One Normal Guy Talking With a Nut!

1st edition July 1985, Pullman, Washington : Kage Comics. Letter size cardstock stapled at margin.

2nd edition, 1985, Pullman, Washington : Kage Comics. Letter size cardstock stapled at margin.

Available as a reprint-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.

Clint Hollingsworth originally published this in a format that makes it difficult to scan, so you Morty the Blog readers are stuck with my posting the digest size version, which is unfortunate given the amount of fine detail work by Brad Foster. Also you'll need to extra enlarge the images to read the thing.

My personal copy is the 2nd edition and it is pink. I don't know if Clint used different colors in his printings. As a note to you bookpeople, Newave collectors tended to regard printings as editions, something that was more or less institutionalized in the network by Jay Kennedy in his Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide.

Clint's original editions included some extra material: Foster's short pieces "The Button" and three whimsical illustrations, and my story "A Glimmering Ray of Despair." These extras were all excluded from the print-on-demand version.

This was a very enjoyable jam with one of the most prominent artists associated with the Newave comix movement. Sending this thing back and forth between Washington State and Texas was like a long game of chess with a master. We made attempt after attempt to trap each other in this visual gamesmanship.

Brad and I are from the same generation and shared a somewhat parallel development as cartoonists, growing up with shared influences. We also, and I think I can speak for Brad here, found the Newave network to be a great outlet for our artistic freedom and expression. An outlet that was fairly unique at the time.

With those things in common, the differences were in the details. And we had fun with those differences in this jam.

End of the Earth and Turn Left

This jam with Clint Hollingsworth was published by him under the Kage Comics label in Pullman, Washington, 1986 (I know, I know, the copyright statement says 1985, but it wasn't printed until 1986). I believe he only printed 50 copies in enlarged digest size.

I first met Clint when he was an employee of Kinkos in Pullman. I had seen one of his comics for sale in a comics shop in neighboring Moscow, Idaho and tracked him down as the only other self-publishing cartoonist in the area at the time. He was active in martial arts and his comic art reflected this interest. Clint later found a job with Washington State University, where I worked, and we sent this jam back and forth through inter-campus courier. I enjoyed visiting with him and having the opportunity to talk with another cartoonist in person while living at the left turn at the End of the Earth.

Today Clint lives in the central part of our state and, I'm happy to report, is still very active in drawing. I see by this link we share having an abundance of cats.

Trivia:

Page 5: I love the old eye poke.

Page 9: Those of us who were raised in the Puget Sound area used to joke about the "Aroma of Tacoma." In fact, once when I was a little kid we were going up to Seattle on Highway 99 and as we drove through Tacoma I announced, "I didn't do it!" But since the paper mills and other industries have vanished or cleaned up their act in the past couple decades, the aroma is almost gone.

Page 10: Leavenworth, Washington is Clint's hometown.

Page 16, panel 1: Paraphrases from Camus and Sartre in this feelgood comic of the year.

Page 22, panel 6: Ignatz! George Herriman was one of my cartoonist heroes.

Page 24: Clint is making a reference to a then recently published jam I had with Brad Foster called One Normal Guy Talking With a Nut.

Page 25: "Use as tool for evil plan!" They just don't make sound effects in comix like that anymore.

Page 27: Actually I really did like Pullman. Working at WSU wasn't all that wonderful, however. And yes, being born in Spokane, I am a native of Eastern Washington.

Page 38, panel 4: Although I really hate it whenever this happens, I must say this bit by Clint is one of my favorite panels in the whole comic.

Inside back cover. A little plug for Will Shetterly. We regarded him as one of us independent press guys. In 1985-1986 Will was really becoming well known and we were excited to see one of our own make it big. I still have my signed copy of Will's first book, Cats Have No Lord, which considering the title makes Will's "Viva Morty" inscription sort of ironic!