The Comix Files: Jerry Collins

Atlanta-based cartoonist Jerry Collins and I corresponded in 1984. He contributed a self-portrait to Outside In # 13.

Treasury of Mini Comics, Vol. 1

A box of contributor copies of Treasury of Mini Comics, Volume 1 arrived in the mail today. It's a thick little guy, 848 pages but only 16.5 cm. high. Fantagraphics is selling it for $29.99.

Edited by Michael Dowers, the artists and writers included are Dowers, Leonard Rifas, Justin Green,  Gary Arlington, Jim Siergey, Larry Rippe, Richard Krauss, Lori-Ann Reif, Bob Vojtko, Clark Dissmeyer, Par Holman, Macedonio Garcia, Matt Feazell, Matt Howarth, Rick Bradford, Steve Willis, Ronald Russell Roach, Bruce Chrislip, Edd Vick, Brad Johnson, Tim Corrigan, David Miller, Colin Upton, Robert Pasternak, David Lee Ingersoll, Glen Ingersoll, Roberta Gregory, John Porcellino, Dylan Williams, Tom Spurgeon, Erik Reynolds, Molly Kiely, Blair Wilson, Jim Blanchard, Chris Cilla, David Lasky, Jim Woodring, Marc Bell, Rupert Bottenberg, Ron Regé Jr., Leela Corman, Karl Wills, Onsmith, Travis Millard, Mark Campos, Nate Beaty, Peter Thompson, Fiona Smyth, Carrie McNinch, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Connery, Billy Mavreas, Andy Singer, Noah Van Sciver, Kelly Froh, Aaron Norhanian, Max Clotfelter, Marc J. Palm, David Heatley, Laura Wady. 

For you regular Morty the Blog readers, the Willis piece reprinted here was Brave New Nazis of the Inland Enpire, which was first published in 1985. There is also a nice summation of the Outside In series.

Unlike Michael's previous Newave book for Fantagraphics, which had the same format, this book is not just concentrated on one slice of time. It is a testimony to how enduring the 14-16 cm. minicomc genre has become. Somewhere, Clay Geerdes is smiling.

Outside-In: The History of a Comix Series

I have no memory of drawing this or why it exists. Looks like it was created in 1989, but if it was ever published I am not aware where. Michael Dowers sent me these pages in the recent stack of original art he returned.

More Original Art!

Michael Dowers just sent me a huge package of original art I had apparently lent to him since the 1980s I had forgotten about. Thanks Michael! What an unexpected arrival in PO Box 390! A treasure trove of memories!

This work will probably be made available for sale very soon, as in starting today or tomorrow.

In taking an inventory here's what I find:

Stories (I will eventually track down the original publication source for all of them):

"No Cigar" (12 p.)
"Dredging" (4 p.)
"Rainmaker Painraker" (12 p.) from Storm Warnings. Conventional mainstream minds liked this piece, but I hated it. Go figure.
"Slim Chance and Fat Fate" (7 p.) also from Storm Warnings.
"Chow Time" (4 p.)
"I Love, Er, Like Seattle!" (2 p.) This was the only piece I drew as an original work just for the Seattle Star that was not a reprint aside from a cover for one issue.

Entire books:
Cranium Frenzy # 7 (1994). (19 p.)
Bezango (1994). (24 p.). I am torn about offering this art for sale for three reasons. First, this comic was later reprinted as a nationally distributed comic under the Starhead label with the title Bezango Obscuro. That jacks it up a notch. Second, as a nationally distributed comic, it left the fold of the obscure and my character Floating Baby Head was widely read. This character is now used in the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb, and I am still interested in investigating possible legal action against Walt's regime for stealing my idea. I know, it's a David v. Goliath scenario, and if I try I'll be crushed like an insect in a manner that will ruin me. But that concept was mine first in a national commercial comic and the original art can serve as a court exhibit. I feel very ripped off, even if it was possibly unintentional. Third, the upcoming documentary on NW cartoonists is called Bezango WA and I suspect this "Bezango" term will not go away. If that is the case, I now hold a precious primary source document that should reside in a public depository, like the Washington State University Comix Collection.
Xenophobic Knives and other Love Songs, Pt. 2 (1991) (12 p.) 

In addition, Michael sent three pages of an unpublished work called "Outside-In, the History of a Comix Series." Looks like it was drawn in 1989. Michael says he left p. 4 in a scanner, so when he sends that one I'll post the whole thing here. I must admit I have no memory of drawing this thing or why I drew it.

