Going underground
Going underground |
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Page 8 of 36  Wraparound cover to the notorious Zap. no 4 (Print Mint, 1969). Art: Victor Moscoso. This shows 'Mr Peanut' on the front transforming into 'Mr Penis' on the back. Despite his flaws, every would-be underground cartoonist in the land wanted to copy Robert Crumb. So many tried to, in fact, that Crumb's style is indelibly stamped on the era: he both invented and shaped the movement. Others who found more original ways to express themselves still owe a debt to him for his pioneering spirit. As one creator later reminisced: 'Could comix have happened without Zap? Probably, but why bother with "what ifs"? The fact is, Zap kicked it off in grand style and gave the movement a kind of energy that hasn't yet spent itself. When future historians of the comic book medium look back at the results, Crumb's genius will shine through and the offerings of the mainstream industry will pale beside it. You can take that to the bank, folks." The underground did not, however, begin and end with Crumb - far from it. There were many other excellent cartoonists, and Zap in particular became a focus for some of the most original work in the movement. It pulled together the best creators from within San Francisco (many of whom had migrated there in much the same way that Crumb had), and in its anthology-incarnation set standards for the rest of the underground to follow. The 'Zap artists', as they became known, are thus worth mentioning in turn.  from Zap  Pages from Zap (Print Mint. 1973). Art: Rick Griffin. |