Jay Allen Sanford (born February 18, 1960) is an American author and cartoonist best known for his work with

Revolutionary Comics Revolutionary Comics was an American comic book publisher specializing in unauthorized profiles of entertainers and professional athletes, as well as a line of erotic comics. Its flagship series was ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics''. Founded by Todd Lor ...

Carnal Comics Carnal Comics is an adults-only comic book imprint created in 1992 which has so far been published by three companies: Revolutionary Comics, Re-Visionary Press, and Opus Graphics. Carnal Comics' flagship title is '' Carnal Comics: True Stories ...

, and

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics (PC) was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1981 to 1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began at a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes. Alo ...

. He began writing the comic book '' Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics'' (created by

Todd Loren Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporate ...

) in 1989 as of the title's second issue, and still oversees the rock comic reprints published by Bluewater Productions and others. The publishing company he co-founded,

, is best known for launching the movie and cartoon character

Demi the Demoness Demi the Demoness is a fictional, humorous, erotic comics character whose fantasy adventures have been published since 1992. Demi was created by SS Crompton. Demi has appeared in numerous comics crossovers with other characters, including ''Shau ...

. Sanford ran Carnal Comics from 1994 through 2000, before handing over the publishing reins to SS Crompton. Sanford has been a columnist and cartoonist for the ''

San Diego Reader The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in the county of San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With ...

'' since 1994, writing articles and drawing two weekly comic strips: "Overheard in San Diego" and "Famous Former Neighbors".

Career

Comic books

Sanford, who grew up in

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...

and

East Lyme, Connecticut East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town. Geography East Lyme is located in southern New London County, west ...

, has specialized in creating comic books and strips based on true life incidents and people. Most of the 200 or so reality-based comic books he has created were done for

, as well as for Comic Zone (''UFO/Alien Encounters, Cult TV''), Personality Comics (''

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

'', ''

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

'', '' Star Trek: The Original Crew''), Re-Visionary Press (''Sexploitation Cinema: A Cartoon History'', ''Triple-X Cinema: A Cartoon History''), Celebrity Comics (''Elvis Scrapbook''),

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Recor ...

('' Pulse!''), Bluewater Productions (''Orbit: the Stan Lee Story'', ''Hard Rock Heroes''), and others. Among the co-creators to work on reality comics with Sanford are

Tom Luth Thomas D. Luth (born 1954) is an American comic book artist best known for his work as the colorist for the Sergio Aragonés comic series, '' Groo the Wanderer''. Luth's work has also appeared in a number of other comics and national periodical ...

, Stuart Immonen, Scott Jackson,

Leonard Kirk Leonard Kirk is an American-born comic book artist living in Canada. He has worked on such properties as ''Supergirl'', '' JSA'', ''Star Trek'', '' Batman'', and ''Witchblade''. Currently Kirk is exclusively signed for Marvel Comics.Richards, Dav ...

Michael Avon Oeming Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. Career Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...

, Aaron Sowd,

, Holly Golightly,

Pat Broderick Pat Broderick (born November 26, 1953) is an American comics artist, known for his work on the ''Micronauts'' and ''Alpha Flight'' for Marvel Comics, and '' Legion of Super-Heroes'', ''Captain Atom'' and ''Green Lantern'' for DC Comics. Broderick ...

, Robert Schnakenberg,

Terry Dodson Terry Dodson is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as ''Harley Quinn'', ''Trouble, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'', '' Marvel Knights: Spider-Man'', ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Uncann ...

, Greg Fox, Brad W. Foster, Bart Mendoza, Gene Simmons,

Jamie Murray Jamie Robert Murray, (born 13 February 1986) is a Scottish professional tennis player from Scotland who specialises in doubles. He is a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion (five in mixed doubles and two in men's doubles), a Davis Cup win ...

Jim Holliday Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim' ...

William Margold William Margold (October 2, 1943 – January 17, 2017) was an American pornographic film actor and porn film director. Known as Bill Margold, he was a former director of the Free Speech Coalition and was a co-founder of X-Rated Critics Organiza ...

Jenna Jameson Jenna Marie Massoli (born April 9, 1974), known professionally as Jenna Jameson (), is an American model, former pornographic film actress, businesswoman, and television personality. She has been named the world's most famous adult entertainme ...