Still deciding whether or not to sell each page individually or as a set. I'm open to offers before I post. You can check out my other art and comix for sale here:

 http://www.mortythedog.com/p/comix-art-25-sale-includes-new-items.html

[Update: "I Love, Er, Like Seattle!" is no longer available]

[Another update: "Dredging" has been spoken for]

Bezango: Overheard in Olympia

Olympia Power & Light # 50 (December 28-January 10, 2012)

You old Newave Comix folks will enjoy this domino effect. As I stated in this column, the whole idea for this piece came from our colleague Susan Catherine and her Overheard at America's Lunch Counters minicomix from the 1980s.

I see by the inset the editors of OP&L plan to co-opt this and use it as a mini-regular feature in the future. There's a lesson here for all us aging Newavers as we qualify for senior discounts at various fast food outlets. Something we did three decades ago when we were all on the cutting edge can still carry some clout in places today we could never have predicted. Funny how life works.

Susan drew a self-portrait I used on the cover of Outside In #7 and I'm posting it here to give her due credit.

Outside In-Formation # 1

Mostly by Hal Hargit with some touches by Edd Vick, published by Miscellanea Unlimited, December 1988.

This is a history of the Outside In series midway through the run. Hargit and Vick stopped at issue # 30 and the title was handed to Bruce Chrislip, who was living in Seattle but had moved to Cincinnati by the time he decided to end the series with issue # 50 in June 2003. During Outside In's 20 year, 50-issue run, over 400 artists had contributed their self-portraits.

Outside In # 14

1st edition, 1984, 200 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

Mike Honeycutt, Jane Oliver, Kathryn Pritz, Meher Dada, Jane Weir, James Dean Pruner, Randy Maxson.

A particularly unsettling issue, or maybe that's my feeling in hindsight since Pruner died in 1988, and Oliver in 1992. Very strong self-portraits in every case here.

This was the final issue of Outside In I edited before handing it off to Michael Dowers. A brief history of the series will be forthcoming.

Outside In # 13

1st edition, 1984, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

Bobby Stahr, Ellen Ferguson, Jerry Collins, Ronald Russell Roach, Tony Nichols, Paul Cartmill, Kenny Moran.

Be sure to click on the link above for Ronald Russell Roach and read one of the most interesting Pacific Northwest cartoonist webpages around.

Paul Cartmill was another Northwesterner (Vancouver, BC area) who I wish I had gotten to know better. His minis were quirky and clever, but he was on the comix scene for only a brief time.

Outside In # 12

1st edition, 1984, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

George Kochell, Greg Nelson, Denver Tucson, Al Simons, Ed DeVore, Will Shetterly, The Pizz

And, yay! Ed DeVore is back on the scene after a long absence!

Al Simons apparently died in 2006.

Outside In # 10

1st edition, 1984, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, February 1984, 20 copies on white cardstock.

3rd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

Mark Counts, Mary Lambright, Maggie Resch, Michael Roden, Joe Zabel, Roman Scott, Dave Patterson.

Mark Counts produced one of the most dramatic self-portraits of the series. It makes a great cover!

Maggie Resch was another cartoonist to come out of The Evergreen State College. I later got to meet her in 1986 when a group of us drove across the state together to Pullman for a presentation. I loved her sense of humor.

Roden died in 2007. Dale Lee Coovert has compiled a nice bibliography of Michael's work, and Richard Krauss put together an informative summary of Roden's art.

Outside In # 9

1st edition, 1983, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, February 1984, 20 copies on white cardstock.

3rd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

Dave Smestad, Bob Vojtko, Mike Hill, Garry Hardman, Clark Dissmeyer, Steve Gallacci, Cody Boyle.

A solid lineup of very excellent artists. Cody Boyle landed in the series courtesy of Lynn Hansen. Dissmeyer's self-portrait is particularly good, I think.

Outside In # 8

1st edition, 1983, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, January 1984, 20 copies on white cardstock.

3rd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

James Waltman, Anina Coder Sill, Paul Curtis, Greg Blair, Wayne Gibson, Clifford Neal, Harry Onickel.

After decades of circling each other, I finally got to meet Wayne Gibson at the Newave launch party last year. I always loved Harry Onickel's work and felt he and Richard Wayne must've attended the same upper Midwest cartoon school since their comix seemed to come from the same wacky source.

Outside In # 7

1st edition, 1983, 150 copies on white cardstock.

2nd edition, January 1984, 20 copies on white cardstock.

3rd edition, 1984. Seattle, Washington : Starhead Comix, regular stock white paper.

Susan Catherine, Steve Lafler, John R. Gray III, Bruce N. Duncan, Brian Pearce, Lee Norton, Michael Dowers.

Pretty heavy on West Coasters in this one. Duncan died in 2009.