Comix: The Underground Revolution (Paperback)

~ (Author), Denis Kitchen (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

While mainstream comics have graced newsstands since the 1930s, there has long been an underground comics scene brewing deep beneath the surface. Underground comic books (which took the name "comix," using the "x" to signify their adult nature) erupted in the 1960s as a reaction to ultraconservative and patriotic comics produced by the large corporations that featured characters like Captain America and Superman. Bored with moralistic tales, artists such as Robert Crumb, creator of Zap Comix and Fritz the Cat; and Gilbert Shelton, creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, produced a new and revolutionary style, freely attacking politicians, the war in Vietnam, and corporate America. Comix is an homage to both the motivation and the talent of the artists working then and now in the genre. Beautifully illustrated throughout with original artworks from the likes of R. Crumb, Denis Kitchen, and Gilbert Shelton, the book graphically expresses a range of attitudes on topics ranging from sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll to politics, big business, and women's liberation. This is the first book to explore the artwork and countercultural legacy of comix, key events in the history of this medium, and biographies of its most influential artists and writers.

About the Author

Dez Skinn is editor of Comics International, having previously been Editorial Director at Marvel UK. His career in the comics industry spans 30 years, producing titles such as Dr Who Weekly, House of Hammer, Hulk Comic, Starburst, Warrior, MAD Magazine, Buster, Conan, Star Wars Weekly, 2000 AD presents, Judge Dredd, and Spider Man. He has won more than 20 Eagle awards, the awards for excellence in the comics industry. He lives in Brighton. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; First Edition edition (May 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560255722
• ISBN-13: 978-1560255727
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #850,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Natural would be pleased, December 30, 2006

By	R. Schaffer "3d gorilla bob" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book offers a simple straightforward history of underground Comics here, in Europe, and the UK. It's briskly written, nicely illustrated, and a good addition to a very small cadre of books. For all the attention the underground gets, there really aren't that many good books about the scene. This is one of them. And attention is paid to more obscure artists, not just the big wigs like Crumb, Moscoso, & Rick Griffiths. Nice stuff on the UK, most of that work is hard to find here or never came here at all.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good informative material, but bad art reproduction., July 6, 2009

By	AR "AR" (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This compiles some good information and material on the underground comix world , but unfortunately the photos and reproduced artwork within is amateurishly poor. Most photos and art pages seem to be low res digital scans or even worse, fuzzy, jpegs that look as if they were pulled from online. It's baffling that a book based on any type of art could be allowed to go to print using images that aren't even up to print quality. In general you need to have images at a minimum of 300 dpi , but many of these look like web images, 72-100 dpi. It's unprofessional and annoying to view, especially when the material deserves high quality images. Perhaps this was an editing mistake and was corrected in subsequent printings.