American Splendor is Complete

Sir Real · October 25, 2007, 02:00:27 PM

<whew> That took awhile.

Visitor Q · October 25, 2007, 06:53:23 PM

I got some sign by Toby Radloff I will have to take pix of.

Good Work!

Jason

Sir Real · October 25, 2007, 07:06:02 PM

Ooooohhh

Toby Radloff!

Visitor Q · October 26, 2007, 01:11:14 AM

Yeah the guy is pretty nice, even have pictures of his "Nerd Mobile". I spoke to him for a good amount of time... Also met Judah Friedlander who plays him in the movie.

Jason

Comix Junky · October 26, 2007, 02:44:59 AM

But isn't AS like the ultimate GROUND-LEVEL comic.

Sir Real · October 26, 2007, 03:38:28 AM

Quote from: Comix Junky on October 26, 2007, 02:44:59 AM
But isn't AS like the ultimate GROUND-LEVEL comic.

Ultimate?!?!? IMHO American Splendor is the ultimate in underground. A nobody finds a number of comic artists to do his hand scribbled stories, self publishes them, and distributes them himself. And damned if they ain't pretty good reading. Have you ever read the series?

Visitor Q · October 26, 2007, 09:06:15 AM

I think the first 2 or 3 are in the 82 guide, Undergrounds in my eyes.

Jason

Comix Junky · October 26, 2007, 08:19:03 PM

Yeah i got the first 2 or 3, and was bored comatose by em.

Alternative publishing, sure. But not in any way counter-culture.

Rick Bradford · December 20, 2007, 12:05:58 PM

Quote from: Comix Junky on October 26, 2007, 08:19:03 PM
Yeah i got the first 2 or 3, and was bored comatose by em.
Alternative publishing, sure. But not in any way counter-culture.

Hey, just because they're about a working man doesn't make them not counter-culture. What was Crumb, a hippy?

(I know, I know, I'm a little late. But I couldn't resist...)

Comix Junky · December 20, 2007, 01:06:34 PM

DON'T FEED THE TROLL

(stop pushing my buttons)

Quote from: Rick Bradford on December 20, 2007, 12:05:58 PM
Hey, just because they're about a working man doesn't make them not counter-culture. What was Crumb, a hippy?

Actually that's what counter-culture means.
NOT about the adverage Joe.

What does Crumb have to do with it?
Are you suggesting that it's underground because Crumb drew it?.
Crumb is a bum. He doesn't deserve the title "father" of the undergrounds. He didn't invent the underground. His contribution was promoting comix to mainstream newspapers.

(to be clear: i am not calling you a troll above. i am joking that you are pushing my buttons, making ME look like a troll.)

50Cent #II (1st print) · December 20, 2007, 02:34:29 PM

I believe he was referring to Crumb because it's commonly known that Crumb was associated with the Hippie movement, but actually he wasn't a Hippie at all. He didn't associate himself with the Hippie movement, though he was in the middle of it. He didn't dress as a Hippie, he didn't preach free love (though he tried and got a lot of it), he did acid and smoked pot, but hated the Grateful Dead and all that type of music.

Rick Bradford · December 20, 2007, 06:06:31 PM

50Cent's hit it on the nose. Crumb was a working man (drawing greeting cards) up until he fled to San Francisco.

I'll agree that Pekar was never "counter-culture" in an extreme sense. But I do think American Splendor is another one of those books that fits the UG bill -- if it'd been started in '69 there wouldn't even be any question. I also think that publishing his own work, self-distirbuting and aligning himself with Crumb the way he did has to count for something.

And I wasn't trying to push anyone's buttons, honest. If anything, I get annoyed by all these goofy labels and their elevated importance.