Editing Zap Comix

{{short description|Underground comic book}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox comic book title  <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image=Zap Comix1.jpg
|caption=Cover of ''Zap Comix'' #1 (Feb. 1968), art by [[Robert Crumb|R. Crumb]].
|schedule=
|ongoing=y
|publisher=[[Apex Novelties]] (issues #0–3)<br />[[Print Mint]] (issues #4–9)<br />[[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] (issues #10–15)<br />[[Fantagraphics]] (issue #16)
|date= February<ref name="comixjoint_zap1">Fox, M. Steven. [http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix1-1st.html "Zap Comix #1"], ComixJoint. Accessed Oct. 21, 2016.</ref> 1968 – November 2014
|issues=17
|genre= [[Underground comix|Underground]]
|Horror= 
|main_char_team= [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]]<br />[[R. Crumb]]<br />[[Angelfood McSpade]]<br />[[Wonder Wart-Hog]]<br />[[Checkered Demon]]<br />[[Trashman (comics)|Trashman]]
|writers=
|artists= [[Robert Crumb]], [[Victor Moscoso]], [[S. Clay Wilson]], [[Gilbert Shelton]], [[Spain Rodriguez]], [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robert Williams]], [[Rick Griffin]], [[Paul Mavrides]]
|pencillers=
|inkers=
|letterers=
|colorists=
|creative_team_month=
|creative_team_year=
|creators=[[Robert Crumb]]
|subcat=
|sort=Zap Comix
}}
'''''Zap Comix''''' is an [[underground comix]] series which was originally part of the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture of the late 1960s]]. While a few small-circulation self-published satirical comic books had been printed prior to this, ''Zap'' became the model for the "[[underground comics|comix]]" movement that snowballed after its release. The title itself published 17 issues over a period of 46 years.

Premiering in early 1968 as a showcase for the work of [[Robert Crumb]], ''Zap'' was unlike any comic book that had been seen before. While working on ''Zap'' #1, Crumb saw a [[Chet Helms#Family Dog Productions|Family Dog]] [[poster]] drawn by [[Rick Griffin]] which resembled a [[psychedelic art|psychedelic]] version of a [[Sunday comics|Sunday funnies]] page. Its surreal, other-worldly imagery inspired him to think about comics in a new way, as seen in the art style of ''Zap'' #1's ''Abstract Expressionist Ultra Super Modernistic Comics''.<ref>{{ cite comic | creator = Robert Crumb | story = Abstract Expressionist Ultra Super Modernistic Comics| title = Zap Comix | issue = 1| date = February 1968 | publisher = Apex Novelties| page = 11}}</ref> When Crumb started planning the next issue, he reached out to Griffin, asking him to contribute to Zap #2. Griffin agreed and suggested bringing fellow poster artist [[Victor Moscoso]] on board. [[S. Clay Wilson]], [[Gilbert Shelton]], [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robert Williams]], and [[Spain Rodriguez|"Spain" Rodriguez]] were also contributors to ''Zap''.<ref name="comixjoint_zap_all">Fox, M. Steven. [http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix.html "Zap Comix"], ComixJoint. Accessed May 7, 2024.</ref>

While the origin of the spelling "comix" is a subject of some dispute, it was popularized by its appearance in the title of the first issues of ''Zap''. Design critic [[Steven Heller (graphic design)|Steven Heller]] claims that the term "comix" ("co-mix") refers to the traditional comic book style of ''Zap'', and its mixture of dirty jokes and storylines.<ref>Heller, Steven. 1999. ''Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design'', New York: Allworth Press.</ref>

== Overview ==
Labeled "Fair Warning: For Adult Intellectuals Only", ''Zap'' #1 featured the publishing debut of [[Robert Crumb]]'s much-bootlegged ''[[Keep on Truckin' (comics)|Keep on Truckin']]'' imagery, an early appearance of unreliable holy man [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]] and his neurotic disciple Flakey Foont, and the first of innumerable self-caricatures (in which Crumb calls himself "a raving lunatic", and "one of the world's last great medieval thinkers"). The debut issue included the story "Whiteman", which detailed the inner torment seething within the lusty, fearful heart of an outwardly upright American.

