A History of A Preview

Underground Seriously funny! Seriously! More than 1,000 illus-

Comics trations–many unique to this book! Where the un-
by Mark J. Estren
derground comics came from–how they developed
—where they went–who created them–who tried to
destroy them! First-person comments by cartoonists including Robert Crumb,
Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, S. Clay Wilson, Trina Robbins, Jay Lynch
and many others! Sex! Drugs! Rock ‘n’ roll! Politics! Feminism! Violence!
Censorship! Ecology! Plus some stuff that isn’t funny! The 20th-anniversary
edition of A History of Underground Comics is “the only serious attempt so far
to chronicle this bizarre period in comic history” —San Jose Mercury

“Estren’s book is one of the best studies of comic art in print.”

– Seattle Times
“A long, loving, yet still perceptive look at the artwork, the philosophies
and the satire.” – Santa Barbara News-Press

“A generous genealogy of this warped genre.” – Swank

Mark James Estren, depicted in the De-

nis Kitchen strip to the right, won the Pulitzer
for A History of Underground Comics while
still a graduate student. Dr. Estren (he holds
two PhDs) has worked as a journalist for
CBS and ABC News, the Washington Post,
Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald, and
ran Financial News Network. He was editor
of High Technology Business magazine and
of the books In Tune with America and Pro-
fessionally Speaking, and was a major con-
tributor to In a Word: A Dictionary of Words
That Don’t Exist, but Ought To. Estren has
been a venture capitalist, orchestra conduc-
tor, psychologist and herpetologist. Fortune
magazine named Estren one of its “People to
Watch.”
 Sexy!
Since American society has
always placed particular empha-
sis on the nature of sex as some-
thing personal, private, eminently
concealable, and of course not
to be suggested or shown to
children; since the most strictly
enforced taboos of the Comics
Code of America, and of the Mo-
tion Picture Censorship Board,
are against sex; since whatever
illicit presentations of sex have
existed in this country have ap-
peared in plain wrappers, often (as

Robert Crumb. Snatch Comics No. 2. ©1968 R. Scrum. By permission of Robert Crumb.
in the case of sexploitation movies)
with heavily moralizing narration
to compensate, in some perverse
way, for the clinical description
of sex inside those wrappers–for
all those reasons, the underground
cartoonists absolutely revel in sex
and sexuality.
In some cases, the cartoon-
ists’ satire focuses on the typical-
ly American, puritanical view of
sex. Joel Beck’s parodies of this
attitude are particularly telling.
In fact, all the best underground
sex strips treat the whole sexual
thing on a satirical or frankly hu-
morous level. Their reduction of
sex to just another animal activ-
ity is the breaking of a greater ta-
boo than the portrayal of human
genitals in clinical detail.
In his superb study of Love
and Death (Breaking Point,
1949), G. Legman writes: “The
censor’s unequivocal ‘You must Robert Crumb, XYZ Comics.
not!’ is seldom answered with ©1972 R. Crumb. By permis-
sion of Robert Crumb.
an equally uncompromising ‘I
Outrageous

Comics No. 1. ©1968 R. Cum. By permission of Robert Crumb.

Robert Crumb’s infamous center spread from Snatch
will!’ Ashamed to oppose the zled or outraged silence, should Sex in the underground
censor’s morality, and afraid read the line as it would be comics is best approached by
to contravene his authority, the spoken: “her C’s, her U’s, ‘n’ her looking first at Robert Crumb’s
writer’s first reaction is to evade T’s.” If Shakespeare had to spell sex comics. A number of these
the censorship, to see what can out his sexual terms, what are we were produced: three issues of
be sneaked through, what can to expect from lesser men? Snatch, one issue each of Jiz and
be gotten away with, what can Whatever we might expect, Cunt (“the only comic you can
be disguised just enough to ass we have gotten much from the eat”), and several other titles.
the censor but not so much as to underground cartoonists. They The sex comics came into be-
escape the audience.” Legman’s have found it unnecessary to ing soon after Crumb began his
statement has applied from time meet the censor uncompromis- association with S. Clay Wilson
immemorial, or at least from time ingly; instead, they have merely in 1968. Mike Barrier reports,
Shakespearian. In Act II, Scene ignored him. This has led to oc- in Funnyworld No. 10, that “the
5 of Twelfth Night, Malvolio has casional obscenity busts of some focus of Crumb’s work shifted to
this speech: “By my life, this dealers in underground comics the Forbidden, to all the words
is my lady’s hand: these be her (see Chapter 10); but in general, and things and activities that
very C’s, her U’s and her T’s; legal hassles have been avoided have been off limits to everyone
and thus she makes her great P’s” by the production of overtly sex- but hard-core pornographers in
(lines 96-99). Anyone needing ual comics in very small numbers the past. Sex and elimination,
assistance in reading this speech, and for very limited (and rapid) in other words.” And for read-
which critics pass over in puz- distribution. ers who haven’t yet guessed,
Irreverent
under another alias), Rory Hayes,
Jim Osborne, Victor Moscoso,
and others. The comics amount
Barrier adds that Snatch “is at one thing, contains the center to a working out of personal
least as raunchy as you think it spread, “The Family That Lays hangups on paper, being more
is.” This first Snatch, which was Together Stays Together” (see of a free-for-all for the artists
unlike anything in comic-book Chapter 7), a drawing which is involved than trenchant attempts
form since the days of the old both funnier and more sarcastic at social satire – with the few ex-
Eight-Pagers (see Chapter 2), than “The Great Intercontinental ceptions (such as the “Dicknose”
caused more furor than any other Fuck-In and Orgy-Riot” which strip) invariably done by Crumb
underground sex comic. Crumb is the center of Snatch No. 1. himself. Crumb has been quoted
printed the comic in an edition And Jiz contains a truly classic as saying, “If taboos were bro-
of eight hundred copies, all of sex strip, by far the funniest of ken by Snatch – groovy! Then

