Cartoonists Co-op Press was an

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

publishing cooperative based in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

that operated from 1973 to 1974. It was a

self-publishing Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fro ...

venture by cartoonists

Kim Deitch Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California) is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in the underground comix movement of the 1960s, remaining active in the decades that followed with a variety of books and comics, somet ...

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited t ...

, Jerry Lane,

Jay Lynch Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his '' Bijou Funnies'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the r ...

Willy Murphy Willy Murphy (October 2, 1936–March 2, 1976) was an American underground cartoonist. Murphy's humor focused on hippies and the counterculture. His signature character was Arnold Peck the Human Wreck, "a mid-30s beanpole with wry observations a ...

Diane Noomin Diane Robin Noomin ( Rosenblatt, May 13, 1947 – September 1, 2022) was an American comics artist associated with the underground comics movement. She is best known for her character DiDi Glitz, who addresses transgressive social issues such as ...

, and

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

. Cartoonist Justin Green's brother Keith acted as salesman/distributor, and the operation was run out of Griffith's apartment.

History

The company released only nine comics in their two years of existence, but published work by a number of notable

comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

creators in the process. In addition to the founding members, cartoonists published by Cartoonists Co-op Press included S. Clay Wilson,

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American c ...

Aline Kominsky-Crumb Aline Kominsky-Crumb (née Goldsmith; August 1, 1948 – November 29, 2022) was an American underground comics artist. Kominsky-Crumb's work, which is almost exclusively autobiographical, is known for its unvarnished, confessional nature. In 20 ...

Trina Robbins Trina Robbins ( Perlson; August 17, 1938 – April 10, 2024) was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic '' I ...

Leslie Cabarga Zavier Leslie Cabarga (b. 1954 in New York), popularly known as Leslie Cabarga, is an American author, illustrator, cartoonist, animator, font designer, and publication designer. A participant in the underground comix movement in the early 1970 ...

, Justin Green, Ted Richards,

Gary Hallgren Gary Hallgren (born October 28, 1945) is an American illustrator and underground comix, underground cartoonist. Illustrations by Hallgren have been "commissioned by publications such as ''The New York Times'', ''Men's Health (magazine), Men's Heal ...

Lee Marrs Lee Marrs (born September 5, 1945) is an American cartoonist and animator, and one of the first female underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series ''The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp'', which lasted ...

, Jim Osborne, and

Spain Rodriguez Manuel Rodriguez (March 2, 1940 – November 28, 2012), better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, was an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman. Influences His experiences on the road with the motorcycle club, the ...

. The Co-op was founded as an alternative to the existing underground presses, which were perceived as not being honest with their accounting practices. According to

Apex Novelties The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

co-publisher Susan Goodrick, the cooperative was "not a publishing company but a framework to help artists publish their own work. . . . The aim of the Co-op asthe survival of underground comix through independence of the cartoonists from distributors and publishers."Goodrick, Susan. "Introduction," ''The Apex Treasury of Underground Comics'' (Links Books/Quick Fox, 1974). The Co-op also billed itself as part of the United Cartoon Workers of America (U.C.W. of A.), an informal union organized in 1970 by Crumb, Green, Griffith, Spiegelman, Spain,

Roger Brand Roger Brand (January 5, 1943 – November 23, 1985) was an People of the United States, American cartoonist who created stories for both mainstream and Underground comix, underground comic books. His work showed a fascination with Horror comics, h ...

, Nancy Griffith, and

Michele Brand Michele Wrightson, also known as Michele Brand (1941–2015), was an American artist who worked in the comic book industry. She started out as an underground comix cartoonist. Later, she made her name as a colorist. She was a key contributor to th ...

. (The U.C.W. of A. brand appeared on a number of other comix of that era.) The collective's first release was Jerry Lane's ''Middle Class Fantasies'', published in May 1973; later titles that year were

's ''Corn Fed Comics'' #2 (continued from Honeywell & Todd) and

's ''Tales of Toad'' #3 (continued from the

Print Mint The Print Mint, Inc. was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the genre's late 1960s-early 1970s heyday. Starting as a retailer of psychedelic posters, the Print Mint soon evolved into ...

). In 1974, the press released

's ''Nard n' Pat'' #1 (March), the anthology ''Lean Years'' (May), S. Clay Wilson's ''Pork'' (May),

's ''Dirty Laundry Comics'' #1 (July), the anthology ''Sleazy Scandals of the Silver Screen'' (August), and the anthology ''Manhunt'' #2 (continued from the Print Mint; December). The press was launched on the verge of the 1973

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

ruling, in Miller v. California, that local communities could decide their own First Amendment standards with reference to obscenity. In the mid-1970s, sale of drug paraphernalia was outlawed in many places, which caused

head shop A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in Drug paraphernalia, paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis and tobacco and items related to cannabis culture and related countercultures. They emerged from the hippie counterculture in ...

s, where comix were typically sold, to go out of business. After losing their largest distribution network, mail order became the only outlet for underground titles.Estren, Mark James (1993). "Foreword: Onward!". ''A History of Underground Comics''. Ronin Publishing. pp. 7–8; 10. . As a result, many publishers, including Cartoonists Co-op Press, left the comix business. After the 1974 dissolution of Cartoonists Co-op Press, a number of the publisher's titles were continued by

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

Titles published

* ''Corn Fed Comics'' #2 (Dec. 1973) –

* ''Dirty Laundry Comics'' #1 (July 1974) –

R. Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American c ...

; later continued by

* ''Lean Years'' (May 1974) – anthology about the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

edited by Barry Siegel and Bruce Simon, with contributions from (among others)

Chris Warner Christopher Alexander Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' who has been portrayed by Michael Galvin since the show's first episode. Other than a 4-year gap as a result of Galvin's resignation in 1 ...

, and

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that immigrated to the United States from Sw ...

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

* ''Manhunt'' #2 (Dec. 1974) – anthology edited by Terry Richards, with contributions from (among others)

, Justin Green, Ted Richards,

, Sheridan Anderson, and

* ''Middle Class Fantasies'' #1 (May 1973) – Jerry Lane; second issue published by

Keith Green Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American pianist, singer, songwriter, and musician. Originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, Green is known as a pioneer in the Christian contemporary genre. His most ...

Industrial Realities * ''Nard n' Pat'' #1 (Mar. 1974) –

; later continued by Kitchen Sink * ''Pork'' (May 1974) – S. Clay Wilson * ''Sleazy Scandals of the Silver Screen'' (Aug. 1974) – anthology title featuring Jim Osborne,

, and

; later reprinted by Kitchen Sink * ''Tales of Toad'' #3 (Dec. 1973) –

References

External links

* * {{Underground comix publishers Comic book publishing companies of the United States Underground comix Self-publishing companies Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in San Francisco Publishing companies established in 1973 1973 establishments in California Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Publishing companies disestablished in 1974 1974 disestablishments in California

History

Titles published

See also

References

External links