Crumb reached out to Griffin asking him to collaborate on issue #2. Griffin suggested bringing fellow poster artist [[Victor Moscoso]] on board. Crumb added [[S. Clay Wilson]] and the four of them formed the Zap collective. [[Gilbert Shelton]] joined the crew with issue #3, and [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robert Williams]] and [[Spain Rodriguez|"Spain" Rodriguez]] joined with issue #4. This group of artists remained mostly constant throughout the history of Zap.<ref name="comixjoint_zap_all" />

''Zap''{{'}}s new publisher the [[Print Mint]] weathered a lawsuit filed over the ''Zap'' #4, released in 1969, which featured among other things, Crumb's depiction of [[incest]] in a middle-class family. The publishers, Don & Alice Schenker, were arrested and charged with publishing pornography by the [[Berkeley Police Department]]. Previous to that, Simon Lowinsky, who had a gallery on College Avenue in Berkeley and had put up an exhibition of the Crumb's original drawings, had been arrested on the same charge. His case came to trial first. He was acquitted<ref>Gilbert Shelton quoted in ROSENKRANZ, PATRICK. [http://www.tcj.com/zap-censorship-and-suppression/ "Zap: Censorship and Suppression"], ''The Comics Journal'' website (NOV 10, 2014): "Over in Berkeley there was Si [Simon] Lowinsky who had an art gallery and he had an exhibition, and was selling copies of Snatch Comics and he got busted for that. It went to court. It went to trial. The definition of pornography in California is that it has to be of prurient interest and no one on the jury would admit to being aroused by Snatch Comics. It got a not guilty verdict".</ref> after supportive testimony from [[Peter Selz]], a prominent figure in the art world. At that point the city dropped the charges against the Print Mint.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} In a related case, however — also brought on by ''Zap'' #4 —  the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in 1973 that local communities could decide their own [[First Amendment]] standards with reference to obscenity.<ref>Sergi, Joe. [http://cbldf.org/about-us/case-files/obscenity-case-files/obscenity-case-files-people-of-new-york-v-kirkpatrick-zap-comix-4/ "Obscenity Case Files: People of New York v. Kirkpatrick (Zap Comix #4)"], Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website.Accessed Nov. 17, 2016.</ref> In the mid-1970s, sale of drug paraphernalia was outlawed in many places, and the distribution network for these comics (and the underground newspapers) dried up, leaving [[mail order]] as the only commercial outlet for underground titles.<ref name="Estren-7">Estren, Mark James (1993). "Foreword: Backward!". ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=w7tOX1ntlGcC&pg=PA7 A History of Underground Comics]''. [[Ronin Publishing]]. p. 7. {{ISBN|0-914171-64-X}}.</ref>

Contributor Rick Griffin died in 1991; [[Paul Mavrides]] made his debut as a ''Zap'' contributor in issue #14 (1998). Mavrides was invited to contribute when Crumb announced that he no longer wanted to work on ''Zap'', although Crumb never did actually quit the title.<ref>Fox, M. Steven. [http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix14.html "Zap Comix #14"], ComixJoint. Accessed Nov. 19, 2016.</ref>

==Publication history==
''Zap'' #1 was published in [[San Francisco]] in early 1968. Some 3,500 copies were printed by [[Beat generation|Beat]] writer [[Charles Plymell]],<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/1892/ Zap Comix entry at the Grand Comics Database.] Accessed October 27, 2009.</ref> who arranged with publisher [[Don Donahue]] for ''Zap'' to be the first title put out under Donahue's [[Apex Novelties]] imprint.

The contents of the first ''Zap'' were not intended to be the debut issue. Philadelphia publisher [[Brian Zahn]] (who had published earlier works of R. Crumb in his Philadelphia-based [[underground newspaper]]  ''[[Yarrowstalks]]'')<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hy-t7AAC3bgC&dq=Yarrowstalks+%231+Brian+Zahn&pg=PA106 ''Heritage Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction #823'' By Ivy Press, Gary Dowell, Greg Holman]</ref> had intended to publish an earlier version of the comic, but reportedly left the country with the artwork.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Rather than repeat himself, Crumb drew a new assortment of strips, which replaced the missing issue.

