Joel Beck (May 7, 1943 – September 14, 1999) was a

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

artist and cartoonist. His comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', one of the earliest

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

comic books of the 1960s, was the first underground comic book published on the West Coast.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Ross, California Ross is a small incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Ross is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 2,338 at the 2020 census. The town is bordered b ...

, Beck grew up in El Sobrante, California, as an ill and bedridden child, who battled a combination of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

and

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion o ...

. In Richmond, California, while attending

De Anza High School De Anza High School is a secondary school located in Richmond, California, United States, named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza. It is part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District and serves northeast Richmond, the unincorp ...

, he began a lifelong friendship with the cartoonist

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 ...

. Visiting

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

, he started submitting cartoons to the campus humor magazine, ''The Pelican'', slipping them under the door to editors who believed he was a college student. Soon he dropped out of high school and never graduated. In the early 1960s, he drew

studio cards Studio cards were tall, narrow humorous greeting cards which became popular during the 1950s. The approach was sometimes cutting or caustic, a distinct alternative to the type of mild humor previously employed by the major greeting card companies. ...

for Box Cards. He lived for several months in Manhattan in 1962 before returning to the West Coast.

Underground comix

In the early 1960s, Beck moved into a converted closet in a housing unit near the campus of U.C. Berkeley, known as Haste House, and he continued to do cartoons for ''The Pelican''. During that time he published three underground comic books, '' Lenny of Laredo'', ''Marching Marvin'', and ''The Profit''. The ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'' commented: :In 1965, his first full-length comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', was published. It was a satire loosely based on the career of embattled comedian Lenny Bruce. Mr. Beck's protagonist, a child named Lenny, achieves fame and fortune by uttering "obscenities" such as "pee-pee thing," only to find his career in the dumps when the public becomes satiated with his naughtiness. Two other books, ''Marching Marvin'' and ''The Profit'', followed. All are

collector's items A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

today."Joel Beck: Underground comic artist," ''San Francisco Chronicle'', September 21, 1999
In 1965, humor magazine editors voted to choose the nation's top college cartoonist and gave the honor to Beck. In January 1966, ''The Pelican'' reprinted much of his previous work and labeled him "Man of the Decade." His cartoons also appeared in the ''

Berkeley Barb The ''Berkeley Barb'' was a weekly underground newspaper published in Berkeley, California, during the years 1965 to 1980. It was one of the first and most influential of the counterculture newspapers, covering such subjects as the anti-war move ...

'', and he penned a number of handbills and posters for the Jabberwock coffeehouse on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. In addition, he was a founding member and regular contributor to the underground anthology '' Yellow Dog'', published from 1968–1973. In a detailed 1987 self-portrait, Beck depicted himself in an ecstatic state, high on the act of creation, as he labored at his drawing table late into the night, surrounded by his books, artwork, comics, Pepsi and dog.P., Andy "The Hellion of Haste House: The Life and Times of Joel Beck"
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Fine art

An accomplished fine artist, Beck created many paintings in acrylics, oils and watercolors—artwork now sought by international collectors.

Death

Beck died on September 21, 1999, from complications from alcoholism in Point Richmond, California.

Tributes

Kevin Fagan wrote Beck's obituary for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'':

References

External links

*
"Jiving with Joel" by Tom Conroy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Joel 1943 births 1999 deaths American cartoonists American comics writers Artists from the San Francisco Bay Area 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis People from Ross, California People from El Sobrante, Contra Costa County, California Tuberculosis deaths in California Alcohol-related deaths in California