Underground Comics

I noticed we don't have a topic for these, so here's one.

To start this off, I really like R. Crumb. My favorite underground comic, however, is Robert Armstrong's Mickey Rat.

edited 23rd Nov '13 7:29:04 PM by Aldo930

Who, who, and what? (Which, I can assure you, would have been asked by somebody else if I hadn't asked it first.)

This is a discussion about underground comics, the art that existed during the hippie era of the 60s and has been around in one form or another since then.

What's the who, who and what?

Who: R.Crumb. Who: Robert Armstrong. What: Mickey Rat.

edited 24th Nov '13 5:35:54 AM by kkhohoho

R. Crumb is the man who coined the term "Keep on Truckin'," if you've ever heard of that. He's one of the guys who invented the whole underground comics style. We actually have a trope page for him at Robert Crumb.

Robert Armstrong is a less known underground cartoonist, although I think he ought to be better known. He coined the term "couch potato."

Mickey Rat is basically a comic about the most unlikable, depraved character in fiction. He's a drug addict, a sex maniac, he's completely scuzzy... But the comic actually knows this, and that's why it's entertaining instead of awful.

edited 24th Nov '13 5:45:37 AM by Aldo930

What is the definition of underground comics? What are examples of current underground comics?

The first thing i think of when i hear current underground comics is megg, mogg and owl. Is that a good example? Another example may be the comics made by peter bagge,i read an interview in tcj, and the look like they could be.

The definition's no longer as clear as it used to be, because for decades now we've had scores of small-press, independent comics publishers and specialty imprints, whose subject matter and standards have run the complete gamut from "family-friendly" to Brain Bleach. The term "Underground Comics" was most applicable when you could draw an unmistakable line between them and "regular" comics—back when there were only a few major publishers, all of whom hewed closely to the Comics Code and mostly insisted on kid-friendliness.

By that definition, I'm tempted to restrict the term "underground cartoonist" to creators active before ... let's say, c. 1980. Even though guys like Peter Bagge are certainly true to their spirit, there's no longer a clear distinction between his stuff and what you could find in, say, certain Top Shelf or Dark Horse titles of the same period.