Morty Comix # 2526

Morty Comix # 2526 was drawn on the skin of my right hand (I am left-handed) and Hettie breezed by to inspect the artwork before I washed it off. This might mark the first time Morty Comix was presented as body art, although it was very temporary. I suspect this is as close as I'll ever come to a tattoo, an adornment which has become a widespread fad for the last couple decades but I must confess is an art form I find unappealing. I'm not knockin' it, it just isn't my deal.

Why? Because I see the creation and consumption of art as ever evolving. Something that captivates me at age 18 will become lame and stupid by the time I am 35, 40, 50. Plus, and believe me I know, our bodies change shape like silly putty as we hurtle through time. And that changes the presentation of the tattoo.


I understand there are at least two people running around out there in the world with Morty the Dog tattoos, although I have not seen them. One of them gained his Morty body graphic long before tattoos became hip. That was a real radical leap and I do respect him for that. But what if I subsequently had suffered a severe head injury and became a member of the Tea Party or the NRA and allowed Morty to be an icon of these hater un-American movements that stand for nothing but fear, greed and ignorance?


But, that being said, apparently the late great underground cartoonist Greg Irons, an artist I admire very much, was a tattoo artist in Seattle working in the city at the same time I was a graduate student at the University of Washington over 30 years ago. And this was before tattoos became fashionable for middle class kids. Back then, the radicals got tattoos, but these days the radicals don't get them. If I had known Greg was in town I would've been very tempted to get an Irons tattoo. The guy was the Durer of our time, a gifted artist, and a big influence on my own cartooning. I loved his work.

As I recall, Bruce Chrislip (who was hosting), Michael Dowers and I were downing a beer or two (er, or more) next to Lake Union late 1984 when Bruce gave us the news Greg had been killed by a bus in Thailand at age 37. It's not fair. We were robbed of several more decades of work by a great artist. Very funny Mr. God, thanks a lot!    

Phone photo 2262

Helium cow, Montesano, Washington

Postcard - Centralia, Washington

 

"Fort Borst Blockhouse, Centralia, Wash. This historic blockhouse was built in the 1850's by early white settlers for defense against the Indians. Luckily, it never had to be used for this purpose. Today it is located in Fort Borst Park."

This postcard was sent to me on July 8, 1986.

The blockhouse has been moved a bit from the original location. It stands as a monument to the paranoia and ignorance that ran amok in the 1855-56 conflict with the Natives of Western Washington. Check out the murder of Quiemuth and the "legal" lynching of Leschi. 

 

Phone photo 2261

Favorite Movie Quotes: The Killers (1946)

"It's no use, Kitty. Your would-be fall guy is dead."

Phone photo 2260

Morty Comix # 2525

Morty Comix # 2525 was tucked into an odd little space for an odd little entrance for a bowling alley in Montesano, Washington. Next door is the local Washington State Dept. of Corrections probation office.

Phone photo 2259

An interesting piece aging and rusting behind a building at The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington

Postcard - Centralia, Washington

"Centralia, Washington, and Mt. Rainier. Centralia, founded in 1852 by a freed Negro slave by the name of George Washington, is in the middle of Lewis County, serving as the hub of the Evergreen Country."

Looks like this dates back to the 1960s. On my Mom's side of the family I have ancestors who were living here dating back to the territorial era. In fact, the house where they lived, and where my Mom was born, is visible in the lower center portion of the card. Today the building is the local headquarters for Windermere Real Estate.

Phone photo 2258

Favorite Movie Quotes: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

 

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

Phone photo 2257

Vampire Truck

Tumwater, Washington

Morty Comix # 2524

Morty Comix # 2524 looked like it wanted to travel.

So I walked through a parking lot in Tumwater, Washington and told myself that the first out of state license plate I saw would decide the general jurisdiction of this little comic's destination. Fate chose Alaska, our neighboring state.

Then I told myself to watch for anything that had a number between 1 and 5. As I walked through the grounds of a vocational school I spotted a tennis ball a good block away from the nearest court. It had the number 2 on it. So 2 it was.

Alaska's biggest city is, of course, Anchorage. The 2nd largest depends on what source you use, and it looks like a tossup between Fairbanks and Juneau. I chose Juneau because my beautiful cousin Patti lives there. Then I located a Juneau telephone book that was about 4 years old.

For once I thought I'd actually send one of these to a comic book store, but none were listed in the Yellow Pages. Instead I found myself between Colon Hydrotherapy and Commercial Artists. You know, when you look for a comic book store and find these two instead-- I don't think this is an accident. No. It is an editorial comment.

Anyway, naturally I chose the Colon Hydrotherapy option. Fortunately I double checked the address online, because the doctor had moved since the book was printed. 

So, it is North to Alaska for this one!

Phone photo 2256

Elma, Washington

Postcard - Brinnon, Washington

"Dosewallips State Park. Located at the foot of the Olympics on scenic Hood Canal is this campers' paradise. The fresh Dosewallips River skirts the campground, and beautiful Mt. Constance overlooks it in the distance."

Looks to be from the 1970s. Shortly after graduating high school four of us went camping at Mt. Constance and were frequently visited by a persistent mountain goat with a crooked horn and an attitude that anything hanging around loose was his to take.

Phone photo 2255

Elma, Washington

Morty Comix # 2523

Morty Comix # 2523 was left on a distribution rack for the student newspaper The Cooper Point Journal at The Evegreen State College, Olympia, Washington.

Phone photo 2254

Elma, Washington

Favorite Movie Quotes: Waterworld

"The future. The polar icecaps have melted, covering the Earth with water. Those who survived have adapted to a new world."

Phone photo 2253

Near Elma, Washington

Postcard - Bremerton, Washington

"Bremerton Navy Yard, near Tacoma, Wash. Heart of Pacific Northwest Naval Defense Plan is the huge Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, on Elliott Bay. Navy construction center and repair haven for the battleships of the Pacific Fleet when in the Northwest, the Yard is now being enhanced by construction of a $4,500,000 graving dock, which will be the largest in this country and capable of handling any ship in the world."

Hmm, claiming Bremerton is on Elliott Bay seems like a stretch. The language on this card, plus the use of  the name "Puget Sound Navy Yard" suggest this dates to World War II.

Phone photo 2252

Technology Way has the appearance of coming to a dead end at one of the two never-used WPPSS cooling towers, Grays Harbor County @Washington.

Morty Comix # 2522

Morty Comix # 2522 was tacked up on a public bulletin board, Lake Inez, Elma, Washington

Phone photo 2251

A burned out car, a house made out of rusty railroad boxcars, an abandoned and never used nuclear power cooling tower.

Grays Harbor County, Washington.

Postcard - Bellevue, Washington

"Bellevue, Washington, located on the east side of Lake Washington, is the state's fourth largest city. A section of the main business district of this suburban city is seen."

From the 1970s. If you click on the image and enlarge you'll see a Datsun auto dealership in the center.

Phone photo 2250

Unfinished and abandoned WPPSS nuclear power facility

Grays Harbor County, Washington