a strange dream-logic tale involving a home invasion that leads into a couple copulating in an alien landscape. It's bizarre but surprisingly graceful due to Moscoso's sweeping linework and vibrant colors. Not too dissimilar from his contributions in Zap, but here we get to see Moscoso's incredible use of color and it really makes his work standout even more....more
Crumb takes the lead in this issue by providing both the cover and one of the stronger stories with the opening tale, "What Gives?", which features a Crumb takes the lead in this issue by providing both the cover and one of the stronger stories with the opening tale, "What Gives?", which features a pair of aliens who arrive on Earth to see if they can save humanity from destroying itself. Crumb uses the aliens to deliver his own soliloquy against consumerism and corporate brainwashing and how they are leading to societal decay. It's thinly veiled criticism, but Crumb's cartooning is as sharp as it can be so I didn't feel like the lack of subtlety held this story back much, given that Crumb is rarely subtle anyways.
S. Clay Wilson follows with "The Swap", another great piece about a group of pirates planning to kidnap a prostitute named Star-Eyed Stella and hold her for ransom. The pirates are foiled by the Checkered Demon who claims Stella for himself and leaves the pirates with a less attractive hostage. It's a gawdy comic for sure, but Wilson makes it work with his sarcastic script and fantastic, dense compositions.
The next major feature here is Spain Rodriguez returning to biker comics in the violent but funny "Field Meet", a story I recognize from his own autobiography collected as "My True Story". Closing stories are done by Gilbert Shelton and Victor Moscoso who do fine, but rather forgettable little strips.
Another strong issue from the Zap Collective indeed, with most of the stories being fairly strong and Crumb and Wilson in particularly delivering some of their best work in the anthology....more
My personal favorite Spain Rodriguez work all contained in this issue, starting with the cover which I'll just say has to be one of the best covers inMy personal favorite Spain Rodriguez work all contained in this issue, starting with the cover which I'll just say has to be one of the best covers in the entire series. It matches the tone of Spain's feature in this issue - the nine-page "Sangrella" which is a rare dip into a futuristic sci-fi setting where a female assassin is tasked with recovering a MacGuffin that enables women to reproduce without the need for men. It's something that feels almost at home in Heavy Metal, but Spain was doing it before the magazine hit circulation in the States. It's a funny action heavy story that also allows Spain to draw a ton of BDSM type situations too.
Gilbert Shelton follows up with the two-page story about Fat Freddy's Cat caught amidst a drug raid and is pursued by a police dog. Shelton's piece is followed by some S. Clay Wilson pieces that are solid. Rick Griffin has an untitled story that follows that includes some fantastical illustrations followed by a strange Biblical passage. I've never really understood what Griffin was getting at here, and upon this re-read I'm still a bit nonplussed.
R. Crumb's "Mr. Natural Meets the Kid" story is a solid story involving Mr. Natural working with Prem Rawat, an Hindu guru who rose to fame in his childhood and established a fanbase in the States. Mr. Natural soon grows to resent the Kid and tries his level best to knock him down a peg, but to no avail. It's a thinly veiled jab at the "new age spirituality" that grew to prominence in '60s hippie culture, but still works today given how many cults begin with similar mindsets.
Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson, R. Crumb and Victor Moscoso round out the final few stories. Williams' "The Mentor in the Mason Jar" is a hilarious tale of a drunk who searches through a dump and discovers a magical mason jar. Wilson's "Futuristic Glimpse" is a story of two gay crooks who go on a series of violent rampages. Crumb does a little autobio piece that feels like it could have easily been a piece in Harvey Pekar's American Splendor. And Moscoso does yet anther medley of wordless images that craft a surreal yet obscured narrative.
Easily one of the strongest issues in the series, but it's Spain's contributions that stand above all for me here....more
I never realized just how long of a gap there was between issues #5 and #6 of Zap Comix. But two and a half years after the release of issue #5, the ZI never realized just how long of a gap there was between issues #5 and #6 of Zap Comix. But two and a half years after the release of issue #5, the Zap Collective don't miss a beat and create another set of great comics. There's more great work from Gilbert Shelton, R. Crumb and S. Clay Wilson here, but my two favorites here are the biker story by Spain Rodriguez and the Little Nemo/Disney/Warner Bros animation homage story by Victor Moscoso that lampoons religion in a highly creative way.
After delivering some of the most horrendously scandalous bits of underground comix ever with Zap Comix #4, the Zap Collective seem significantly moreAfter delivering some of the most horrendously scandalous bits of underground comix ever with Zap Comix #4, the Zap Collective seem significantly more reined in with this issue. Crumb's two stories are particularly benign with compared to the work in the previous issue, with both the "Mr. Natural" story and "The Adventures of Fuzzy the Bunny" almost passing as appropriate comics for kids.
Not all of the Zap Collective are completely toned down though, and instead lean into violence over sex here. S. Clay Wilson's two stories, "Lester Gass, The Midnight Misogynist" and "Ruby the Dyke Meets Weedman", feature torture, mutilation and gore to rightfully earn the "Adults Only!" label on the cover.
Robert Williams is the star of the show with Zap Comix #5, with his wonderful artwork gracing the front and back cover of the issue as well as this being the issue that debuts "Coochy Cooty".
Gilbert Shelton and Victor Moscoso provide some nice stories of their own, while Spain Rodriguez is mostly absent here. While this issue isn't really as legendary in status as the previous issue was, I think the increased mature take on transgressive comics really helps the series with some degree of longevity. Had every issue attempted to outdo the moral depravity of Zap Comix #4, I'm not sure if this series would have gone on for much longer....more
While earlier issues of Zap Comix were by no means shy about the level of mature humor and debauchery the individual comic strips engaged in, this issWhile earlier issues of Zap Comix were by no means shy about the level of mature humor and debauchery the individual comic strips engaged in, this issue takes it to a whole other level. Joining the Zap collective in this issue are Spain Rodriguez and Robert Williams, neither of whom are shy about the level of smut that Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso engage in. An early piece in this issue sets the tone quickly - "Joe Blow" by Crumb - which features a typical nuclear family that don't just have a laissez-faire towards incest, they actively indulge in it. The comic accelerates the action quickly and with little regard to the age appropriateness of the children being depicted. Not to be outdone though, Wilson, Shelton, and Rodriguez all produce some pretty horrifying depictions of sex throughout. I imagine that these cartoonists got caught up in the idea of delivering on the promise that underground comix would be unrestrained, unfiltered and unencumbered by societal norms, but I definitely think Zap Comix #4 took things a little too far. It's been said that these comics had satiric intent and hence none of the contributors ever regretted anything they depicted here, but there probably were a few too many lines being crossed when looking at this in hindsight. That said, this issue is legendary and worth the time for any fan of underground comix. ...more
An ancient man living in isolation with nothing but his trusty stick mulls his existence. There isn't much to it and the comic plays it pretty safe inAn ancient man living in isolation with nothing but his trusty stick mulls his existence. There isn't much to it and the comic plays it pretty safe in terms of the exploration of existentialism themes. The cartooning isn't anything too stylized and it doesn't deter from a very rigid four-panel grid style. Feels a bit like an amateur comic that would be distributed for cheap - but I don't mean that in a bad way at all. A fun comic for the collection, but not one that I'd ever really pore over again....more
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