Charles Burn's Ill Bred from Death Rattle #1 (oct, 1985)

Charles Burn's

ILL BRED

Charles Burns came on the comic scene in the early 80's. His work was so striking with it's retro 50's style. His work appears on the surface to be silly horror stories but often they address real world problems and fears. In this case Burns looks at young love and the way women can consume a young man's life. 

Happy 60th Birthday Charles Burns!

Charles Burns, born September 27, 1955, has been amazing us with his work for over 35 years!

The artist as a young punk rocker. 

Burns got his start in the pages of Art Spiegelman's Raw Magazine. His first important work for RAW would be the cover of RAW #4, which featured a die-cut cover. 

This is Burn's ingenious cover for Raw Magazine #4. The first picture is the outside cover. The second picture is the inside cover. Di cut holes were cut in the cover where the color inside cover would show through. 

Burns characters live in a wacky world turned on it's head. One of Burns early works was El Borba, a giant luchador detective, serialized in the pages of Heavy Metal Magazine. Here we see his story from Heavy Metal Magazine, Aug 1983, titled Dead Meat. 

Charles Burns' El Borba in Robot Love!

Happy 55th Birthday Chester Brown!

Happy 55th Birthday 

Chester Brown 

born on May 16th, 1960

Chester Brown was one of the 80's greatest Alternative Comics creators.

Square Comix by Ian McMurray

I'm sure many of you have not heard of Ian McMurry but I'm sure you will in the near future. Ian is an amazing new talent that you should keep an eye on.

Self portrait of Ian (center) on the cover of his book, Alone in Kyoto

Frank Santoro's Pompeii

Frank Santoro's Pompeii is definitely different than any comics I've ever seen.

On the cover of Pompeii, Frank Santoro sets the theme of the book not only by showing 3 of the main characters in the book but also by the way he divides the page which is how every page in the book is divided. 

Gilbert Hernandez' "Space Case"

Gilbert Hernandez's 

Heartbreak Soup 

is one rich stew that you will not soon forget!

In a world filled with superhero comics Gilbert Hernandez' Heartbreak Soup is special. It has the audacity to depict simple people dealing with everyday issues, issues that we all feel at some point and can relate to; issues about peoples insecurities, past traumas, world injustices and even feelings of being very small and insignificant as in the case with this Heartbreak Soup, Space Case, which comes from Ten Years of Love and Rockets, Sep. 1992.

Matt Kindt's Black Widow

Independent comics creator Matt Kindt who has lately had a big hit with his Mind MGMT did a cool piece for Marvel MAX' Strange Tales, a Black Widow story.

Kent Williams' expressionistic Batman Black and White

Kent Williams is not a common name in comics but he is no stranger to art. In Batman Black and White he brings a vibrant, new aesthetic to comics with his scratchy, edgy line work. It's raw and it's dynamite. 

Charles Burns' Marriage Made In Hell from RAW Magazine #6,

Charles Burns has gotten a lot of attention in recent years for his Black Hole and his Xed Out trilogy but before he did these great works he was twisting pop culture on it's head with works like...

Happy 67th Birthday Art Spiegelman!

In the early 80's Art Spiegelman and his wife Francoise Mouly decided to put out a very new and experimental magazine that would contain all of the awesome new comics that they were discovering over seas in Mouly's homeland of France as well as all the great new comic artists Spiegelman was meeting while teaching at New York's School of Visual Arts. They would call this new magazine RAW Magazine and among the new and experimental works that they would publish in it was Art's own story of his dad and his struggles surviving German concentration camps of WWII, a work that he would call Maus. 

 Happy Birthday 

Art Spiegelman!

(born February 15, 1948)

Happy 58th birthday Gilberto Hernandez!

Gilberto Hernández 

born February 1, 1957, creator of 

Heartbreak Soup

Gilbert is here with 3 of his most popular creations, Luba, the local theater owner and bañadora or bath giver of the fictional village of Palomar, Chelo, the sheriff of Palomar and a competitor bañadora, and Tonantizin, the local hot girl.

the primordial FIRST WORLD of Jamie Chase!

Come see the wild and weird primordial dawn of man in 

Jamie Chase' 

First World!

Jamie Chase's First World is unique in the world of comics these days. It is a throwback to a long gone time in comics when there was a love for powerful jungle lords and when ferocious T Rexes clashed with sharp horned Triceratops.

Mari Naomi's Dragon's Breath

Mari Naomi just published a book of autobiographical short stories titled

Dragon's Breath and Other Stories.

Dragon’s Breath is filled with touching short stories ranging from childhood memories about her favorite grandfather to thrilling memories of running away from home or bitter sweet memories of friends found and lost.

Zippy the Pinhead

Zippy the Pinhead burst onto the comics scene in the Underground comic Real Pulp #1, March 1971. Zippy is not just a comic; it's an experience; a way of thinking and interacting with the world.

Zippy, based on the freak show performer Zip the Pinhead, is a free spirited, free thinking simpleton who gets himself in and out of all kinds of crazy trouble.

Happy 55th Birthday Jaime Hernandez!

Jaime Hernandez (born Oct, 10th, 1959) and his brothers Gilberto became independent comic sensations in the 80's with their fun depiction of Mexican/American women in their, Love and Rockets. While Gilberto took inspiration for his Heartbreak Soup from stories he was told about village life in Mexico, Jaime took inspiration for his Locas from the LA punk scene that were a part of.



Jaime surrounded by some of his spirited female characters; clockwise from lower left, Daphne "DAFFY" Matsumoto, Beatríz "PENNY CENTURY" Garcia, Margarita "MAGGIE" Chascarrillo,  Esperanza "HOPEY" Glass, TERRY Downe, Isabel "IZZY" Reubens

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers NSFW

The other big Underground Comix artist besides R. Crumb of the late 60's and early 70's was Gilbert Shelton, the creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.

the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #2, 1972

Happy Birthday David Mazzucchelli!

David Mazzucchelli (born September 21, 1960) has been one of the most exciting artists of the last 30 years. Though he hasn't been one of the most prolific artists, he has created some of the most amazing work the comic book medium has ever seen.

Happy Birthday Mike Mignola!

Mike Mignola who was born on September 16, 1960, has been one of the most dynamic and exciting artists, writing and drawing his Hellboy for the last 20 years...

though he wasn't always so well thought of.

Kaz' Delirious from Weirdo #10

Kaz has a unique sense of humor and fascinating design sense. He loves to put the grotesque into 'cute comics'. He seems to be inspired as much by classic cute comic strips like Nancy and Sluggo, and Popey as much as by the offensive underground comics like S. Clay Wilson's Captain Pissgums.

Check out Delirious, an early comic by Kaz which appeared in R. Crumb's Weirdo #10, July 1984.