• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

The Unofficial Underground Comix thread...
14 14

2,279 posts in this topic

Although not rare, this is my favorite comic produced by Rick Griffin

 

comtalesfromthetube_zpsnrrczvxc.jpg

 

I bought a copy of that 40+ years ago and while it is indeed an impressive Griffin dominated piece, I am bugged that it's not 100% RG like Man From Utopia, which I give the nod to as my favorite! But yeah, Tales, in both it's iterations is a stellar book....and quite tubular!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A little more of his work

 

 

 

filmoreposters1_zpsafee62yh.jpg

 

That Who Denver poster looks like a 2nd or later print. I have the true first print of it and the Quicksilver in uncirculated condition, but I only have the companion to the lower right Hendrix in mint condition that features Iron Butterfly. Awesome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a lot of these. Way back when I was in high school, I had a friend who's sister went to UC Berkley for college. She got a part time job with Bill Graham. About once a month she would send him a mailing tube with that months posters. He would call me up and I would bring over a couple "twisteys" and we would go up to the attic in his garage and open them up. He would give me one of each that were dupes. This went on for a couple years. I hung up a few but luckily kept most of them flat and un-used. Over the years, I have picked a lot of them when I could find them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a lot of these. Way back when I was in high school, I had a friend who's sister went to UC Berkley for college. She got a part time job with Bill Graham. About once a month she would send him a mailing tube with that months posters. He would call me up and I would bring over a couple "twisteys" and we would go up to the attic in his garage and open them up. He would give me one of each that were dupes. This went on for a couple years. I hung up a few but luckily kept most of them flat and un-used. Over the years, I have picked a lot of them when I could find them.

 

Took me a few to decipher 'twistey'! Nice score! I stopped collecting them when Ben Friedman of Postermat in SF died. He was practically giving them away. Can't afford them anymore!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems it might be a good time to get into Undergrounds if you've got money. There seems to be an abnormally large amount of sellers lately on eBay with rare, hard to find comix listed. Anyone else notice this?

 

I already replied to your observation earlier, but seeing a VGish copy of Running Dog come up on eBay auction yesterday, immediately reminded me of what you had said.

 

I believe it sold for $120, I did not have the money for a competitive bid. I think a real deal for such a rare item. The last one (that I could find) coming up for sale was back in 2014. As a loose comparison, I would say that about at least 4 Shiva's, 2-3 Gas #1 were sold on eBay within the same period.

Edited by dannyboycheapyboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone been inadvertently burnt with purchasing an assumed "first printing only" as listed by Kennedy? Then only to find out later that the artist, had several print runs, well past the publication date of Kennedy? I have to be more careful when buying cheaply priced minis and check/ask before buying.

 

I was a little surprised to see on Tom Foster's Jabberwocky site how many of his Kennedy listed items were printed at a much later date: most Fever Pitches (that I knew), American Apathist, Foster History, Transfer Artist, the Chuck Chickens. He even released a 90's reprint of Interstellar Yuks!

 

Here is a listing of pubs. by Jabberwocky, including # of printings and run size. Careful: it does not include printings done by other publishers, such as Comix World:

 

http://www.jabberwockygraphix.com/jabpublist.html

 

Now I am going to have to check the publication dates of these to ensure what I actually bought were first printings and not a reissue.

 

Most artists either ran it once or reprinted early enough to be captured by Kennedy - Romero, Taylor, Geary, John Adams and Goebart. But it can be tricky if you just rely on Kennedy: is everyone aware that there was a second printing of Disco Mouse?

 

Are there any other artists that I should be concerned with? I think Roger May was into reissuing well past the publication date of the first printing and was often missed by Kennedy. Roden had some obvious reprints in the 2000s.

 

Any others to be careful with?

 

 

Edited by dannyboycheapyboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just won this at auction. been wanting one for many years, but never found one cheap enough. Patience finally pays off as I think I got this for a nice price.

 

3469682.jpg

 

I did notice a couple of recent sales of "Tales from the Ozone" at prices that made me wish that I had patience before buying my copy. Nice snag. One of my favourite UG covers.

 

My copy is a higher grade raw that I haven't risked reading. I am curious is it explained by an inside story who the central character is on the cover?

 

I never knew until recently (about a month ago), when I spotted him on another comic cover. Does anyone else know the name of this 50s giveaway educomic creation?

 

Maybe it's an American thing and everyone else knows and I should be embarrassed!

