''Rip Off Comix'' 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, ...
anthology published between 1977 and 1991 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 ...
. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to
alternative comics
Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...
.
The anthology was originally a byproduct of the Rip Off Press
syndication service, which, starting in the early 1970s, sold weekly content to
alternative newspaper
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...
s and
student publication
A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
s.
[Fox, M. Steven]
"Rip Off Comix — 1977-1991 / Rip Off Press,"
Comixjoint. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2022. The syndication service was discontinued by 1979, but strips produced by such cartoonists as
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 ...
,
Joel Beck
Joel Beck (May 7, 1943 – September 14, 1999) was a San Francisco Bay Area artist and cartoonist. His comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', one of the earliest underground comic books of the 1960s, was the first underground comic book published o ...
,
Dave Sheridan,
Ted Richards
Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).
AFL career
Richards was recruited from Xavier Col ...
,
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 ...
, and
Harry Driggs
Harry Driggs (November 3, 1935 — July 14, 2007) was an American artist, graphic designer, political activist, and underground cartoonist. Much of his comix work was published under the name R. Diggs. Driggs was a longtime resident of San Franci ...
(as R. Diggs) were published in early issues of ''Rip Off Comix''.
For much of its run, the series served as a vehicle for Shelton's work, particularly
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 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 ...
.
For a period, ''Rip Off Comix'' was billed as "the International Journal of Humor and Cartoon Art," and became a showcase for the work of
European cartoonists.
Publication history
The first ten issues of ''Rip Off Comix'' were standard comic book size and were published approximately every 6 months. From issue #11 onward ''Rip Off Comix'' was published magazine-size.
The title suffered a four-year hiatus between issue #12 (1983) and the next issue, #14 (1987); issue #13 was skipped in the numbering. From that point forward the title was published quarterly until it was canceled in 1991. As a result of skipping issue #13, even though the series ended with issue #31, only 30 issues were published in total.
Running for 14 years, ''Rip Off Comix'' was the second-longest-running title of any published by Rip Off Press (trailing only ''
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 ...
'' title).
Overview
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 ...
's
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 ...
was a recurring character in issues #1-12 (1977–1983) (with the exception of issue #7). Shelton, Tony Bell, and Joe E. Brown, Jr. collaborated on the Wonder Wart-Hog storyline "Battle of the Titans", chapters 1–5, published in issues #8-12, a collaboration that spanned 20 years from the start to the finish of the story. Wonder Wart-Hog's last appearance in the title was in issue #22, published in 1989.
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 ...
were also frequently featured in early issues, appearing in issues #1–14 (skipping only issue #7).
In addition to strips by Shelton, Beck, Sheridan, Richards, and Driggs; work by
Frank Stack
Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937 in Houston, Texas) is an American underground cartoonist and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the Bible Belt, Stack published wh ...
, and Griffith's strip "Griffith Observatory" were constants of early issues as well. One of
Fred Schrier's last comics pieces appeared in issue #3 (Mar. 1978).
With issue #8 (Apr. 1981), ''Rip Off Comix'' opened the doors of the anthology to European contributors with a new feature called "Cartoonists of the World". That issue featured a section on
British cartoonists
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, including
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
,
Leo Baxendale
Joseph Leo Baxendale (27 October 1930 – 23 April 2017) was an English cartoonist and publisher. Baxendale wrote and drew several titles. Among his best-known creations are the '' Beano'' strips ''Little Plum'', ''Minnie the Minx'', ''The Bash ...
,
Edwin Pouncey,
Steve Moore,
Edward Barker, and
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including ''Time Bandits'' (1981), ''B ...
. Issue #9 highlighted "
comix from France", including
Jean-Marc Reiser
Jean-Marc Reiser (; 13 April 1941 – 5 November 1983) was a French comics creator.
Biography
A prolific cartoon artist from 1959 until his death, Reiser made his debut in the publication ''La Gazette de Nectar'' for the Nicolas winery. His ...
,
Bernard Willem Holtrop
Bernard Willem Holtrop (born 2 April 1941, Ermelo) is a Dutch cartoonist living in France since 1968, who publishes under the pen name Willem. He is renowned for his sometimes provocative cartoons featuring violent and sexual imagery on political ...
,
Florence Cestac
Florence Cestac (born 18 July 1949) is a French cartoonist and former publisher. She is the first woman to have won the prestigious ''Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême'', in 2000, and was the only one until Rumiko Takahashi in 2019.
Career
Bor ...
, and
Charlie Schlingo.
Issue #10 had a special section on
Spanish cartoonists
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, including Guillem Cifré, Juan Mediavilla,
Miguel Gallardo, Sento, Marti Riera Ferrer (Martí),
Francesc Capdevila
Francesc Capdevila Gisbert (born 17 September 1956), better known by his pen-name Max, is a Spanish artist who has worked in illustration, design, and comics. He is an important figure in Spanish comics, creating such popular characters as Gustav ...
(Max), Joaquim Aubert Puigarnau (Kim), Nazario Luque, Javier Montesol, and Simonides. Issue #11 devoted a section to
Dutch cartoonists
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
, including
Joost Swarte
Joost Swarte (born 24 December 1947 in Heemstede) is a Dutch cartoonist and graphic designer. He is best known for his ligne claire or ''clear line'' style of drawing, a term he coined.
Comic series and characters by Swarte include ''Katoen en ...
,
Kamagurka
Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, suc ...
,
Peter Pontiac
Peter Pontiac (born ''Peter J.G. Pollmann''; 28 April 1951 – 20 January 2015) was a Dutch cartoonist, comics artist and illustrator. He was the winner of the 1997 Stripschapprijs. Pontiac died on 20 January 2015, after a lengthy battle with seve ...
