Zap Comix | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Apex Novelties (issues #0–3) Print Mint (issues #4–9) Last Gasp (issues #10–15) Fantagraphics (issue #16) |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | Underground |
Publication date | February[1] 1968 – November 2014 |
No. of issues | 17 |
Main character(s) | Mr. Natural R. Crumb Angelfood McSpade Wonder Wart-Hog Checkered Demon Trashman |
Creative team | |
Created by | Robert Crumb |
Artist(s) | Robert Crumb, Victor Moscoso, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, Spain Rodriguez, Robert Williams, Rick Griffin, Paul Mavrides |
Zap Comix is an underground comix series which was originally part of the 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 "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 Family Dog poster drawn by Rick Griffin which resembled a psychedelic version of a 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.[2] 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, and "Spain" Rodriguez were also contributors to Zap.[3]
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 claims that the term "comix" ("co-mix") refers to the traditional comic book style of Zap, and its mixture of dirty jokes and storylines.[4]