Ultra Klutz # 12 / Ultra Morty

Before I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Nicholson in person, we took part in one of the craziest jams I ever participated in. I think we were trying to trip up each other as much as possible while still attempting (emphasis on "attempting") to prevent the story from sinking into the universal chaos of most unscripted jams. I looked forward with great anticipation for those big envelopes from Chico, California to see what he was going to spring on me next.

Jeff published the finished work in 1987 as part of his Ultra Klutz series. Generally, Jeff had the odd numbered pages, I had the even Steven. In the same issue he has a jam with Sam Henderson!

In 1994 I reprinted the jam in regular digest size as a print-on-demand title called Ultra Morty.

0012

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Matt Groening at The Evergreen State College, 1977

From The Sunday Olympian, Feb. 6, 1977.

I seem to recall Matt saying something about the Daily Olympian reporter holding up a copy of The Cooper Point Journal and declaring no one could get away with this kind of writing in real life after college.

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Twisted Conundrums

1st edition, February 2001, 15 copies, orchid cover, regular digest size.

1st Danger Room reprint edition, June 2005, 5 copies, blue, regular digest size.

This is a great example of how my work can be recycled over and over, seemingly without end.

This was originally a column around 2000 in the weekly Seattle tabloid The Stranger. Well, I think it was. They sent me checks for each one, but I never did see them in print myself.

Some of the situations I used in comix prior to the column. In this book most of the drawings were cannibalized from my stories in the past.

Many of these columns were collected and given yet another life in OlyBlog, where I continue to occasionally add a few.

People who are around me a lot are now to trained to roll their eyes and groan in pain after hearing me open a sentence with the line, "What would you do if ..." But hey, that's how cartoonists think.

I say Conundrums. Rick of OlyBlog put together the collection under Conundra. The Guardian has a nice discussion on this difference.

Twisted

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Morty Comix # 2263

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The back of the Old Capitol Building
Olympia, Washington

Morty Comix # 2262

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Spring! and Nixon

My Mother recently cleaned out one of her closets and found a couple old drawings of mine.

Spring! was drawn, I'm betting, about 1984.

The isolated Richard Slimehouse Nixon was probably drawn in 1973 or 1974 as his scandals piled up. Notice it is signed by "Jobbo Bonobo."

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Montesano, Washington

Morty Comix # 2261

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Morty Comix # 2260

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Morty Comix # 2259

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Abandoned parking places
Tumwater, Washington

It doesn't take long for the moss to reclaim things around here

The Tragedy of Morty, Prince of Denmarke, Act 5

1st edition, 1985, 50 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.

2nd edition, March 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.

3rd edition, May 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.

4th edition, August 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.

5th edition, January 1986, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.

Available as a print on title, 1994, regular digest size.

1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 blue, 2 red), regular digest size.