, Marilyn Chambers,

Ginger Lynn Ginger Lynn Allen (born December 14, 1962), known professionally as Ginger Lynn, is an American pornographic actress and model who was a premier adult-entertainment star of the 1980s. She also had minor roles in various B movies. '' Adult Vi ...

Hyapatia Lee Vicki Lynch, known professionally as Hyapatia Lee, is an American former adult film actress. As part Cherokee, she was the only Native American in the adult business during her tenure; this contributed to her becoming one of the best-known actr ...

, Annie Sprinkle, Robert Williams, and

Dick Ayers Richard Bache Ayers (; April 28, 1924 – May 4, 2014) was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on s ...

. One of his few comic book projects not reality-based is ''Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology'', co-created with '' Star Trek'', '' Twilight Zone'', and ''Logan’s Run'' writer

George Clayton Johnson George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, best known for co-writing with William F. Nolan the novel '' Logan's Run'', the basis for the MGM 1976 film. He was also known for his televisi ...

. Creators whose work appears in the series include Robert Bloch,

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are '' Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, '' The Mote in God's E ...

, Daerick Gross, Rick Geary,

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 ...

Dennis Etchison Dennis William Etchison (March 30, 1943 – May 29, 2019) was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction.

, and others. After retiring from comic book publishing in 2000, Sanford began freelancing for other publishers and concentrating on multiple comic strips (see below) and writing projects (below). He also teaches specialized courses in comic book marketing, of both properties and creators, as a professor of sequential art at the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...

Comic strips

In 1993, Sanford launched a multi-page color comic section called ''Rock Tales'', published monthly in

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...

’s music periodical '' RIP'' magazine and featuring short bios, illustrated interviews, and slice-of-life vignettes starring various rock performers. After ''RIP'' ceased publication, ''Rock Tales'' began running as a one-page true-stories comic strip on the inside back cover of each issue of ''

Spin (magazine) ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. History ...

'', founded by Flynt rival Bob Guccione Jr., publisher of ''

Penthouse Magazine ''Penthouse'' is a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione. It combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictures of women that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore pornographic pictures of women. Although Guccione was Americ ...

''. ''Rock Tales'' appears to have ceased as of the December 2012 issue of ''

'', its final newsstand edition before the print publication was cancelled and the periodical moved to website-only status. From 1996 to 1997, Sanford headed up another multi-page color comic section called ''Oui’s Carnal Comics'', published monthly in '' Oui'' magazine, launched in the U.S. by

Playboy Enterprises PLBY Group, Inc. is an American global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Hefner as Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to oversee the ''Playboy'' magazine and related assets. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. The company is focus ...

and at the time one of the top selling men’s periodicals. The comics frequently included the adventures of

character

, who later became the first adult comic book character to be featured in a live action film adaptation. After 1997, the

cartoon pullouts occasionally ran in other publications like ''Hustler Humor'', ''New Rave Magazine'', '' AVN'' ''Adult Video News'', ''Adult Cinema Review'', ''Penthouse Magazine'', ''Penthouse Comixxx'', and elsewhere. Since 1994, Sanford has been a columnist and cartoonist for the ''

''. His weekly ''Reader'' comic stri
"Overheard in San Diego"
was launched in late 1995, while a second weekly strip
"Famous Former Neighbors"
debuted in 2002. Both reality-based strips are still running. In September 2010, Sanford launched a new political comic strip for a bi-weekly periodical published by ''San Diego Uptown News'', co-created by editorial writer Pat Sherman. Usually consisting of two large panels spoofing local politicians, the strip appears to have ceased once Sherman left the paper in early 2011. Since 2015, he has been illustrating a weekly strip called Overheard in Ellijay for the Ellijay Times Courier weekly newspaper, offering a more rural version of the Overheard in San Diego strip.