The tagline of ''Zap'' #1, "Zap Comics are Squinky Comics!!" has an interesting origin. [[Art Spiegelman]] called his girlfriend of the time, [[Quarry Hill Creative Center#Isabella Fiske|Isabella Fiske]], "Squink", Crumb liked the word and decided to use it on the cover.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Crumb himself credits<ref>Crumb, Robert. "Minds are Made to Be Blown", ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' - Volume 4 (Fantagraphics, 1988). [http://www.crumbproducts.com/pages/about/minds.html Archived on CrumbProducts.com].</ref> Gershon Legman's 1949 article "Love and Death"<ref>Odelle, Cole Moore. [http://mountainofjudgment.blogspot.com/2006/08/from-floppity-rabbits-to-horror.html "From Floppity Rabbits to Horror-Squinkies"], Mountain of Judgment (Aug. 2006).</ref> condemning the "horror-squinky" in 1940s comics.

In late 1968, shortly before ''Zap'' #3 was to be published, Crumb found [[Xerox]] copies of the missing pages from the original ''Zap'' #1, which (according to fellow ''Zap'' contributor [[Victor Moscoso]]) successfully captured the linework but not the solid blacks. After being re-inked by Crumb, those strips subsequently appeared as ''Zap'' #0. Thus ''Zap'' #0 became the third in the series (even though it was drawn before #1 in 1967), and ''Zap'' #3 the fourth.<ref name=Estren>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hQb_q6DWle4C&dq=Zap+Comix+No+0&pg=PA52 Estren, Mark, ''A History of Underground Comics''], [[Ronin Publishing]], 1993 {{ISBN|0-914171-64-X}}, 9780914171645 p.52</ref>

With issue #4 (Aug. 1969), ''Zap'' moved publishers to the [[Print Mint]], which weathered a lawsuit related to its contents. A 1973 [[U.S. Supreme Court]] ruling led to the collapse of the underground comix market,<ref name=Estren /> and after that ''Zap'' was published sporadically, with it being typical for three to five years to pass between new issues. ''Zap'' continued to be published by Print Mint through issue #9 (1978), when the company stopped publishing comics altogether.

From issue #10 (1982) onward, ''Zap'' was published by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] (which also published many reprints of earlier issues). Again, there were often long periods between issues: altogether, five issues of ''Zap'' were published (by Print Mint and Last Gasp) in the 1970s, three issues in the 1980s, and two issues in the 1990s. ''Zap'' #15 ({{ISBN|0867196351}}) came out in 2005, seven years after the previous issue.

Issues #13–15 all featured cameos by [[sex-positive feminist]] [[Susie Bright]] as a character within its pages (or on the cover).

A limited edition six-volume hardcover box set containing the complete ''Zap Comix'' ({{ISBN|9781606997871}}) was published by [[Fantagraphics]] in November 2014.<ref>Heller, Steve. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141122164117/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/zap-comix/382967/ "Comics for the Youth Movement, Not for Kids: A new history of Zap Comix celebrates how the lascivious, tongue-in-cheek cartoons revolted against conservative Cold War-era mores"], ''The Atlantic'' (Nov. 20, 2014). Accessed December 14, 2014.</ref> Besides including an oral history, portfolio, and previously unseen material, the set also included the never-before published ''Zap Comix'' #16 — the final issue in the series.<ref>Jennings, Dana. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180427060231/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/arts/design/zap-comix-now-in-a-coffee-table-boxed-set.html?_r=0 "Raunchy and Revered: Zap Comix, Now in a Coffee Table Boxed Set"], ''New York Times'' (OCT. 31, 2014).</ref> ''Zap'' #16 would later be released by Fantagraphics as a stand-alone, 80-page comic in February 2016, with a few changes and additions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160123222422/http://www.fantagraphics.com/zap16/ ''Zap'' #16 page], Fantagraphics website. Accessed March 4, 2023.</ref>

==Circulation==
The first issue of ''Zap'' was sold on the streets of [[Haight-Ashbury]] out of a baby stroller pushed by Crumb's wife Dana on the first day.<ref>Harvey, Robert C. (1996). ''[https://archive.org/details/artofcomicbookae0000harv The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History]''. University Press of Mississippi, p. 195. {{ISBN|978-0-87805-758-0}}.</ref> In years to come, the comic's sales would be most closely linked with alternative venues such as [[head shops]].

Due to its unusual outside position in the comic distribution industry, a completely accurate count of ''Zap'''s circulation cannot be known, but overall sales for the comic's first 16 issues are in the millions.

== Jams ==
From issue #3 forward (with the exception of issue #8), every issue of the title featured a group [[Comic jam|jam]] by the "''Zap'' collective", where the cartoonists would pass a story around, each one contributing panels to the overall story (which was usually no more than two pages).

