Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

) is an American

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...

, Stack published what is considered by many to be the first underground comic, ''The Adventures of Jesus'', in 1964. Stack's main artistic influences were

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engraving ...

Roy Crane Royston Campbell Crane (November 22, 1901 – July 7, 1977), who signed his work Roy Crane, was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip characters Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy and Buz Sawyer. He pioneered the adventure comic strip, establi ...

, and V. T. Hamlin."Special Collections and Rare Books: Frank Stack Collection,"
University of Missouri Libraries. Accessed Dec. 29, 2016. He is widely known as a printmaker, specializing in

etchings Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

, and his sketchy comics style evokes Stack's background as an etcher. (His technique of creating etchings on-site was featured in '' American Artist'' magazine.) His oil paintings and watercolors mostly feature landscape and figure compositions. He lives in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

where he was a longtime professor at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

Education and teaching career

Stack graduated from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

with a BFA in 1959. He received his M.A. at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

, and also studied at the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and ...

and the

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the Acad� ...

of Paris. He was a long-time professor of art at the

, where he taught from 1963 to 2001, and is now a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. In addition, he did teaching stints at Appalachian State and

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

Comics

While at the University of Texas, Stack joined the staff of ''

The Texas Ranger ''The Texas Ranger'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by D. Ross Lederman.The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' and ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

''. He published comic strips by fellow UT student

Gilbert Shelton Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', ''Fat Freddy's Cat'', and ''Wonder W ...

, later known for

Wonder Wart-Hog Wonder Wart-Hog (the "Hog of Steel") is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by Gilbert Shelton and first published in 1962. Over the years, Shelton has worked on the strip in collaboration with various write ...

and ''

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an underground comic about a fictional trio of stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an underground newspaper published in A ...

''. Soon after graduating from UT, Stack entered the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, stationed at

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

, New York, in 1961–1962. Although he had already graduated in 1959, starting in 1962, (using the pen-name Foolbert Sturgeon) he published ''The Adventures of Jesus'' in ''The Texas Ranger'' (as well as early counterculture publications like ''The Austin Iconoclastic'' and ''The Charlatan''). In 1964, then ''Texas Ranger'' editor Gilbert Shelton collected about a dozen of the ''Jesus'' strips, designed a cover, and made 50 photocopies of the collection, giving them to associates around the UT campus. Stack's most prolific period as a cartoonist was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During this period,

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and ''Rip Off Comix'', as well as many other seminal publications from ...

(co-founded by Shelton and fellow UT cartoonist

Jaxon Jaxon may refer to: *Jaxon (name), given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) *Jaxon (cartoonist), American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer *Jaxon (musician) (David Jackson, born 1947), English progressive ro ...

) published three issues of Stack's ''Jesus Comics,'' as well as such solo titles as ''Feelgood Funnies'' and ''Amazon Comics''. In 1972 Stack contributed to ''

The Rip Off Review of Western Culture ''The Rip Off Review of Western Culture'' was an underground comics magazine published by Rip Off Press and produced out of San Francisco, California. It published three issues in 1972. The publication was historically significant in that it broug ...

'' with "Jesus Goes To The Faculty Party." In addition to publishing several articles in ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

'', Stack contributed comics to such anthologies as '' Zero Zero'', ''

Blab! ''Blab!'' was an anthology edited by Monte Beauchamp that featured a mixture of alternative comics and illustrated features focused predominantly on illustration, graphic design, and Lowbrow (art movement), lowbrow art. The first two issues (198 ...

'', ''

Snarf Snarf, SNARF, or their variants may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *''Snarf'', an underground comic published in the early 1970s by Denis Kitchen * Snarf (''ThunderCats''), one of several characters on the television show ''ThunderCats'' ...

'', ''

Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...

'', and '' Weirdo''. His strips ''The Case of Dr. Feelgood'' and ''Dorman's Doggie'' were syndicated by the

Underground Press Syndicate The Underground Press Syndicate (UPS), later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate (APS), was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines that operated from 1966 into the late 1970s. As it evolved, the Underground Press Syndicate crea ...

in 1976–1978. From 1986 to 2001, Stack was a regular contributor to

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

's ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interv ...

''. He also illustrated the acclaimed nonfiction graphic novel ''

Our Cancer Year ''Our Cancer Year'' is a nonfiction graphic novel written by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner and illustrated by Frank Stack. Overview Published in 1994 by Four Walls Eight Windows, ''Our Cancer Year'' (an offshoot of the cult favorite comic book ...

'', written by Pekar and his wife

Joyce Brabner Joyce Brabner (born March 1, 1952) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2011WebCitation archive is a writer of political comics and the widow of Harvey Pekar. Biography Br ...

, which won the 1995

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

for best original

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

Personal life

Stack met his future wife Robbie Powell at the University of Texas, where they were both staffers on ''The Texas Ranger''. Stack and Powell were married from 1959 until her death in 1998.

Exhibitions

* 2012 – 2013:

State Historical Society of Missouri The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Establ ...

(

, Columbia, Missouri) — "Frank Stack at 75"

Comics and books

*''The Adventures of Jesus'' (published in

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

form by

, 1964) * ''Jesus Comics'' (

, 1969–1972) ** #1: ''The New Adventures of Jesus'' (1969) ** #2: ''Jesus Meets the Armed Services'' (1970) ** #3: ''Jesus Joins the Academic Community'' (1972) *''Feelgood Funnies'' (2 issues, Rip Off Press, 1972, 1984) *''Amazon Comics'' (Rip Off Press, 1972) *''Dorman's Doggie'' (Rip Off Press, 1979) *''

'' (

Four Walls Eight Windows Four Walls Eight Windows was an American independent book publisher in New York City. Known as 4W8W or Four Walls, the company was notable for its dual commitment to progressive politics and adventurous, edgy literary fiction. History Four W ...

, 1994) — written by

and

*''Naked Glory: the Erotic Art of Frank Stack'' (

Eros Comix Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was founde ...

, 1998) *''The New Adventures of Jesus: The Second Coming'' (

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was founde ...

, 2007)

Filmography

* 2010 -

A Horrible Way to Die ''A Horrible Way to Die'' is a 2010 American horror film directed and edited by Adam Wingard, written by co-producer Simon Barrett, and starring A. J. Bowen, Amy Seimetz, Joe Swanberg, Brandon Carroll, and Lane Hughes. The story follows an esca ...

- Elderly Man * 2012 -

V/H/S ''V/H/S'' is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of found foo ...

- Old Man (segment "Tape 56")

Notes

External links

*
Stack bio
at Lambiek's Comiclopedia

at the University of Missouri Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, Frank American cartoonists Underground cartoonists American comics artists Virginia Tech faculty University of Missouri faculty 1937 births Living people American Splendor artists University of Texas at Austin alumni People from Houston Artists from Columbia, Missouri University of Wyoming alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière Appalachian State University faculty