Cat-Head Comics was an American

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comics

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

that operated from 1980 to 1998. Founded by cartoonist Steve Lafler as a vehicle for his own work, Cat-Head was later joined by writer/poet/editor Stephen Beaupre. Cat-Head's longest-running title was the anthology ''Buzzard'', which lasted 20 issues. In addition to Lafler and Beaupre, creators published by Cat-Head included R. L. Crabb, Lloyd Dangle,

Krystine Kryttre Krystine Kryttre (born 1958) is an American alternative comics artist, painter, animator, writer, and performer from San Francisco. currently based in Los Angeles. Her work is dark, often explicit, and visually distinctive." Her work has been e ...

, and J. R. Williams.

History

Lafler founded Cat-Head in 1980, shortly after graduating from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

. Cat-Head's first publication was ''BenB and Gerald'', a collection of Lafler's strips (titled ''Aluminum Foil'') published in ''

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian ''The Massachusetts Daily Collegian'' is an American daily newspaper founded in 1890, and the independently funded, student-operated newspaper of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The ''Collegian'' is a non-profit funded entirely through ...

''. Cat-Head's first true ongoing series was Lafler's ''Dog Boy'', which ran seven issues from 1983–1985. (In 1987, the publisher

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 ...

picked up ''Dog Boy'', launching a new volume which ran 10 issues.) In 1984, Cat-Head moved headquarters from Eugene, Oregon to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. In 1987, Cat-Head published its first non-Lafler title, releasing ''Out the Next'', by Lafler's long-time friend Stephen Beaupre. The book featured Beaupre's text pieces, poems, photographs, and drawings, with some additional art by Lafler. In 1988–1989, Cat-Head published two issues of Lafler & Beaupre's ''Duck & Cover'', featuring satirical comics and poetry by Beaupre and Lafler, parodying politics, religion, and big business. Beaupre became Cat-Head co-publisher in 1989, helping to finance much of the publisher's output from then on.Clough, Rob
"Explaining Reality to Myself: The Steve Lafler Interview (Part Two of Three),"
''The Comics Journal'' (September 21, 2010). Cat-Head moved its headquarters to

Hudson, Massachusetts Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, with a total population of 20,092 as of the 2020 census. Before its incorporation as a town in 1866, Hudson was a neighborhood and unincorporated village of Marlborough, Massa ...

, in 1990 (remaining there until at least 1994), and expanded its line-up, launching the long-running ''Buzzard'' anthology, edited by Beaupre,Cwiklik, Gregory. "Objective Opinions: Firing Line: ''Buzzard'' #14," ''The Comics Journal'' #179 (Aug. 1995), p. 37. with such contributors as Lloyd Dangle,

Julie Doucet Julie Doucet (born December 31, 1965)
is a Canadian

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 ...

, Dave Gill,

Phoebe Gloeckner Phoebe Louise Adams Gloeckner (born December 22, 1960), is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and novelist. Early life Gloeckner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a librarian and her father, David Gloeckner, was ...

, Gerald Jablonski,

James Kochalka James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967, in Springfield, Vermont) is an American comic book artist, writer, animator, and rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Kochalka's carto ...

Adrian Tomine Adrian Tomine (; born May 31, 1974) is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ongoing comic book series ''Optic Nerve'' and his illustrations in '' The New Yorker''. Early life Adrian Tomine was born May 31, 1974, in Sacramento, Cal ...

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, Steven Weissman, J. R. Williams, and

Aleksandar Zograf Saša Rakezić (born 1963 in Pančevo, Serbia), better known by his pen name Aleksandar Zograf, is a Serbian cartoonist. His works focus mostly on life in the former Yugoslavia, such as ''Life Under Sanctions'', ''Psychonaut'', ''Dream Watche ...

. Over the next couple of years the publisher released one-shot titles by R. L. Crabb, Lloyd Dangle,

, and J. R. Williams. From 1993 to 1998, Cat-Head retrenched, focusing on Lafler solo titles like ''Bughouse'' and the ongoing ''Buzzard'' anthology. Critic Rob Clough described ''Bughouse'' as Lafler's All six issues of ''Bughouse'' were later collected into a trade paperback by

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Shelf pu ...

Titles

Steve Lafler solo titles (chronologically)

* ''BenB and Gerald'' (1980)Lafler entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.'' Accessed Oct. 28, 2015. * ''Mean Cat'' (1981) * ''Guts'' (1981–1982) * ''Dog Boy'' (7 issues, 1983–1985) — later published by Fantagraphics * ''Femme Noir'' (2 issues, 1988) — Lafler's take on mystical crime fiction, starring a detective named Maria and her occasional boyfriend, BenB. Lafler's recurring character Dog Boy makes occasional appearances. * ''Prometheus' Gift'' (1 issue, Oct. 1992) — Lafler's homage to

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

and

Psilocybin mushrooms Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocybe'', ''Pa ...

* ''Bughouse'' (6 issues, Mar. 1994–Mar. 1997) * ''Jonk!: A Bughouse Fable'' (1 issue, 1998)

Other titles (alphabetically)

* ''Bad Comics'' (1 issue, 1990) — J. R. Williams * ''Bummer'' (1 issue, 1992) — J. R. Williams; later continued by Fantagraphics * ''Buzzard'' (20 issues, 1990–1998) * ''Crabbs'' (1 issue, 1993) — R. L. Crabb * ''Dangle'' (1 issue, 1991) — Lloyd Dangle * ''Death Warmed Over'' (1 issue, 1990) —

* ''Duck & Cover'' (2 issues, 1988–1989) — Lafler & Stephen Beaupre * ''Out the Next'' (1 issue, 1987) — Stephen Beaupre

References

External links

* *
Selected Cat-Head title covers and synopsis

{{Comic book publishers in North America navbox 1998 disestablishments in Massachusetts American companies established in 1980 Comic book publishing companies of the United States Companies based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Companies based in Portland, Oregon Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Defunct companies based in Massachusetts Companies based in Eugene, Oregon Hudson, Massachusetts Mass media companies disestablished in 1998 Privately held companies based in Oregon Publishing companies established in 1980