Jay Kinney (born 1950) is an American author, editor, and former

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 ...

. Kinney has been noted for "adding new dimensions to the political comic" in the

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, ...

press of the 1970s and '80s. Kinney was a member, along with

Skip Williamson Mervyn "Skip" Williamson (August 19, 1944 – March 16, 2017) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Williamson's art was published in the '' National Lampoon'', ''High Times'', ''the Reali ...

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 ...

and R. Crumb, of the original ''

Bijou Funnies ''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Rob ...

'' crew. ''Bijou Funnies'' was heavily influenced by '' Mad'' magazine, and, along with ''

Zap Comix ''Zap Comix'' is an underground comix series which was originally part of the youth counterculture of the late 1960s. While a few small-circulation self-published satirical comic books had been printed prior to this, ''Zap'' became the model for ...

'', is considered one of the titles to launch the underground comix movement.Fox, M. Steven
"Bijou Funnies,"
ComixJoint. Accessed Oct. 21, 2016. Kinney contributed to the first four issues (1968–1970), as well as the eighth and final issue (1973). Next, Kinney and

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 to ...

co-edited '' Young Lust'', an underground comix anthology published sporadically from 1970 to 1993. The title, which parodied 1950s

romance comics Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

such as '' Young Love'', was noted for its explicit depictions of sex. Unlike many other sex-fueled underground comix, ''Young Lust'' was generally not perceived as misogynistic. Griffith and Kinney gradually morphed the title into a satire of societal mores. According to Kinney, ''Young Lust'' "became one of the top three best-selling underground comix, along with ''Zap Comix'' and Gilbert Shelton's ''

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...

''".Kinney, quoted i
"Gallery: Cultural Revolution Young Lust comix from 1977 (NSFW!),"
''The Shanghaist'' (March 3, 2012). Kinney contributed comics stories to all eight issues of ''Young Lust.'' In the mid-1970s, Kinney began working with fellow comics artist

Paul Mavrides Paul Mavrides (born 1952) is an American artist, best known for his critique-laden comics, cartoons, paintings, graphics, performances and writings that encompass a disturbing yet humorous catalog of the social ills and shortcomings of human ...

on "Cover-Up Lowdown", originally a weekly panel cartoon that was collected and published by

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Corporation, Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and Distribution (business), distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and ''Rip Off Comix'', as well as ...

in November 1977. "Cover-Up Lowdown" satirized political cover-ups of the day, as well as those of recent history, such as the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...

. Kinney and Mavrides then collaborated on the political

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

Anarchy Comics ''Anarchy Comics'' is a series of underground comic books published by Last Gasp between 1978 and 1987, as part of the underground comix subculture of the era. Edited by Jay Kinney (#1-3) and Paul Mavrides (#4), regular contributors to ''Anarchy C ...

'', which was published sporadically by

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

between 1978 and 1987. Kinney founded, edited, and contributed to all four issues of ''Anarchy Comics''. Though a member of the first wave of the American underground comix movement, Kinney largely moved away from cartooning after the 1980s, first as editor of ''

CoEvolution Quarterly ''CoEvolution Quarterly'' (1974–1985) was a journal descended from Stewart Brand's ''Whole Earth Catalog''. Stewart Brand founded the ''CoEvolution Quarterly'' in 1974 using proceeds from the ''Whole Earth Catalog.'' It evolved out of the o ...

'' from 1983 to 1984, and then as publisher and editor in chief of the magazine ''

Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...

'' from 1985 to 1999. Since the end of ''Gnosis'', Kinney has written two books and edited an anthology, all focusing on aspects of Western esoteric traditions.

Books

*''The Best of Bijou Funnies'' (Quick Fox, 1975) *''Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions'', with

Richard Smoley Richard Smoley is an author and philosopher focusing on the world's mystical and esoteric teachings, particularly those of Western civilization. Early life and education Smoley was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1956. He attended the Taft Sch ...

(Quest Books, 2006) *''The Inner West: An Introduction to the Hidden Wisdom of the West'' (Tarcher/

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

, 2004) *''The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth about the Symbols, Secret Rites, and History of Freemasonry'' (HarperOne, 2009) *''Anarchy Comics: The Complete Collection'' ( PM Press, 2013)

References

External links

*
Lambiek Comiclopedia''Gnosis Magazine''s web siteKinney answers the question, "Is the Internet Good for Writers?"
1950 births Living people Underground cartoonists {{US-comics-creator-stub