Writing

In addition to writing cover features for the weekly ''

'' newspaper, he has headed up various columns for the paper like Blurt, Lists, URLwatching, Record Release Roundup, Most Downloaded, the magazine's online Local Music Database, and the daily blogs Rock Around the Town, Jam Session, Out and About, and Big Screen. Among his ''Reader'' features are several in-depth overviews chronicling San Diego history and pop culture, such as ''Before It Was the Gaslamp: Downtown’s Grindhouse Theater Row in the ‘70s'', ''The Rise and Fall of San Diego’s Pacific Comics'', ''Pussycat Theaters – a Comprehensive History of a California Dynasty'', and ''Field of Screens: San Diego Drive-In Theater History 1947–2008''. As a writer for other publications, his articles about pop culture, social issues, and historical research have been published in magazines like ''Gauntlet'', ''Midnight Marquee'', ''Revolt in Style'', ''Axcess Magazine'', ''TV Teens'', ''In the Midnight Hour'', ''FilmFax'', ''Cult Movies'', ''Sports Superstars'', ''Soundwaves'' (Connecticut), '' Mojo (magazine)'' (U.K.), '' Starlog'', ''

Hit Parader ''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 1980s ...

'', '' Pulse!'', and various ''

Twilight Zone literature ''Twilight Zone'' literature is an umbrella term for the many books and comic books which concern or adapt ''The Twilight Zone'' television series. Comics Gold Key Comics published a long-running ''Twilight Zone'' comic that featured the likene ...

''. Among the books he wrote or co-authored are ''Triple-X Cinema: A Cartoon History'', ''

The Beatles Experience ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics'' was a comic book series published by Revolutionary Comics from 1989 to 1993. Revolutionary's flagship title, the series was notable for its unauthorized and unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form ...

'', ''The Pink Floyd Experience'', ''The Led Zeppelin Experience'', ''Rock ‘N’ Roll Cartoon History: The Sixties'', ''Rock ‘N’ Roll Cartoon History: The Seventies'', ''Hard Rock Heroes'', ''Pussycat Theaters: a Comprehensive History of a California Dynasty'', ''Overheard in San Diego Omnibus,'' and ''Field of Screens: San Diego Drive-In Theater History 1947 - 2008.'' The 2012 fiction book '' City of the Gods: Forgotten- Mythic Tales'' includes his short story "Wanted: Mordecai," and other books featuring his stories and artwork include ''Mythic Tales Volume 2'' ("Kaman's Crusade"), ''Can Rock 'N' Roll Save the World'', ''Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys'', ''AC/DC: The Ultimate Illustrated History'', ''Rush: The Illustrated History,'' ''Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock'', and ''Fogel's Underground Price and Grading Guide'' (2015 edition).

Film and television

Sanford's earliest television work appears to be scripting and co-producing a 1984 Twilight Zone-inspired sci-fi/fantasy anthology called ''Possible Dreams''. His work for MTV and VH1 includes research and copy writing for TV specials like ''100 Shocking Music Moments,'' ''100 Greatest One Hit Wonders,'' ''40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes,'' ''200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons,'' ''

Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...

; Ratt,'' ''

; Anthrax,'' ''I Love the '70s,'' ''Most Metal Moments,'' ''I Love the '80s,'' and writing info nuggets for the 2011 revival of the ''

Pop-Up Video ''Pop Up Video'' is a VH1 television show that shows music videos annotated via "pop-up" bubbles — officially called "info nuggets" — containing trivia and witticisms relating to the video in question. The show was created by Woody T ...

'' series. Onscreen, he appears in the 2005 documentary film ''Unauthorized and Proud Of It'', alongside

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon (born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.; August 2, 1957) is an American musician and actor best known for his humorous, irreverent Novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere" which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style can generally be defined ...

, Gene Simmons, painter Robert Williams, publishers

Denis Kitchen Denis Kitchen (born August 27, 1946) is an American underground cartoonist, publisher, author, agent, and the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Early life Kitchen grew up in Wisconsin, attending William Horlick High School, Racine, ...

and

Gary Groth Gary Groth (born September 18, 1954) is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal'', a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, and founder of the Harvey Awards. Early life Groth is the son of ...

, cartoonists

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 ...

and

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 ...

Cynthia Plaster Caster Cynthia Plaster Caster (born Cynthia Dorothy Albritton; May 24, 1947 – April 21, 2022) was an American visual artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who gained fame for creating plaster casts of celebrities' erect penises. Albritton ...

