Relics of Rebellion / by Joe Bageant

An article from the Daily News (Pullman, Washington), August 12-13, 1989.

I never met Laila Vejzovic in person, she arrived at the Washington State University Library after I left, but we corresponded and talked on the phone a few times. I was pleased she was so supportive of comix in the library and her backing helped the collection grow and become secure. I love the fact she is holding a copy of Max Haynes' Dog Slobber. A copy of The Almost Complete Collected Morty Comix is on the table.

Bezango: Olympia Memories

Olympia Power & Light is a biweekly newspaper serving the Oly area. My Bezango column has been an irregular feature since the first issue. Here's my introductory piece.

The editors usually decide what the headline will be, as well as the illustration. Generally they leave my text alone. And guess what? They actually pay me!

As a result of my participation in OlyBlog as a contributor and moderator, I figured more Olympia readers would know me as stevenl than my real name, so there it is.

I believe I did request an image of Morty the Dog to accompany the logo, which is now a regular icon for the column. Co-Editor Meta Hogan found this one online and it really fits! It was originally drawn for the cover of The Almost Complete Collected Morty Comix (1984)

The main illustration for this debut essay was by an artist named Edward Lange (1846-1912), who drew urban panoramas and frequently filled the borders of his art with little advertisements, like this one.

Bezango "On Comics"

Olympia Power & Light is a biweekly paper in Olympia, Washington. It started up last December. I have an irregular column in there called "Bezango." If you look closely at the logo, you'll see a picture of Morty the Dog running. Editor Meta Hogan supplied that one. I could never place the source until I scanned and posted The Almost Complete Collected Morty Comix, and now I realize she found that image from the cover of that monograph. It works.

Since I had to haul out this newspaper to check the graphic, I might as well scan and post it. OP&L issue #14 (June 2-15, 2010) was the special comics issue, published in conjunction with the Olympia Comics festival. This column about cartooning was actually written about 6 months before. Olympia cartoonist Chelsea Baker convinced me to contribute a new 2010 work ("4 Panel Breakup") and Meta, I think, gave readers a sneak peek of page 2 or 3 of a new Morty story that may or may not ever get finished and/or published.

The Almost Complete Collected Morty Comix

The prolific Brad Foster, easily one of the major figures in the Newave movement, honored Morty Comix by publishing this collection in Oct., 1984. Like many other of his Jabberwocky Graphix publications, the printing quality and paper stock was a cut above what we photocopy groundlings were used to.

Personally I think was Brad must've been a bit nuts to collect, compile and edit this thing. But I believe we broadly cover this topic in a Foster/Willis jam I'll post in the future called One Normal Guy Talking With a Nut.

This comic had a white cover and guts, with a spine measuring 28 cm. Brad published a special 1 copy edition with blue guts, and this is the one I've scanned. Catch his handwritten inscription after the introduction. You'll probably have to click on the image and enlarge it a couple times to read anything.

Trivia: Ronson Rabbit on page 8 was a character in comic books I drew in my childhood. The woman at the bottom of page 14 really existed. She died earlier this year. Page 16: Fred with the worms was also a real person. I can't recall where and why he used this line, but it was apparently a pretty funny backstory. The song on page 22 anticipates another future Foster/Willis jam, Amused to No End.

Several of Morty the Dog's relatives are presented here: Aunt Trixie, Uncle Barko, Uncle Fido, cousins Col. Canine, Mildeworth, Otto, Bosworth, and 2nd cousin Roger. Also seen are historical figures: Emperor Julian and Gerald Ford.