 

 

Just to update. No Reddy Killowat appearance inside. Very happy with this copy, at least a 7.0 though sold as FN, and at least as nice as one of the "8.0" copies sold on ebay recently.

 

It does have cream pages, which seems to be the norm for undergrounds from the late sixties and early 70s.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone been inadvertently burnt with purchasing an assumed "first printing only" as listed by Kennedy? Then only to find out later that the artist, had several print runs, well past the publication date of Kennedy? I have to be more careful when buying cheaply priced minis and check/ask before buying.

 

I was a little surprised to see on Tom Foster's Jabberwocky site how many of his Kennedy listed items were printed at a much later date: most Fever Pitches (that I knew), American Apathist, Foster History, Transfer Artist, the Chuck Chickens. He even released a 90's reprint of Interstellar Yuks!

 

http://www.jabberwockygraphix.com/jabpublist.html

 

Now I am going to have to check the publication dates of these to ensure what I actually bought were first printings and not a reissue.

 

Most artists either ran it once or reprinted early enough to be captured by Kennedy - Romero, Taylor, Geary, John Adams and Goebart. But it can be tricky if you just rely on Kennedy: is everyone aware that there was a second printing of Disco Mouse?

 

Are there any other artists that I should be concerned with? I think Roger May was into reissuing well past the publication date of the first printing and was often missed by Kennedy. Roden had some obvious reprints in the 2000s.

 

Any others to be careful with?

 

 

ROGER MAY (RIP, boy did he dislike Fogel regarding some past deal he didn't get paid on) would just print some more of all of his minis when he needed them. No record of which printing is which. I would suspect anything by him might be a later copy and not original without proof and I doubt there is any.

Edited by 50 Cent #II (1st)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ROGER MAY (RIP, boy did he dislike Fogel regarding some past deal he didn't get paid on) would just print some more of all of his minis when he needed them. No record of which printing is which. I would suspect anything by him might be a later copy and not original without proof and I doubt there is any.

 

Roger May died?! I had no idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

ROGER MAY (RIP, boy did he dislike Fogel regarding some past deal he didn't get paid on) would just print some more of all of his minis when he needed them. No record of which printing is which. I would suspect anything by him might be a later copy and not original without proof and I doubt there is any.

 

I have come across a few of May's reprinted variants that had confused me for awhile (easily done). I posted before that the pink paper variant of Horrible Misunderstandings 1 is probably a fourth printing done by May. That's according to Romero. And I was thinking it was a variant of the first printing.

 

I also have seen a few takes of "Blown Away". I think I have an original but how to prove it?

 

Update: how to tell Foster's later printings from the first? In a few instances, the imprint changed from Comix World then to Jabberwocky. I should have thought about it!

Edited by dannyboycheapyboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ROGER MAY (RIP, boy did he dislike Fogel regarding some past deal he didn't get paid on) would just print some more of all of his minis when he needed them. No record of which printing is which. I would suspect anything by him might be a later copy and not original without proof and I doubt there is any.

 

Roger May died?! I had no idea.

 

Yes, last year of cancer. Here's his facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/roger.may.3D?fref=nf

 

You can find several of his hard to find mini comix collected in the book Newave!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine figuring out the printings of a lot of self-published mini comics is like trying to figure out the printings for Tijuana Bibles.

 

Great analogy.

 

Why should one care? Other than academic reasons, if the first run of a rare mini cannot be distinguished from more common later printings, then it should impact its worth.

 

Why waste time looking for or pay $25 for a "first print" of Insipid Six #1, when you can purchase a later printing directly from the artist for 75 cents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine figuring out the printings of a lot of self-published mini comics is like trying to figure out the printings for Tijuana Bibles.

 

Great analogy.

 

Why should one care? Other than academic reasons, if the first run of a rare mini cannot be distinguished from more common later printings, then it should impact its worth.

 

Why waste time looking for or pay $25 for a "first print" of Insipid Six #1, when you can purchase a later printing directly from the artist for 75 cents.

 

Or, to go back to the TJ Bible analogy, just go for the terrific 4 vol. set Sex In Comics by Donald Gilmore. Actually there are two versions out there, a set with a $3.50 price tag on each book and one with a $6.95 price, no other difference as far as I can tell.

 

That's as far as I go with collecting firsts of the Bibles. Plus I love those Greenleaf Classics, especially the books by Gilmore. He seemed to have a fondness for comix and has a section about TJ Bibles and UG in most of his 'scholarly studies'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine figuring out the printings of a lot of self-published mini comics is like trying to figure out the printings for Tijuana Bibles.