In addition, in June 1970, the collective did the one-page jam "Science Fiction Comics" along with [[Harvey Kurtzman]], which was published in ''[[East Village Other]]'' vol. 6, #1. In 1974, between issues #7 and #8 of ''Zap Comix'', the collective produced ''Zam'' (''Zap Jam''), an entire 36-page comic filled with their jams.

=== List of ''Zap'' jams ===
* "Atomic Comics", 3 pages in ''Zap'' #3
* "Jam", 3 pages in ''Zap'' #4
* "Micro-Minnie", 15 pages in ''Zap'' #5
* "Mammy Jama", 1 page in ''Zap'' #6
* ["All nite comix..."], 2 pages in ''Zam-Zap Jam'' (The Print Mint, 1974)
* "Zyklon Jam - Souvenir of the Carnage", 1 page in ''Zap'' #8
* "The Sky Is, In Fact, Falling" ("Four Guys Comics"), 1 page in ''Zap'' #9
* "Toe Jam Comix", 1 page in ''Zap'' #10
* "The Constipated Chaos Consortium", 1 page in ''Zap'' #11
* "Rotten to the Core", 2 pages in ''Zap'' #12
* "Bark All You Want, You Can't Bite Me Now — A Shaggy Fish Story", 3 pages in ''Zap'' #13
* "The Last Lunch", 2 pages in ''Zap'' #13 — dedicated to the memory of [[Rick Griffin]]
* "(Self) Important Comics", 2 pages in ''Zap'' #14
* "Circle of Jerks", 2 pages in ''Zap'' #15

==Featured characters==
* '''[[Angelfood McSpade]]''' (R. Crumb) — a large-built black woman drawn as a racist African native caricature. She is usually depicted being sexually exploited or manipulated by men. She appears in issues #2 and #0.
* '''Captain Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates''' (S. Clay Wilson) — a crew of bisexual male drug-addict pirates that are into a series of kinky and outré sexual acts. Captain Pissgums' nemesis is Captain Fatima and the butch all-female crew of the ''SS Quivering Thigh''.<ref>Zap #3b, pgs.02-11</ref> A "Captain Pysse-Gummes" is mentioned as one of the captains attending the Pirate's Conference in ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]''.<ref>[[Moore, Alan]] and [[Kevin O'Neill (comics)|Kevin O'Neill]], "[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II#Issue 3: And the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder|And the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder]]", ''League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' vol. 2, #3 (Nov. 2002).</ref> He appears in issues #3, 10, and 15.
* '''[[The Checkered Demon]]''' (S. Clay Wilson) — portly, shirtless demon frequently called upon to kill the various demented bikers, pirates, and rapists who populate Wilson's universe. He appears in issues #2, 4, 5, and 8–15.
* '''Coochy Cooty''' (Robert Williams) — sinner, substance abuser, fornicator, and bad-ass antihero who wears a flower pot hat. He appears in issues #5, 6, and 8–13.
* '''[[R. Crumb]]''' (R. Crumb) — self-caricature portrayed as "a raving lunatic" and "one of the world's last great medieval thinkers". He appears in issues #0, 1, 6–8, 10, 11, and 13–15.
* '''Dirty Dog''' (R. Crumb) — an anthropomorphic animal comic in which the hero is a horny long-eared hound dog. An all-seeing god is portrayed by a rabbit in a [[Boater|straw boater]] and striped vest with a movie camera. The character appears in issue #3.
* '''Mr. Goodbar''' (R. Crumb) - a clueless hick in suspenders that seems to be the opposite of Mr. Natural. He appears in issue #3.
* '''[[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]]''' (R. Crumb) — unreliable holy man and his neurotic disciple '''Flakey Foont'''. He appears in issues #0 and #1–7.
* '''[[Trashman (comics)|Trashman]]''' (Spain) — hero of the working classes and champion of radical left-wing causes. He appears in issues #11–13.
*'''[[Wonder Wart-Hog]]''', the "Hog of Steel" (Gilbert Shelton) — a violent reactionary amoral "superhero" who hypocritically murders and rapes people he doesn't approve of. His alter ego is reporter '''Philbert DeSanex'''. He appears in issues #3-5, 13, and 15.

