Folkomix

Folkomix was a term I invented that pretty much fell flat with my comix comrades. Brad Foster even created a minicomic making fun of it. I later came up with "obscuro" and that seemed to stick with a particular type of self-published comic.

In 1985 I made three printings of this catalog, a total of 16 copies. The entire thing was compiled the old-fashioned way. No computers. Only index cards and a typewriter.

Washington State University has since split the comix collection into subgroups. This particular list represents the entire collection as of 1985, combining the classic undergrounds that already existed in a dusty box hidden away in the Rare Books section plus the comix that poured in when I sounded the call to the Newave network.

In the 1990s I input the bibliographic entries into the WLN database. Hence the notations. They can still be found in the WSU catalog, but I don't know how many of them migrated to OCLC when WLN was absorbed into that utility.

There are also two supplements to this catalog. I'm not sure if the binding will permit me to scan them.

Phone photo 424

Toppenish, Washington
"The City of Murals"

Taken from the front of City Hall, which had country western music blaring out to the street on loudspeakers

Emergency Horse: A Dog Named Barfy / by Mike Lee

Mike Lee's essay included The Bil Keane Watch in this Portland, Oregon tabloid.

Phone photo 423

Toppenish, Washington

The only town in Washington State with the word "penis" embedded in it's name, hence making it unsearchable on filtered Internet in public libraries.

The Crapper Point Journal

The Crapper Point Journal was a response to the official student newspaper for The Evergreen State College, The Cooper Point Journal.

Here's how I got roped into this. During my very last quarter at Evergroove a faculty member who shall remain anonymous but is named Margaret Gribskov contacted me and asked if I would be willing to participate in a spoof of the CPJ. Of course I would. So she introduced me to a fellow named Ken Silverstein.

Ken was a new arrival to TESC and was struck by how pompous and lockstep the place had become as contrasted to the earlier reputation the school had enjoyed as a more libertarian institution. His idea was to create a newspaper for the college set in the future. That's why even though the paper was really released on June 6, 1979, it carries a date of December 12, 1985.

So I drew the masthead and a couple cartoons. Ken, I think, did all the writing. Margaret bankrolled the project. For most of the humor in this publication all I can say is you really had to be there at the time to get it. The jokes were extremely local and topical.

In the brief time I worked with Ken I was impressed by his sharp observations and energy. Today he is a well known journalist and writer, mostly known his work in the Los Angeles Times and Harpers. Today he appears to be in freelance transition. Definitely an engaging journalist to follow.

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Forest fire survivors
Yakama Indian Reservation

Technical Difficulties

Blogger has been experiencing technical problems during the last couple days. If you saw some earlier posts here but no longer can find them, it isn't your imagination. They were around not long ago but as of tonight are out in the Phantom Zone.

It won't be a big deal for me to re-input them, but Blogger says they are still restoring missing posts, so hopefully we'll be back 100% soon. It can't be a fun job for them, so kudos to Blogger for putting all the pieces back together.

Phone photo 421

Yakama Indian Reservation

Comics F/X Morty Awards

For a brief time the Morty Award was sort of the Oscar for obscuro/small press comix, bestowed upon unsuspecting artists by their peers. I found a couple articles covering the awards and in the process accidentally found a neighboring piece about the rebirth of City Limits Gazette, so I'm including that for good measure.

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Giant wind turbines
Klickitat County, Washington

Phone photo 419

This area contains poison oak

At a rest stop near The Dalles, Oregon

Woofer the Psychic Dog

This play has been mentioned a few times in this blog before. Now it's time to haul out the posters.

Note the name Ken Lonergan on the credits. He went on to be nominated for the Academy Award-- twice, and the Pulitzer once. But I'll always remember him for being part of the NYC cast that appeared in the performance in Olympia, Washington in 1988.

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Oakville, Washington
Supposedly this rail car was once used by President Truman, now it's a place to eat and drink

Wanted! Horseman!

And speaking of Crimewatch, be on the lookout for this desperado-- Horseman!

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Crime Watch Area, Summit Lake, Washington

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

"Hey guys, wait up! Don't walk so fast! Give me a chance to ketchup!"

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Sarah's favorite sign

Ten Seconds in the Life of Fenwick Green

Little did I know that when I drew three little panels for Cranium Frenzy # 3, those lines on paper would inspire my brother to write a play called Ten Seconds in the Life of Fenwick Green.

The image was also used on a few posters promoting the play, starting, I think, in 1989. It was also used on a t-shirt.

Phone photo 415

A Picture of Crime in Progress

A Salt and Battery

Phone photo 414

So I was in an Olympia department store and this little cardbord ring rolls out from a side aisle and rested artfully in front of me. I snapped this phone photo right where the ring stopped. Almost like it was saying, "Don't forget to include me in your blog!"

But where it came from I know not, as no one appeared to be around. I tuned my back for only a minute, and the thing had vanished. Spooky.

Now you are getting the idea just how exciting my life can be these days.