The Art of S. Clay Wilson [Hardcover]

S. Clay Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

THE ART OF S. CLAY WILSON is the long-awaited career retrospective of the most extreme of the Zap cartoonists of the late 1960s. A self-described ""graphic agoraphobe,"" Wilson draws manically dense scenes of lurid mayhem that rank among the seminal works of underground, counterculture American art. It's all here, from the classic chronicles of the Checkered Demon to salacious stories about the pirates, prostitutes, and poets that inhabit Wilson's divinely depraved world.The definitive collection of the art of legendary Zap comic artist S. Clay Wilson.Features 200 full-color images, including new work and previously unpublished prints commissioned for private collections.Introduction by R. Crumb touts Wilson's role as one of the originators of underground comix."Wilson was the strongest, most original artist of my generation that I had yet met. . . . There was something very familiar about the drawings, yet something entirely new, never before seen! It looked like folk art, like old-time tattoos, like some high school hotrodder's notebook drawings. They were rough, crazy, coarse, deeply American."-from R. Crumb's introductionReviews"To hell with Capt. Jack Sparrow, when are they going to make a movie about Cap'n Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates?. . . Even the least of the prints throb with diabolical energy and are ornamented by the kind of hardboiled captions you wish could be turned into movie dialogue."-San Jose Metro". . . rather rude (but very welcome). . . it's mesmerizing work, and hugely influential as well."-PW Daily

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

* The definitive collection of the art of legendary Zap comic artist S. Clay Wilson. * Features 200 full-color images, including new work and previously unpublished prints commissioned for private collections. * Introduction by R. Crumb touts Wilson’s role as one of the originators of underground comix. "Wilson was the strongest, most original artist of my generation that I had yet met. . . . There was something very familiar about the drawings, yet something entirely new, never before seen! It looked like folk art, like old-time tattoos, like some high school hotrodder’s notebook drawings. They were rough, crazy, coarse, deeply American."

—from R. Crumb’s introduction

About the Author

S. CLAY WILSON’s personal epiphany occurred in the heartland over a half century ago when he discovered E.C. Comics. He has been drawing ever since. After years of needless college education in art department dogma, some military service, travel hither and yon, and years of shows and comics, he believes that if you’re not good enough to be a cartoonist, maybe you can be an artist. He lives and draws in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087531
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087537
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.7 x 12.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nice day for somethin', August 12, 2006

By 

JAS (Fort Collins, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of S. Clay Wilson (Hardcover)

The ART of S. CLAY WILSON is one hundred fifty-four pages of non-stop art. As always, Wilson's art is wild, visceral, violent, sexual, sincere, and enormously playful. The work is arranged chronologically, 1961 through 2006, and it's a helluva freewheeling ride.
This book opens with six short (1-3 pages) introductory pieces written by R. Crumb, Mark Pascale (Associate Curator of Pints & Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago), John Francis Putnam (writing in The Realist), Charles Plymell (Wilson's first publisher), Geoffrey Young (Curator, The Geoffrey Young Gallery), and Bob Levin (author - his "Outlaws, Rebels, Free-Thinkers and Pirates" includes a chapter on Wilson). Most are funny, revealing, or sentimental (!), all provide some background information for the work that follows.
The book itself is a beauty, surprisingly understated in design and layout. The clean presentation complements the relentlessly detailed art. There are nice touches throughout, including checkered endpapers and a title page self-portrait.
You'll find very few pages of comics or stories in this volume. The ART of S. CLAY WILSON is a life-spanning collection of mostly full-page drawings and illustrations. If you're looking for Wilson comics, try Last Gasp's THE COLLECTED CHECKERED DEMON.
If you're a Wilson fan, snatch this book up. It's a good one.

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD!, January 2, 2012

By 

Renato Frigo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of S. Clay Wilson (Hardcover)

The most complete art book of the master Clay Wilson. Since the first draw till today you will find the masterwork of crazy times. Very good book!

5.0 out of 5 stars S. Clay Wilson - Zap Comix Wild Man, June 30, 2011

By 

Joel Parker (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of S. Clay Wilson (Hardcover)

S. Clay Wilson was a staple of the Zap Comix and other assorted underground comics such as Snarf and Yellow Dog pantheon of the late 60s and early 70s. His unforgettable characters like Ruby the Dyke, Starry-Eyed Stella, Captain Pussgums and the immortal Checkered Demon are as iconic, but so much cutting edge in-your-face depraved, within that genre as fellow Zap cartoonists R. Crumb's Mr. Natural, Robt. Wms' Cootchy-Coo, or Gilbert Sheldon's Fabulous Furry Break Brothers. His panel by panel of rollicking uber-offensive character exploits will be missed.

Joel Parker
San Jose