== Issue guide ==
{| class="wikitable" sortable
|-
! # !! Date !! Publisher !! Cover artist !! Contributors !! Notes
|-
| 1 || Feb. 1968|| [[Apex Novelties]] || [[Robert Crumb]] || [[Robert Crumb]] || First comics appearance of [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]], Flakey Foont, and Whiteman; first published appearance of the ''[[Keep on Truckin' (comics)|Keep on Truckin']]'' image. Later printings by [[Print Mint]] and then [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 2 || Aug. 1968|| [[Apex Novelties]] || Crumb || Crumb, [[Rick Griffin]], [[Victor Moscoso]], [[S. Clay Wilson]]  || Wilson, Griffin, and Moscoso join the ''Zap'' crew. First comics appearance of [[Angelfood McSpade]] and [[The Checkered Demon]]. Later printings by [[Print Mint]] and then [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 0 || Late 1968|| [[Apex Novelties]] ||Crumb || Crumb || Originally created prior to ''Zap'' #1. Later printings by [[Print Mint]] and then [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 3 || Fall 1968|| [[Apex Novelties]] || (flip book) Griffin and Wilson || Crumb, Griffin, Moscoso, [[Gilbert Shelton]], Wilson || Flip book subtitled "Special 69 Issue". Shelton joins the team. First appearance of Wilson's Captain Piss-Gums and his Pervert Pirates. Later printings by [[Print Mint]] and then by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 4 || Aug. 1969 || [[Print Mint]] || Moscoso || Crumb, Griffin, Moscoso, Shelton, [[Spain Rodriguez]], [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robert Williams]], Wilson || Williams and Spain join. Crumb's infamous "Joe Blow" strip leads to obscenity lawsuit. Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 5 || May 1970|| [[Print Mint]] || Shelton || [[Charles Crumb]], R. Crumb, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Printed by Print Mint despite Apex Novelties logo on cover.<ref>Fox, M. Steven. [http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix5-1st.html "Zap Comix #5"], ComixJoint. Accessed Nov. 17, 2016.</ref> Crumb's story is redrawn from childhood comics done with his brother Charles. Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 6 || Jan. 1973 || [[Print Mint]] || Shelton || Crumb, Griffin, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 7 || Mar. 1973 || [[Print Mint]] || Spain || Crumb, Moscoso, Griffin, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Last contribution from Griffin until issue #11. Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 8 || 1975 || [[Print Mint]] || Crumb || Crumb, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 9 || 1978 || [[Print Mint]] || Wilson || Crumb, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || 10th anniversary issue. Later printings by [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]].
|-
| 10 || 1982 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Moscoso || Crumb, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || 
|-
| 11 || Feb. 1985 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Williams || Crumb, Griffin, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Griffin returns.
|-
| 12 || 1989 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Spain || Crumb, Griffin, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || Last contribution from Griffin (who died in 1991).
|-
| 13 || 1994 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Moscoso || Crumb, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || 
|-
| 14 || 1998 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Wilson || Crumb, [[Paul Mavrides]], Moscoso, Spain, Shelton, Williams, Wilson || Mavrides joins the crew; a number of the contributors portray their version of the dispute between Crumb and Moscoso over the direction of the title.
|-
| 15 || 2005 || [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]] || Mavrides || Crumb, Mavrides, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || 
|-
| 16 || Nov. 2014 || [[Fantagraphics]] || Crumb || R. Crumb, Griffin (posthumous), [[Aline Kominsky-Crumb]], Mavrides, Moscoso, Shelton, Spain, Williams, Wilson || New member Kominsky-Crumb collaborates with her husband R. Crumb. Originally part of ''Zap'' collection, it was released in Feb. 2016 as a stand-alone 96-page comic. 16 pages in color.
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://comixjoint.com/zapcomix.html ''Zap'' section] of ComixJoint, including reviews of issues #1-15
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160411144539/http://www.societyillustrators.org/The-Museum/2016/Zap/The-ZAP-Show--A-Cultural-Revolution.aspx "The ''Zap'' Show: A Cultural Revolution"] exhibit at New York's [[Society of Illustrators]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080324225955/http://home.freeuk.net:80/moondog/zap.htm A Thumbnail History: (More Than) Thirty Years of Zap Comics Making Publishing History]

{{Underground comix works}}
{{Robert Crumb}}

[[Category:1968 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Underground comix]]
[[Category:Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Art in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Comics by Robert Crumb]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in comics]]
[[Category:Last Gasp titles]]