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 the "comix" movement that snowballed after its release. The title itself published 17 issues over a period of 46 years.

Premiering in early 1968 as a showcase for the work of Robert Crumb, ''Zap'' was unlike any comic book sensibility that had been seen before. After the success of the first issue, Crumb opened the pages of ''Zap'' to several other artists, including S. Clay Wilson, Robert Williams, "Spain" Rodriguez, Gilbert Shelton, and two artists with reputations as psychedelic poster designers, Victor Moscoso and Rick Griffin. This group of artists, along with Crumb, remained mostly constant throughout the history of ''Zap.''

While the origin of the spelling "comix" is a subject of some dispute, it was popularized by its appearance in the title of the first issues of ''Zap.'' Design critic Steven Heller claims that the term "comix" ("co-mix") refers to the traditional comic book style of ''Zap'', and its mixture of dirty jokes and storylines.

Overview

Labeled "Fair Warning: For Adult Intellectuals Only", ''Zap'' #1 featured the publishing debut of Robert Crumb's much-bootlegged '' Keep on Truckin''' imagery, an early appearance of unreliable holy man Mr. Natural and his neurotic disciple Flakey Foont, and the first of innumerable self-caricatures (in which Crumb calls himself "a raving lunatic", and "one of the world's last great medieval thinkers"). The debut issue included the story "Whiteman," which detailed the inner torment seething within the lusty, fearful heart of an outwardly upright American.

For the second issue, Crumb invited S. Clay Wilson, Victor Moscoso and Rick Griffin to contribute. Gilbert Shelton joined the crew with issue #3, and Robert Wiliams and Spain Rodriguez joined with issue #4, completing the roster.

''Zap'''s new publisher the Print Mint weathered a lawsuit filed over the ''Zap'' #4, released in 1969, which featured among other things, Crumb's depiction of incest in a middle-class family. The publishers, Don & Alice Schenker, were arrested and charged with publishing pornography by the Berkeley Police Department. Previous to that, Simon Lowinsky, who had a gallery on College Avenue in Berkeley and had put up an exhibition of the Crumb's original drawings, had been arrested on the same charge. His case came to trial first. He was acquitted after supportive testimony from Peter Selz, a prominent figure in the art world. At that point the city dropped the charges against the Print Mint. In a related case, however — also brought on by ''Zap'' #4 — the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that local communities could decide their own First Amendment standards with reference to obscenity. (See Miller v. California) In the mid-1970s, sale of drug paraphernalia was outlawed in many places, and the distribution network for these comics (and the underground newspapers) dried up, leaving mail order as the only commercial outlet for underground titles.Estren, Mark James (1993). "Foreword: Onward!". ''A History of Underground Comics''. Ronin Publishing. p. 7. .

Contributor Rick Griffin died in 1991; Paul Mavrides made his debut as a ''Zap'' contributor in issue #14 (1998). (Mavrides was invited to contribute when Crumb announced that he no longer wanted to work on ''Zap'' — although Crumb never did actually quit the title.)

Publication history

''Zap'' #1 was published in San Francisco in early 1968. Some 3,500 copies were printed by Beat writer Charles Plymell, who arranged with publisher Don Donahue for ''Zap'' to be the first title put out under Donahue's Apex Novelties imprint.

The contents of the first ''Zap'' were not intended to be the debut issue. Philadelphia publisher Brian Zahn (who had published earlier works of R. Crumb in his Philadelphia-based underground newspaper ''Yarrowstalks'') had intended to publish an earlier version of the comic, but reportedly left the country with the artwork. Rather than repeat himself, Crumb drew a new assortment of strips, which replaced the missing issue.

(The tagline of ''Zap'' #1, "Zap Comics are Squinky Comics!!" has an interesting origin. Art Spiegelman called his girlfriend of the time, Isabella Fiske, "Squink." Crumb liked the word and decided to use it on the cover. Crumb himself credits Gershon Legman's 1949 article "Love and Death" condemning the "horror-squinky" in 1940s comics.)

In late 1968, shortly before ''Zap'' #3 was to be published, Crumb found Xerox copies of the missing pages from the original ''Zap'' #1, which (according to fellow ''Zap'' contributor Victor Moscoso) successfully captured the linework but not the solid blacks. After being re-inked by Crumb, those strips subsequently appeared as ''Zap'' #0. Thus ''Zap'' #0 became the third in the series (even though it was drawn before #1 in 1967), and ''Zap'' #3 the fourth.Estren, Mark, ''A History of Underground Comics'', Ronin Publishing, 1993
, 9780914171645 p.52

With issue #4 (Aug. 1969), ''Zap'' moved publishers to the Print Mint, which weathered a lawsuit related to its contents (see above). A 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling led to the collapse of the underground comix market, and after that ''Zap'' was published sporadically, with it being typical for three to five years to pass between new issues. ''Zap'' continued to be published by Print Mint through issue #9 (1978), when the company stopped publishing comics altogether.

From issue #10 (1982) onward, ''Zap'' was published by Last Gasp (which also published many reprints of earlier issues). Again, there were often long periods between issues: altogether, five issues of ''Zap'' were published (by Print Mint and Last Gasp) in the 1970s, three issues in the 1980s, and two issues in the 1990s. ''Zap'' #15 () came out in 2005, seven years after the previous issue.

