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The Unofficial Underground Comix thread...
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2,279 posts in this topic

Powermowerman has got to be very rare and unknown to most underground and promo/give away comic collectors. With very early Bode art (first? professional? work. Was in Overstreet back in the 80's and then taken out.

 

I believe you're right about it being his first professional gig. Had no idea it was listed in Overstreet in the 80's, how odd that they would take it out.

 

Help used to be listed in Overstreet and then at some point they took it out as well. Haven't looked at a price guide in a few years so I'm unsure whether or not it's been reinstated. Always wondered why they removed it.

 

That's so weird. I haven't looked at a new Overstreet guide in years either, but it doesn't really make any sense to exclude titles like this, even if it's to honor Mr. Overstreet's dictum that adult-oriented materials be excluded from his guide. Judging by today's standards, there's nothing particularly subversive about Help, and Powermowerman is (and always has been) utterly benign.

 

 

Since Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella and a couple other Warren titles are in Overstreet and Famous Monsters Of Filmland and it's ilk are not, I assumed Help was considered in the latter category by some committee at some later point.

 

Does anybody know if Overstreet lists Warren's 1984/94? It resembles the comic titles like Creepy, but the content is pretty 'adult' by comparison....and even that label can be argued by those who would just call it "out and out tawdry smut".

 

I figure if Mad and Cracked are listed, well...why not Help?

 

I always thought that it was due to the amount of hand drawn comic art inside the book which prevented Help and others like it to be in Overstreet. Also since MAD started as a comic it was always grandfathered in. Kurtzman stuff is always good to read and enjoy. Help also contained some very early Terry Gilliam work, maybe his first professionally published work outside of college.

 

Do you mean Help didn't make the cut because of the lack of hand drawn comic art and preponderance of photographic material? If so, perhaps you are right, and maybe, like wpbooks suggested, the Overstreet editorial board deemed Help Magazine of the Monsters of Filmland ilk. Still strange that they would at first include it and then decide to cut it. And what about Powermowerman? Was there a decision to remove early promotional work by underground cartoonists?

 

I took a look at my 2008 Overstreet and they do list Warren's 1984/94 (and even Comix International!). Comix Book is also listed. Crumb is mentioned three times in the market report section and is even praised as the most unique artist of the 1960's, but the only artist credit he has is for Harvey Kurtzman's Strange Adventures. Bode's credits are more or less limited to the contributions he made to Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. So, by and large, I'd say the editorial board was pretty exacting in avoiding the tawdry smut.

 

Not if they included 1984/94. Have you ever read a copy of that illustrious periodical? In general it looks like they were going for the Heavy Metal market, in reality, it is pretty unparalleled in the depths it reaches in content in all sorts of ways. I happen to love the magazine precisely because it's so hard to believe that not only did it last 29 issues, but that it seemed to bask in how insanely depraved it could get.

 

The writing is atrocious and panders to the 12 year old boy's basest instincts in all of us and it has some of my favorite artwork in all of Warren-dom. In other words I can't believe it passed muster for the Overstreet Overlords and things like Zap, Skull, Bijou and even Felch did not.....basically 1984/94 is the newsstand equivalent of that last title in so many ways....check it out.

 

I have all my copies lovingly bound in hardcover in 3 volumes, as the odds of ever seeing the title reprinted or given Archive editions like it's fellow Warren mags are pretty slim for all the best reasons!!!

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Sounds incredible. They have such unassuming covers; fooled not just the OSPG, but me too! I know I have at least one issue here somewhere... I'll keep my eyes open for it next time I sift through my comic boxes.

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promethean3.jpg

 

Promethean may be my favorite 'fanzine' of all time. really wish there were more than just five issues. For me it's up there with Squa Tront and Witzend!!!

 

I agree 100%. It's a marvelous series that is pretty much firing on all cylinders. I get weak in the knees when I see Griffin's scarabs.

 

promethean2.jpg

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I also see that the magazine insert is solid black on the side banner, while the original goes from black to red, and that with the insert the art on the right edge is trimmed.

 

I wonder what the story is with this book as both the small size of the original print run and the use as an insert are unusual for the era.

 

I'm with you, I'd love to know the story behind the book. It's one of my favorites, both for the quality of it's production and it's content. Recently, an ebay seller by the name of mr-comixking has been selling several pristine copies of the book. The seller is likely Errol McCarthy, the artist behind Real World Comix, or a relative of his; besides underground comix, the seller is also selling sketches and concept drawings by McCarthy. On a side note, McCarthy is best known for his work at Mattel, where since the early 80's he has been the creative force behind illustrating action figure lines like He-Man, Hot Wheels, and many others. I believe the Kennedy Guide states that 200 of the 325 originally produced copies were distributed through Kitchen Sink; the copies surfacing on e-bay now are likely whatever remains of the books that were not distributed. Perhaps, the best way to settle our curiosity is to inquire with mr-comixking about the story behind Real World Comix.

 

As it turns out, the seller account mr-comixking on ebay is run by agents of Errol McCarthy. They were kind enough to patch me through to him and I was able to ask him about some of the questions we had about Real World Comix.

 

Here's my message to him:

Thank you for agreeing to answer some of our queries! We are particularly interested in the creative history and printing history of Real World Comix. First, we were curious about the context in which Real World Comix came about and your inspiration behind the work. Second, we were wondering about how you came to print the book in such an unusual deluxe format and in such a limited quantity: We understand that 200 of the 325 printed copies were distributed through Kitchen Sink; is there anything you can tell us about the circumstances behind this arrangement? Also, why was there no price on the front cover? Finally, we would love to know how Real World Comix came to appear in Apple Pie Vol. 1 #5; perhaps there is not much to this last point, but we found it rather interesting (and unusual for the time) how Real World Comix was inserted into Apple Pie.

 

And Mr. McCarthy's reply:

Thanx for your interest in that ancient tome. Now here goes....

The reason for Real World was this:I was getting an M.A. at Cal State LA in about 1971 and wanted to do my own Underground comic as my thesis. I had just started doing hot rod themed comics for Petersen Pub. as a sideline & wanted to continue to do comic art. Amazingly, Cal State approved the theme, so I started-first on a paper explaining the then new Underground Comic movement, then I started on the comic itself. The cover was inspired by observing some of my fellow students who seemed determined to stay in school and avoid "The Real World"! Later,the Apple Pie story was a continuation of the cover theme.

A friend with a print shop produced the book. Doing 300 copies was quite a job! It was the state of the art at that time with my budget. I got my M.A., then tried to peddle the book & contacted Dennis Kitchen and other publishers, including Larry Flynt. There was no cover price because it wasn't going to be sold retail.

 

Mr. McCarthy also expressed a willingness to answer additional questions, in case anyone would like to know more.

 

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In the late 60's, the history of counter cultural comics and underground films merged for a brief moment in San Francisco. During that time, the great Roger Brand did occasional poster and add work for the pioneering adult film company Leo Productions, for which he also produced this little movie tie-in comic.

(Another promotional comic by an underground cartoonist most definitely not found in the OSPG.)

 

2ca404f4-31f8-488b-b538-f41eef317fa5.jpg

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