Zap Comix

Labeled "Fair Warning: For Adult Intellectuals Only", Zap #1 featured the publishing debut of Robert Crumb's much-bootlegged ''Keep on Truckin''' imagery, an early appearance of unreliable holy man 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 asked Griffin 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 and "Spain" Rodriguez joined with issue #4. This group of artists remained mostly constant throughout the history of Zap. 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. 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. 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. 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. ==Publication history==

Zap #1 was published in San Francisco in early 1968. Some 3,500 copies were printed by Beat writer Charles Plymell, 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) had intended to publish an earlier version of the comic, but reportedly left the country with the artwork. 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, Isabella Fiske, "Squink", Crumb liked the word and decided to use it on the cover. Crumb himself credits Gershon Legman's 1949 article "Love and Death" 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. 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, 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 (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 () 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 () was published by Fantagraphics in November 2014. 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. Zap #16 would later be released by Fantagraphics as a stand-alone, 80-page comic in February 2016, with a few changes and additions. ==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. 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 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. 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 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 (R. Crumb) — unreliable holy man and his neurotic disciple Flakey Foont. He appears in issues #0 and #1–7. • 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 ==