''The East Village Other'' (often abbreviated as ''EVO'') was an American

underground newspaper The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rec ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, issued biweekly during the 1960s. It was described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' as "a New York newspaper so

countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

that it made ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' look like a church circular." Published by

Walter Bowart Walter Howard Bowart (May 14, 1939 – December 18, 2007)Fox, Marglit (Jan. 14, 2008)( obituary). ''New York Times''. was an American leader in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, founder and editor of the first underground newspaper in Ne ...

, ''EVO'' was among the first countercultural newspapers to emerge. ''EVO'' was one of the founding members of 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 ...

, a network that allowed member papers to freely reprint each other's contents.Reed, John
"The Underground Press and Its Extraordinary Moment in US History,"
'' Hyperallergic'' (July 26, 2016). The paper's design, in its first years, was characterized by

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

istic montages and absurdist, non-sequitur headlines. Later, the paper evolved a more colorful psychedelic layout that became a distinguishing characteristic of the underground papers of the time. ''EVO'' was an important publication for 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, ...

movement, featuring comic strips by artists including

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 ...

Kim Deitch Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California)Donahue, Don and Susan Goodrick, editors. Deitch bio, ''The Apex Treasuet of Underground Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1974), p. 127. is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in th ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...

, before underground comic books emerged from San Francisco with the first issue of ''

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 ...

''.

Publication history

The ''East Village Other'' was co-founded in October 1965 by

, Ishmael Reed (who named the newspaper), Allen Katzman, Dan Rattiner, Sherry Needham, and John Wilcock. It began as a monthly and then went biweekly. Starting in 1969, Coca Crystal would write about politics, women's issues, and personal events for the ''East Village Other'', many of which earned her the title "slumgoddess". The paper published another short-lived spin-off title, ''Kiss,'' a sex-oriented paper that was designed to compete with

Al Goldstein Alvin "Al" Goldstein (January 10, 1936December 19, 2013) was an American pornographer. He is known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States. Background Goldstein was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. He ...

's tabloid ''

Screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to f ...

''. There were several other spin-off titles published at the same time, including ''Gay Power'' (a New York–centric

gay liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii ...

paper which survived for about a year), and a brief-lived

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

paper. In 1968, Bowart departed, moving to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, where he founded

Omen Press Walter Howard Bowart (May 14, 1939 – December 18, 2007)Fox, Marglit (Jan. 14, 2008)( obituary). ''New York Times''. was an American leader in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, founder and editor of the first underground newspaper in Ne ...

, publishing

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

books. In 1970, ''EVO'' had a circulation of 65,000 copies. As 1971 drew to a close, publication of ''EVO'' became more and more sporadic. It faced mounting financial difficulties, along with increasing staff losses, and the paper ceased publication forever in March 1972.

Comics

Early ''EVO'' issues featured the work of Bill Beckman, Shelton, and Rodriguez, soon adding other artists.Simmons, Bob
"BILL BECKMAN AND EVO’S OWN TOUCH OF EVIL"
The East Village Other historical website. Accessed Nov. 23, 2016. The popularity of these strips led to the publication of separate comics tabloids, beginning with ''Zodiac Mindwarp'' by Rodriguez. Comics historian Patrick Rosenkranz recalled his reaction to ''EVO'': During 1969, ''EVO'' published eight issues of ''

Gothic Blimp Works ''Gothic Blimp Works'', an all-comics tabloid published in 1969 by Peter Leggieri and the '' East Village Other'', was billed as "the first Sunday underground comic paper". During its eight-issue run, the publication displayed comics in both color ...

'', an all-comics tabloid with some color printing, billed as "the first Sunday underground comic paper."

Vaughn Bodé Vaughn may refer to: Places in the United States *Vaughn, California, former name of Bodfish, California *Vaughn, Montana * Vaughn, New Mexico * Vaughn, Oregon * Vaughn, Pennsylvania * Vaughn, Virginia * Vaughn, Washington Name *Vaughn (surname) ...

was the founding editor, with early issues featuring work by Bodé, Crumb, Deitch, Robbins, Rodriguez, Spiegelman,

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 ...

Roger Brand Roger Brand (January 5, 1943 – November 23, 1985) was an American cartoonist who created stories for both mainstream and underground comic books. His work showed a fascination with horror and eroticism, often combining the two. Biography Ea ...

, Ron Haydock,

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 ...

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows ''M*A*S*H'' ...

Michael Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer De ...

, George Metzger,

Ralph Reese Ralph Reese (born May 19, 1949) is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the '' Flash Gordon'' strip for King Features. Prolific from the 1960s to the 1 ...

, Steve Stiles, Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson,

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

and

Bhob Stewart Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...

(who became ''Gothic Blimp Works'' second editor).

References

External links

''EVO'' (8/20/69): John Hilgerdt on Woodstock (full text)

''EastVillageOther.org'' (website with much info, scanned issues, graphics, photographs)

May 14, 1969 edition of ''East Village Other''
Fro

1965 establishments in New York City 1972 disestablishments in New York (state) Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States Counterculture of the 1960s Defunct newspapers published in New York City Publications established in 1965 Publications disestablished in 1972 Underground comix Underground press

Publication history

Comics

See also

References

Further reading

External links