, and others. The film, featuring a soundtrack by Elvis Costello (among others), was released on DVD in 2012 as ''The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics''. Film scripts and storyboards include ''

Annabel Chong Grace Quek (), known professionally as Annabel Chong, is a Singaporean former pornographic actress who became famous after starring in an adult film that was promoted as '' The World's Biggest Gang Bang''. The film was commercially successful a ...

’s Sordid Stories,'' ''

’s Wicked Weapon,'' '' Marilyn Chambers Still Insatiable'', and ''

: Torn''. He's also interviewed on camera in the documentary film ''Drive-In Americana'', concerning the history of drive-in theaters.

Illustration

Sanford’s illustrations grace event posters, record sleeves, and tour posters for acts like

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...

, the Tubes, the Bugs, Southtown Generals (with members of P.O.D. and Psydecar), Colin Clyne, Helen Bach, Bees She Sees, Liquid Blue, Wise Monkey Orchestra, Superunloader, Scott West, Dateless Losers, Gary Heffern (of the Penetrators), 40 Oz. to Freedom, the

Cardiac Kidz Cardiac Kidz was an American punk band from San Diego, California, United States, active from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. In 1979, the Cardiac Kidz released two 7" vinyl records; a 45 rpm disc, "Get Out / Find Yourself A Way" and a ...

, Chula Vista Soldier Club, Todo Mundo, the Styletones, Concrete Project, Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, Heavy Guilt, Psydecar, Rad Fish, Zig Zag Jones, and others. His CD booklet designs include the Mötley Crüe box set ''Music To Crash Your Car To Vol. 2'', as well as similar comic-themed album inserts for compilations featuring

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

, the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

, and more. Among his fully painted album covers are ''Water Is Magic'' by

Klaatu (band) Klaatu () was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film '' ...

member Dee Long. Sanford's concert poster series for RT's Longboard Grill in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

began in January 2011, with a new comic-themed numbered poster appearing approximately weekly. Other concert series posters have been created for San Diego venues such as the Belly Up Tavern, Soda Bar, Waterfront Park, and Humphreys By the Bay.

References

Notes

Sources

* Don & Maggie Thompson, ''Comic Book Superstars'', 1993, pg. 47 * NewsWatch: Todd Loren Slain, "The Comics Journal" #151 (July 1992), p. 11. * Loren, Sanford, Crompton, ''Carnal Comics: The Inside Story of Art Sex & Porn Stars'', 2004 * Brent Frankenhoff, ''The Standard Catalog of Comic Books'', 2002, pg. 333 * ''Fogel's Underground Comix Price Guide'', 2006 * ''Comic Buyers Guide'' #1621, pg. 87, 2006 * ''Demi: Saga of a Demoness, Vol. 1'', 2006 * ''http://www.demidemonessmovie.com'', 2008 *
An interview with SS Crompton
on (re)Search my Trash'', 2008 *
An interview with Jay Allen Sanford
on Cosmic Book News'', 2010 * * * Sanford, Jay Allen
"Carnal Comics: The Inside Story,"
San Diego Reader blog (September 8, 2007). * Sanford
"Rock 'N' Roll Comics: The Inside Story"
San Diego Reader blog (September 12, 2007). * Sanford
"Komplete Kiss Comix Kronicles,"
San Diego Reader blog (September 12, 2007). * Sanford
"New Kids on the Block vs. Revolutionary Comics,"
San Diego Reader blog (September 13, 2007).

External links

Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics: The Inside Story

Carnal Comics: The Inside Story

New Kids on the Block VS Revolutionary Comics

Twilight Zone and Star Trek Writer George Clayton Johnson Presents

Comics and Censorship: Don’t Be Afraid, It’s Only a Comic Book

The Komplete Kisstory Comics

The Rise and Fall of Pacific Comics

Pussycat Theaters – a Comprehensive History of a California Dynasty book preview

Field of Screens: San Diego Drive-In Theater History 1947 – 2008 book preview

"Overheard in San Diego" comic strip gallery

"Famous Former Neighbors" comic strip gallery

Jay Allen Sanford interview on Outsight Radio Hours

"Possible Dreams" TV pilot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Jay Allen 1960 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American comic strip cartoonists Comic book publishers (people) Comic book editors Novelists from Connecticut Novelists from Massachusetts People from Middleborough, Massachusetts 21st-century American male writers