Joyce Farmer (born 1938 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

)Vankin, Deborah
"R. Crumb: Joyce Farmer’s ''Special Exits'' on par with ''Maus'',"
"Hero Complex," ''Los Angeles Times'' (November 28, 2010). is an American

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, ...

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 ...

. She was a participant in the

movement. With

Lyn Chevli Lyn Chevli (December 24, 1931 – October 8, 2016), also credited as Lyn Chevely and Chin Lyvely, was an American cartoonist who participated in the underground comix movement. With Joyce Farmer, she created the feminist comic-book anthology ser ...

, she created the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

anthology comic book series '' Tits & Clits Comix'' in 1972.

Biography

Joyce Farmer was born in 1938. Some of her earliest work is signed ''Joyce Sutton'', causing people to believe this is her birth name., rather than her husband’s. She changed her legal name back to Farmer in the mid 1970s. In addition to ''Tits & Clits'', Farmer helped produce an underground comic about abortion, ''Abortion Eve'', in 1973. She also contributed to the other all-woman comic, ''Wimmen's Comix''.Farmer entry
Lambie Comiclopedia. Retrieved on 2011-2-27. Never making any money from underground comics, Farmer struggled through the 1970s and 1980s in a turbulent marriage, often acting as a single mother. Dropping out of comics after the final issue of ''Tits & Clits'', in the late 1980s and 1990s Farmer worked as a

bail bondsman Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

and took care of her aging father and stepmother. In 2000, her work was published in the

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 found ...

anthology '' Zero Zero''. Remarried and living in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

, Farmer began documenting in comics form the sad and sometimes humorous episodes of her parents' final years, sending samples to former fellow underground cartoonist

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician 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 contem ...

. Crumb convinced her to finish the book, and sent it to

, who published it in 2010 under the title ''Special Exits.''

Awards

In 2011, ''Special Exits'' won the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

's Graphic Novel Award.Spurgeon, Tom
"Richard Thompson Wins Reuben; 2011 NCS Division Awards Winners
Comics Reporter (May 28, 2011).

References

External links

Reviews

''Publishers Weekly'' review, August 16, 2010

Interviews

Dangerous Minds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer, Joyce 1938 births Living people American women illustrators Feminist artists Inkpot Award winners American female comics artists Female comics writers Underground cartoonists 21st-century American women