Morty the Dog vol. 1

Hey, you might ask, just how many different series of comix are there with the title Morty the Dog?

Yes? You in the back, you have a question?

[At this point a little wiseguy in the back who is wearing a pointy hat with a bell on the tip asks in a high, nasal voice, "Just how many different series of comix are there with the title Morty the Dog"? And here Steven gives the little guy a dirty look and raises his arm in an overly mock punching stance]

This particular series, which had a two-issue run, was jointly published by MU Press and Starhead Comix in Seattle in the summer of 1989.

By 1989 Morty the Dog had appeared in many of Michael Dowers' Starhead publications for at least half a decade, but the MU Press venue was a new audience with a different set of interests. As it turned out, Edd Vick's publishing venture quickly cultivated a readership with an interest in Furry Culture.

Morty the Dog volume 1 is often cited in Furry chronologies by virtue of the fact it was the very first comic published by MU Press. Even today it remains listed in the "MU Furry" category of their catalog. But Morty is not a Furry.

Although prior to 1989 I had been trading and corresponding with amazing cartoonists like Steve Gallacci (Albedo) and Marc Schirmeister (Rowrbrazzle), I never considered Morty to be part of the Furry genre. My art was not as disciplined as the average Furry comic. And I sensed a general attraction to Japanese comic art and Fantasy writing in general in the Furry community-- genres that are OK, but I didn't want to imitate them.

Anyway, considering all the great artists who can be considered Furry, I should be flattered to be included as even a footnote in Furry histories and chronologies. But in truth, if this comic had been published just by Starhead alone, it wouldn't be included in the annals of Furrydom. It gets mentioned only by association with MU Press.

I had known Edd Vick for awhile before this thing was published, but I didn't know some of the other people in his MU crew. An incident that still makes me chuckle today was when one young man preparing the book for publication called me up to ask about something. I inquired exactly what stories they were reprinting and he responded by describing in a flat monotone narrative where Morty gets his spine pulled out by a shark and then coconuts fall on his head, etc.

Yes, I said reprinting. The whole comic is a reprinted. Sources are Cranium Frenzy # 5, Cooper Point Journal 10/30/86, Natural Functions, Big Picture Picture Book, Cartoon Loonacy # 3, and Morty Prima Facie.

Jeff Nicholson (Ultra Klutz) wrote the nice intro. Not long before this book saw print, he had stayed with us here in McCleary and I accompanied him to a comic convention in Seattle. Jeff is one of the most natural comedians in person of any cartoonist I've met, a superb storyteller with a wide range of great voices. We later produced a jam that was incredibly fun to create.

This comic is basically a squarespine paperback, measuring 17 x 14 cm. It isn't easy to scan, so I apologize for the not so great quality of the images.