Buttons - Popular Culture - 1983

On the fold: (c) 1983 Universal City Studios, Inc. [rest of info is cut off at margin]

You and Your Big Mouth #3

Pat Moriarity's series, popularly known as simply Big Mouth, featured Pat illustrating the stories of others-- including folks who who were primarily known as visual artists. Check out the list of writers on the cover.

And while you're looking up there, you'll also see a dead Starhead Comix logo. Between being contacted to write a story for Pat and actual publication I was surprised to see this title jump from Starhead to Fantagraphics. It's an incident Pat used to comic effect on the cover and in the first few pages.

Our collaboration centered on the fact I had apparently made yet another (failed) attempt at killing off Morty and walking away from comix. This was published in December 1993. By that time I was probably burned out from editing and publishing the biweekly City Limits Gazette (1991-1993).

It is a sad coincidence Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played the role of June Cleaver, died at the same time I was contacting Pat for permission to scan and post this comic. Yes, I really am a fan of Leave It To Beaver.

Pat remains very active in comix. You can find him online and he informs me signed copies of You and Your Big Mouth #3 are available. Pay him a visit.

Pat and I met for the first time last February at the Fantagraphics debut of Michael Dowers' Newave anthology. A nice guy with a face that radiates kindness. Hopefully we'll meet again, but I must say ever since Bruce Chrislip left Seattle I hardly ever attend cartoonist get-togethers.