, and
Evert Geradts
Evert Geradts (born 9 June 1943, The Hague) is a Dutch cartoonist and former underground comics artist. He later became a prolific Disney comics writer and artist too. He is the winner with Leny Zwalve of the 1977 Stripschapprijs
The Stripschap ...
.
Shelton edited issues #11–12. With issue #11 (Fall 1982), ''Rip Off Comix'' converted to magazine format, adding text features as well as comix. It also began billing itself as "the International Journal of Humor and Cartoon Art". Shelton and
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 ...
began serializing "
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 ...
in The Idiots Abroad" in issues #11 and 12. Issue #12 featured Danish cartoonists, including Storm Petersen, Fred Milton, Claus Deleuran, Ole Pihl, Peter Kielland-Brandt, Mardon Smet, Henning Kure, Sussi Bech, and Joergen Nielsen.
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. His experiences on the road with the motorcycle club, the Road Vultures M ...
and
Larry Todd
Larry S. Todd[Todd entry]
''Who's Who of American Comics Books, 1928–1999.'' Accessed Sept. 19, ...
contributed to issue #14; issue #15 featured a number of
Franco-Belgian cartoonists, including Jean-Michel Thiriet,
Frank Margerin
Frank Margerin (born 9 January 1952, in Paris) is a Franco-Belgian comics, French author and illustrator of comics.
Biography
After lycée, secondary school, Margerin went to a school of applied art, where he met Denis Sire. He joined Sire's ba ...
, Philippe Vuillemin, Pierre Ouin,
Jean-Christophe Menu, Paul Carali,
Charlie Schlingo, and
Ray Goossens
Ray Goossens (14 August 1924 – 10 December 1998) was a Belgian artist, animator, writer, and director best known for creating the cartoon character Musti.
Biography
Ray Goossens was born in Merksem, Belgium in 1924. Interested in animation fr ...
.
Larry Marder
Larry Marder (born May 29, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American cartoonist and writer, best known as the creator of comic book ''Tales of the Beanworld'', which began as an "essentially self-published title" in 1984. Wiater, Stanley & Bisset ...
and
Don Simpson
Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. Simpson and his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer produced hit films such as ''Flashdance'' (1983), ''Beverly Hills Cop'' ...
contributed a story to issue #17.
Gilbert Shelton and the French cartoonist Pic's ''
Not Quite Dead'' characters first appeared on the cover of issue #19 (Summer 1988), with their first adventure occurring in issue #25 (Winter 1989).
Regular contributors in the late 1980s-early 1990s included such notable names as
Mary Fleener
Mary Fleener (born September 14, 1951) is an American alternative comics artist, writer and musician from Los Angeles. Fleener's drawing style, which she calls ''cubismo'', derives from the cubist aesthetic and other artistic traditions. Her f ...
,
Dennis Worden
Dennis Worden is an American comic book writer and artist best known as the creator of the comic book ''Stickboy''.
Worden's alternative comics caught the public's attention in the early 1980s, via Robert Crumb's '' Weirdo'' comics anthology, f ...
,
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...
,
Larry Welz
Lawrence Welz (born November 21, 1948) better known as Larry Welz, is an American cartoonist, who created Cherry Poptart (now known simply as Cherry (comics), Cherry). He was an early contributor to the underground comix movement in the San Franc ...
,
Mark Bodé
Mark Bodé (born February 18, 1963, in Utica, New York) is an American cartoonist. The son of underground comics legend Vaughn Bodē, Mark shares the Bodē family style and perpetuates many of his late fathers creations as well as his own works . ...
,
Joshua Quagmire,
J. R. Williams,
Paul Ollswang,
Ace Backwords
Peter Labriola (born September 12, 1956), better known by the pen name Ace Backwords is an American author and a former underground cartoonist based in Berkeley, California. He sleeps rough on the streets of Berkeley, but is not indigent. ,
Carol Lay
Carol Lay (born 1952) is an American alternative cartoonist best known for her weekly comic strip, ''Story Minute'' (later to evolve into the strip ''Way Lay''), which ran for almost 20 years in such US papers as the ''LA Weekly'', the ''NY Press' ...
, and
Nina Paley
Nina Carolyn Paley (born May 3, 1968) is an American cartoonist, animator, and free culture movement, free culture activist. She was the artist and often the writer of the comic strips ''Nina's Adventures'' and ''Fluff'', after which she worked ...
, as well as
R. L. Crabb, Ronn Foss, Bruce Bolinger, Wayne Honath, Douglas Michael, Lindsay Arnold, The Pizz, George Parsons, and Lyndal Ferguson.
Mack White
Mack White (born December 20, 1952 in Mineral Wells, Texas) is a comics writer and artist who lives in Texas.
Biography
White grew up in North Texas where his father published weekly newspapers in small towns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, p ...
's first professionally published story, "El Bandito Muerto", appeared in issue #26 (March 1990).
See also
* ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
''
* ''
Weirdo''
References
Further reading
* Luciano, Dale. "Parody, Poetry, Perversion, and a Bludgeoned Bard," ''
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 re ...
'' #81 (May 1983), pp. 41-46.
* Uhlenbrock, Bryan. "A Rip Off is a Good Deal: An Overview of Rip-Off Comics," ''
Comics Feature
''Comics Feature'' was an American magazine of news, criticism, and commentary pertaining to comic books, comic strips, and animation. Published by New Media Publishing, it produced 57 issues (and a number of specials) between 1980 and 1987.
S ...
'' #16 (Feb. 1982), pp. 53-58.
External links
*
*
''Rip Off Comix'' sectionof ComixJoint, including reviews of all 30 issues
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rip Off Comix)
1977 comics debuts
1991 comics endings
Underground comix
Comics anthologies
San Francisco Bay Area literature