. Above: Robert Crumb. The center spread from Snatch Comics No. 2. ©1968 R.Scrum. By per-
mission of Robert Crumb. Compare with the center spread of Snatch Comics No. 1, pg. 117

which quickly sold out in San its type to appear in any under- we can move on to something
Francisco, where they originated. ground comic: “The Adventures else.” And Crumb has moved on
Snatch No. 1 quickly became a of Dicknose.” The “Dicknose” (though how far and to where is a
collector’s item, and copies were strip lasts a full eight pages, mak- debatable point – see pages 127-
commanding prices of twenty- ing it also the longest continu- 138), though not all his collabo-
five dollars apiece and more less ous strip in any of Crumb’s sex rators have.
than two years after they were comics. Since the sex comics, Crumb
published. All the Crumb sex comics has been particularly success-
In fact, though, Crumb’s contain drawings by artists other ful in perfecting the character
work in Snatch No. 1 does not than Crumb himself: S. Clay of Angelfood McSpade, who
match his later efforts in Snatch Wilson (usually under the pseud- represents all white men’s re-
No. 2 and Jiz. Snatch No. 2, for onym “Crank Collingwood,” or pressed sexual desires. An
 Clearly, Crumb has moved and funny, but still…a dead
Skip Williamson, Chicago Mirror No. 2. ©1968 Jay Lynch.

beyond the overt, enjoyable, but end for a talent as great as his.”
finally pointless sexuality of his Crumb seems to have proved
sex comics. This is not to say Barrier wrong by finding new
that readers invariably found ways to use the overt sexual ex-
these comics enjoyable in any pressions of his sex comics; but
sense. Writing in Funnyworld not all the artists in those comics
By permission of Jay Lynch.

No. 10, Mike Barrier comments, have been able (or willing) to go
“A detailed physical descrip- on to new things. S. Clay Wil-
tion of a sex act doesn’t convey son, for one, is still doing comics
what’s really going on, any more similar to those in the sex books.
than a detailed physical descrip-
tion of eating conveys how it
feels to consume a fine meal,
and a detailed physical descrip- Joel Beck. The Profit. ©1966
tion is all that smut provides… Joel Beck. By permission
of Joel Beck.
[Crumb’s sex comics are] relaxed

extensive piece on Angelfood in

Zap Comix No. 2 explains: “For
one thing, she’s illegal. And she
has been confined to the wilds of
darkest Africa, the official excuse
being that civilization would be
threatened if she were allowed to
do whatever she pleased. …Men
would quit their jobs if they got
a chance to see ol’ Angelfood
shake that thing! The over-
whelming smell of her…er…
ah…THINGIE tends to disrupt
clear thinking. The stockmarket
would take a nose-dive!”
Barney Steel. Armageddon No. 2. ©1973 Barney Steel and Last Gasp Eco-Funnies, Inc. By permission
of Barney Steel and Last Gasp Eco-Funnies, Inc. by Ron Turner.
 A History of
Underground Comics
by Mark J. Estren
Spring 12
isbn 978-1-57951-156-2
8.5 x 11 $29.95

“Lively and provocative.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A far-reaching sampler full of exuberance and

irreverent fun.” – San Francisco Examiner
“A loving monograph, a paean to the men and women
who kept the counter-culture’s sense of humor alive
during one of the most humorless times in this nation’s
history.” – Chicago Sun-Times

“An industry ‘bible’ and an invaluable reference.” – Midwest Review of Books

“You’ve got a winner! Really a fine book.” – Harvey Kurtzman, Mad editor

“I thought it was great and an important contribution to the comics library shelf.”
– Will Eisner
“I am in your fan club.” – Fred W. Friendly, CBS Edward R. Murrow’s producer

“It’s beautiful!” – William M. Gaines

Mad publisher

“Lively and provocative.”

– Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Seems to me you’ve displayed plenty of

affectionate respect for even the lowliest
just for being part of a movement, but
kept a clear eye on their actual achieve-
ments, and organized the whole with
clarity and style. How’s that for a rave?”
– Bill Pearson, Witzend