Compiled by Richard Arndt (richarda39@nospam.hotmail.com)
(eliminate the nospam to e-mail him)
Independent Comics
Part 2
It’s my intent to cover as many of the actual comic story {as opposed to comic review fanzines such as RBCC} fanzine or independents from the 1970s as possible but I don’t have a complete set {does anyone have bibliography info on Infinity; I’ll Be Damned, Venture or Orb--I have only a few issues of each} of everything so it will go slowly. Many of these fanzines had pro work (or work from future pros) and are surprisingly good. Hope you enjoy!
Dr. Wirtham’s Comix & Stories
Started out as an underground and wound up rather ground level. Features early work by Steve Bissette & Rick Veitch, among others.
1. Cover & back cover: Clifford Neal (1975) [edited: Clifford Neal. All Neal’s work is credited to Oisif Eguax]
1) Editorial [written: Clifford Neal] 1p [frontispiece]
2) Chichen Itza Comix [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 8p
3) Decoding The Codex [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 2p [text article, the most incomprehensible gobbley-gook you’ve ever read!]
4) Startling Confessions! [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 7p [pin-ups]
5) Crime Comics [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 6p
6) Decoding Crime Comics [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [text article, more of the binary process from hell.]
7) Pin-Ups & Cartoons [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 9p
2. Cover & back cover: Clifford Neal (1976)
1) Titlepage [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [frontispiece]
2) Hot Dog! [written & illustrated: Will Meugnoit] 7p
3) Alien Mercy [written & illustrated: Mike Roberts] 5p
4) Snuff-Box [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 5p
5) ‘Snuff Box” And Binary Systems Analysis [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [Still more of the binary process from hell.]
6) Hitler Pin-Up [illustrated: Larry Rippee] 1p
7) Grave Concern [written & illustrated: Steve Bissette] 2p
8) The White House Horror [written & illustrated: Rick Veitch] 9p
9) Bumpen Grinder Burger Contest [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 5p [text article & pin-ups.]
10) EC Pickins [written & illustrated: Bill Black] 4p [miscredited (I think) to Bill Flack.]
11) Angel Of Death [written & illustrated: Larry Rippee] 1p
12) Dr. Wirtham’s Ad [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [on inside back cover.]
3. Cover: Greg Irons/back cover: Mike Roberts (1977)
1) Titlepage [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [frontispiece]
2) Until Death Us Do Part [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Doug Potter] 6p
3) Hevenly Bodies [written & illustrated: Mike Roberts] 7p
4) Pin-Ups [illustrated: Clifford Neal, Larry Rippee & Al Davoren] 4p
5) Dead Heat [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 6p
6) Love Among The Worms [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Rich Larson] 7p
7) The Brain Meets The Zarg [written & illustrated: Hector Tellez] 1p
8) Dr. Wirtham’s Ad [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [on inside back cover]
4. Cover: Greg Irons/back cover: Mike Roberts (1979)
1) Titlepage [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p
2) Cheating Time! [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Gene Day] 8p
3) Martian Meringue [written & illustrated: Mike Roberts] 9p [very similar to Richard Corben’s art]
4) Tales of Gregor, Purpleass Baboon [written & illustrated: Greg Irons] 2p
5) Some Binary Systems Notes On 20th Century Fox [written: Clifford Neal] 1p [text article, the agony continues.]
6) 20th Century Fox [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 6p
7) No Clues [written & illustrated: Larry Rippee] 1p
8) ...People Are Strange... [written & illustrated: Par Holman] 1p
9) The Hood: 3-Deep Threat [written & pencilled: Steve Vance; inked: Bill Black] 9p
10) Death & Dumb [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Rich Larson] 8p
11) The Tell-Tale Fart! [written & illustrated: Steve Bissette & Rick Veitch] 9p
12) Dr. Wirtham’s Ad [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [on inside back cover]
5. Cover: Greg Irons/back cover: Steve Bissette & Rick Veitch (1980) [This is a flip book with both covers acting as the front cover.]
