The Comix Files: Bruce Bolinger

Nicktown, Pennsylvania cartoonist Bruce Bolinger was a subscriber to City Limits Gazette in the early 1990s. He contributed a great logo that was topical at the time-- the US Postal Service wanted the public to vote on whether to have a stamp with young or old Elvis.

Bruce also agreed to be interviewed. In both contributions he supplied CLG with beautiful originals inked on Denril.

Through a series of events one could not make up, I received a cold call in this era from one of my cartoonist heroes from the 1960s Mad days, Don Martin, due to Bruce's doing. We had a very strange and funny conversation. His wife Norma got on the line as well. Too long to explain here, but maybe I'll make it part of a stand-up routine next time I'm invited to speak at a comix deal. 

Anyway, it was an honor to have a cartoonist as accomplished and talented as Bolinger on board CLG to give the joint some class.

City Limits Gazette # Upside up (Aug. 1993)

Logo by Sean Wilson, Joe Zabel and Robert Lewis and Robert Boyd sign up, Bil Keane Watch by Gary Usher - Greg Stomberg - William Dockery, Sean Wilson on Canadian censorship, Underground comix sacred cows comment by Gary Usher, Steve Lafler's opinion from left field, Review of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics by Joe Zabel, Bruce Sweeney's Underground Station with logo by Spain Rodriguez, Dissmeyer and Datmyers again, Suspended Animation by Michael Vance and R.A. Jones, response to deep-sixing the NEA by M. Stengl, Weirdness in Butler County by Maximum Traffic.

City Limits Gazette # Too much noise, too far away (Aug. 1993)

Logo by Maximum Traffic, Other Sounds by Wayno, Suspended Animation by Michael Vance and R.A. Jones, Underground cartoonists sacred cows response by William Dockery - Bruce Sweeney - Randy Crawford, Buck Town Pub by Mark Cunningham, Note to Hemp reform comix artists by Maximum Traffic, Andrew Roller offers to take over CLG, Time to deep-six the National Endowment for the Arts, Bil Keane Watch by William Dockery - Maximum Traffic - Jeff Zenick - Mike Lee, Bibliography of Underground and Obscuro Comics by Gary Usher.

City Limits Gazette # Red is for stop, yellow for danger, green is for go, and that's how it is (June 1993)

Logo by Mel. White, number for this issue come from the lyrics of a hit song composed by my brother Bryan, Kilodney update, WSU comix collection in WLN, Evergreen ReView, Bil Keane Watch by Andrew Roller - Randy H. Crawford, I rant again, naked preacher update, Suspended Animation, Bruce Sweeney's Underground Station with logo by Spain Rodriguez, Other Sounds by Wayno, Jane J. Oliver and Comix World by Gary Usher, more on Canadian Customs and censorship by Jacques Boivin.

City Limits Gazette # Ecstatic static on automatic (Mar. 1993)

Logo by Jeff Zenick, Harper's gives CLG some ink, Maximum Traffic on the Bizarros, CLG reader profile of Jerry Riddle, Minneapolis Ben Adams on Morty the Dog, Comix reviews by Lynn Hansen with logo by Jeff Snee, Maximum Traffic on Nixon, Bruce Sweeney's Underground Station with logo by Spain Rodriguez, Mike Stengl 20 years ago, Wayno on space fantasy stamps.

I'm including a scan of the actual Harper's piece. It is humorous they couldn't handle CLG's unique numbering system and had to shorten it a bit. Here's a link to the CLG in question. Initially attracted to CLG by the Bil Keane Watch, Harper's decided to focus on this librarian item instead. Fallout will follow.