Issues #13–15 all featured cameos by sex-positive feminist Susie Bright as a character within its pages (or on the cover).

A limited edition six-volume hardcover box set containing the complete ''Zap Comix'' () was published by Fantagraphics in November 2014. Besides including an oral history, portfolio, and previously unseen material, the set also included the never-before published ''Zap Comix'' #16 — the final issue in the series. ''Zap'' #16 would later be released by Fantagraphics as a stand-alone, 80-page comic in February 2016, with a few changes and additions.

Circulation

The first issue of ''Zap'' was sold on the streets of Haight-Ashbury out of a baby stroller pushed by Crumb's wife Dana on the first day. In years to come, the comic's sales would be most closely linked with alternative venues such as head shops.

Due to its unusual outside position in the comic distribution industry, a completely accurate count of ''Zaps circulation cannot be known, but overall sales for the comic's first 16 issues are in the millions.

Jams

From issue #3 forward (with the exception of issue #8), every issue of the title featured a group jam by the "''Zap'' collective," where the cartoonists would pass a story around, each one contributing panels to the overall story (which was usually no more than two pages).

In addition, in June 1970, the collective did the one-page jam "Science Fiction Comics" along with Harvey Kurtzman, which was published in ''East Village Other'' vol. 6, #1. In 1974, between issues #7 and #8 of ''Zap Comix'', the collective produced ''Zam'' (''Zap Jam''), an entire 36-page comic filled with their jams.

List of ''Zap'' jams

* "Atomic Comics," 3 pages in ''Zap'' #3
* "Jam," 3 pages in ''Zap'' #4
* "Micro-Minnie," .15 page in ''Zap'' #5
* "Mammy Jama," 1 page in ''Zap'' #6
* All nite comix..." 2 pages in ''Zam-Zap Jam'' (The Print Mint, 1974)
* "Zyklon Jam - Souvenir of the Carnage," 1 page in ''Zap'' #8
* "The Sky Is, In Fact, Falling" ("Four Guys Comics"), 1 page in ''Zap'' #9
* "Toe Jam Comix," 1 page in ''Zap'' #10
* "The Constipated Chaos Consortium," 1 page in ''Zap'' #11
* "Rotten to the Core," 2 pages in ''Zap'' #12
* "Bark All You Want, You Can't Bite Me Now — A Shaggy Fish Story," 3 pages in ''Zap'' #13
* "The Last Lunch," 2 pages in ''Zap'' #13 — dedicated to the memory of Rick Griffin
* "(Self) Important Comics," 2 pages in ''Zap'' #14
* "Circle of Jerks," 2 pages in ''Zap'' #15

Featured characters

*Angelfood McSpade (R. Crumb) — a large-built black woman drawn as a racist African native caricature. She is usually depicted being sexually exploited or manipulated by men. ''(Appears in issues #2 and #0.)''
*Captain Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates (S. Clay Wilson) — a crew of bisexual male drug-addict pirates that are into a series of kinky and outré sexual acts. Captain Pissgums' nemesis is Captain Fatima and the butch all-female crew of the ''SS Quivering Thigh''. (A "Captain Pysse-Gummes" is mentioned as one of the captains attending the Pirate's Conference in ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen''.) Moore, Alan and Kevin O'Neill, "And the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder," ''League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' vol. 2, #3 (Nov. 2002). ''(Appears in issues #3, 10, and 15.)''
* The Checkered Demon (S. Clay Wilson) — portly, shirtless demon frequently called upon to kill the various demented bikers, pirates, and rapists who populate Wilson's universe. ''(Appears in issues #2, 4, 5, and 8–15.)''
* Coochy Cooty (Robert Williams) — Sinner, substance abuser, fornicator, and bad-ass antihero who wears a flower pot hat. ''(Appears in issues #5, 6, and 8–13.)''
* R. Crumb (R. Crumb) — self-caricature portrayed as "a raving lunatic" and "one of the world's last great medieval thinkers." ''(Appears in issues #0, 1, 6–8, 10, 11, and 13–15.)''

* Mr. Natural (R. Crumb) — unreliable holy man and his neurotic disciple Flakey Foont. ''(Appears in issues #0 and #1–7.)''
* Trashman (Spain) — hero of the working classes and champion of radical left-wing causes ''(Appears in issues #11–13.)''
*Wonder Wart-Hog, the "Hog of Steel" (Gilbert Shelton) — a violent reactionary amoral "superhero" who hypocritically murders and rapes people he doesn't approve of. His alter ego is reporter Philbert DeSanex ''(Appears in issues #3-5, 13, and 15.)''

Issue guide

References

External links

''Zap'' section
of ComixJoint, including reviews of issues #1-15

"The ''Zap'' Show: A Cultural Revolution"
exhibit at New York's Society of Illustrators

{{Robert Crumb

1968 comics debuts
Comics magazines published in the United States
Underground comix
Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area
Art in the San Francisco Bay Area
Comics by Robert Crumb
Obscenity controversies in comics
Last Gasp titles