1) Titlepage [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [frontispiece]
2) Black Cat City [written & illustrated: Jay Kinney] 3p
3) Cell Food [written & illustrated: Rick Veitch & Steve Bissette] 8p
4) A Portrait Of The Arteest As A Burnt Baboon [written & illustrated: Greg Irons] 2p
5) Mirror [written & illustrated: Eric Vincent] 8p
6) Diary: One Night On Market Street [written & illustrated: Michael Gilbert] 1p
7) Pin-Up [illustrated: Larry Rippee] 1p
8) The Puzzle [written & illustrated: Greg Budgett & Gary Dumm] 8p
9) The Pen Is... [written & illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p
10) Shooty Beable And The Scab King [written & illustrated: Greg Budgett & Gary Dumm] 1p
11) Pin-Ups [illustrated: Jay Kinney, Eric Vincent, Will Meugniot, Clifford Neal] 4p
12) Tools Of The Trade [written & illustrated: R. C. Harvey] 2p
13) Little Minds [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Rich Larson] 6p
14) Squaw-Man [written: John Ellis Sech; illustrated: Robert L. Smith] 9p
15) Crazyworld [written: Mark Burbey; illustrated: Marc Hempel] 10p
16) Dr. Wirtham’s Ad [illustrated: Clifford Neal] 1p [on inside back cover]
Future Day
1. Cover: Gene Day (1979) [edited: Gene Day?]
1) Gifts Of Silver Splendor [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 6p
2) Hive [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 6p
3) Days Of Future Past [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 6p
4) Gauntlet [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 6p
5) Paper Dragon [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 5p
6) War Games [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 10p
7) Black Legion [written & illustrated: Gene Day] 7p [text story]
8) What Is A Graphic Album? [written: Terry Nantier; illustrated: Steve Bissette] 1p [on back cover]
Phase
1. Cover: Ken Barr (Sept. 1971) [edited: Sal Quartuccio. Wraparound cover.]
1) Frontispiece [illustrated: Syd Shores] 1p [illo of Captain America]
2) Pin-Up [illustrated: Berni Wrightson] 1p
3) Sword Of Dragonus [written: Chuck Robinson; illustrated: Frank Brunner] 8p
4) Impact [written & illustrated: Ernie Colon] 2p
5) Pin-Up [illustrated: Bill Stillwell] 1p
6) The Coming Of The Piranhas [written: Denny O’Neil; illustrated: Steve Skeates] 5p
7) Duel [written: Gerry Conway; illustrated: Gray Morrow] 6p [text story]
8) Don’t Be Phased Out [written: Sal Quartuccio; illustrated: Tony deZuniga] 1p [text article]
9) Soul Food [written: Phil Seuling; illustrated: Chris Notarile] 3p
10) Comes The Gray Dawn! [written: Marv Wolfman; illustrated: Rich Buckler] 2p
11) Home [written & illustrated: Jeff Jones] 4p
12) Veteran [written: Kathy Barr; illustrated: Ken Barr] 3p
13) Pin-Up [illustrated: Murphy Anderson] 1p
14) Hero [written & illustrated: Bil Maher] 10p [story never concluded]
15) As Night Falls: Sally’s Song [written & illustrated: Michael Kaluta] 2p
16) Getting The Point [written & illustrated: Kenneth Smith] 7p [text story]
17) Pin-Ups [illustrated: Dan Recchia & Billy Graham] 3p
18) The Comic Book Freak! [written & illustrated: Tom Sutton] 2p
19) Yesterday’s Rain [written & illustrated: Steve Fritz] 4p
20) Pin-Ups [illustrated: Ken Kelly & Bill Stillwell] 2p
21) Dragon Slayer [written: Len Wein; illustrated: Tony deZuniga] 2p [some crude efforts to censor pubic hair on the ladies ends up highlighting it!]
22) Pin-Up [illustrated: Dan Adkin] 1p
23) A View From Without... [written & illustrated: Neal Adams] 8p [probably the best art & story job that Adams ever did. He uses vitrually every type of comic art style available in 1971 including fumetti, pen & ink, wash & straight pencils. There’s even a art homage to Joe Kubert on page 5. The story, originally called Greetings, is a horrific view of the Vietnam War. Adams apparently did this story several years earlier and perhaps intended it for Archie Goodwin’s Blazing Combat series (?). Whatever your opinions on the war itself, the story is a tour-de-force, on a par with Kriegstein’s The Master Race. I’m amazed it’s only been reprinted once (in Marvel’s Unknown Worlds Of Science Fiction #1 in 1975). This story justifies the entire existence of this book.
24) Conan The Barbarian Pin-Up [illustrated: Billy Graham] 1p
25) Editorial [written & illustrated: Sal Quartuccio] 1p [on inside back cover]