 

Great analogy.

 

Why should one care? Other than academic reasons, if the first run of a rare mini cannot be distinguished from more common later printings, then it should impact its worth.

 

Why waste time looking for or pay $25 for a "first print" of Insipid Six #1, when you can purchase a later printing directly from the artist for 75 cents.

 

Or, to go back to the TJ Bible analogy, just go for the terrific 4 vol. set Sex In Comics by Donald Gilmore. Actually there are two versions out there, a set with a $3.50 price tag on each book and one with a $6.95 price, no other difference as far as I can tell.

 

That's as far as I go with collecting firsts of the Bibles. Plus I love those Greenleaf Classics, especially the books by Gilmore. He seemed to have a fondness for comix and has a section about TJ Bibles and UG in most of his 'scholarly studies'.

 

 

One of the ironies of collecting Tijuana Bibles, is that high grade copies are often suspected of being recent reprints when listed on line. Generally the only things I've been able to judge is that the two tone red and black ink on white covers are probably early editions, and that the red card stock with tan backing covers are probably from the 1940s, while the blue card stock covers seem a little later - late 50s or so, judging on content.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine figuring out the printings of a lot of self-published mini comics is like trying to figure out the printings for Tijuana Bibles.

 

Great analogy.

 

Why should one care? Other than academic reasons, if the first run of a rare mini cannot be distinguished from more common later printings, then it should impact its worth.

 

Why waste time looking for or pay $25 for a "first print" of Insipid Six #1, when you can purchase a later printing directly from the artist for 75 cents.

 

Or, to go back to the TJ Bible analogy, just go for the terrific 4 vol. set Sex In Comics by Donald Gilmore. Actually there are two versions out there, a set with a $3.50 price tag on each book and one with a $6.95 price, no other difference as far as I can tell.

 

That's as far as I go with collecting firsts of the Bibles. Plus I love those Greenleaf Classics, especially the books by Gilmore. He seemed to have a fondness for comix and has a section about TJ Bibles and UG in most of his 'scholarly studies'.

 

 

One of the ironies of collecting Tijuana Bibles, is that high grade copies are often suspected of being recent reprints when listed on line. Generally the only things I've been able to judge is that the two tone red and black ink on white covers are probably early editions, and that the red card stock with tan backing covers are probably from the 1940s, while the blue card stock covers seem a little later - late 50s or so, judging on content.

 

Gilmore occasionally discusses print quality and various methods of reproduction in his 4 volume history, but I'm unclear as to how helpful it would be in identifying true firsts as I won't even go there.

 

I used to notice, when I was cataloging old issues of the tabloids Screw, San Francisco Ball and a few others, for a bookseller I worked for, that there were ads for TJ Bibles in the classifieds, making it clear to me that the pamphlets were being reprinted in various forms by all types of folks, almost up to the present, and any attempt to figure out originals from reprints was going to probably be an exercise in futility.

 

I just decided I wanted the books that obviously reprinted the goods, and attempted to be scholarly so that they could avoid possible scrutiny for appealing to the prurient interests and all the other aspects of what defined pornography. I find it quite entertaining that the field was full of this type of thing in order to put out smut, albeit in a respectable manner!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have the Gilmore books, but I've bought a few collected representations, including the Starhead comic format ones, though I'll buy superhero themed individual ones now and then. I put a cap of $25 on what I'll spend, and usually it's far less.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have the Gilmore books, but I've bought a few collected representations, including the Starhead comic format ones, though I'll buy superhero themed individual ones now and then. I put a cap of $25 on what I'll spend, and usually it's far less.

 

That Starhead series was pretty bizarre in the way it came in various shapes and sizes, so to speak. As far as I can tell there were nine issues and I think I got them all. Do you know if that is indeed the case?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Folks,

 

Have decided to donate my UG comix & newspaper collection to the University of California Riversde Library.

 

I need to find a qualified appraiser to assign a Fair Market Value to my collection. This appraiser can be someone who

 

The individual demonstrates verifiable education and experience in valuing the type of property being appraised. To do this, the appraiser can make a declaration in the appraisal that, because of his or her background, experience, education, and membership in professional associations, he or she is qualified to make appraisals of the type of property being valued.

 

I live in the Southern California region, so 50CENT are you up to doing this???

 

Best, Alan

 

Any update on how this is going Alan?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
14 14