Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the
underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
movement with his ''
Bijou Funnies
''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Rob ...
'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the
running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
''Um tut sut''.Lynch bio Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Accessed Mar. 8, 2017. His work is sometimes signed Jayzey Lynch. Lynch was the main writer for '' Bazooka Joe'' comics from 1967 to 1990; he contributed to '' Mad'', and in the 2000s expanded into the children's book field.
Biography
Lynch was born in
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
and grew up in
Belmar, New Jersey
Belmar is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated on the Jersey Shore. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,794, later moving to Florida.
At age 17, Lynch moved to Chicago in 1963, where he attended
art school
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...
at nightRosenkraz, Patrick. "FEATURES: Jay Lynch, 1945-2017," ''The Comics Journal'' (MAR 6, 2017). and worked a string of odd jobs, including running a service bar for the
improv comedy
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The unive ...
humor magazine, the ''Aardvark''; he also contributed to a wide range of college humor publications. Lynch soon graduated to professional humor magazines like '' Sick'', ''
Cracked
Cracked may refer to: Television
* ''Cracked'' (British TV series), a 2008 British comedy-drama television series that aired on STV
* ''Cracked'' (Canadian TV series), a 2013 Canadian crime drama series that aired on CBC
* "Cracked", a Season 8 ( ...
'', and ''
The Realist
''The Realist'' was a Humor magazine, magazine of "social-political-religious criticism and satire", intended as a hybrid of a grown-ups version of Mad (magazine), ''Mad'' and Lyle Stuart's anti-censorship monthly ''The Independent.'' Edited and ...
''; and when the
underground press
The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group.
In specific rec ...
movement started in the mid-1960s he became a regular contributor to papers like the '' Chicago Seed'', and (thanks to the
Underground Press Syndicate
The Underground Press Syndicate (UPS), later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate (APS), was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines that operated from 1966 into the late 1970s. As it evolved, the Underground Press Syndicate crea ...
) the ''
Berkeley Barb
The ''Berkeley Barb'' was a weekly underground newspaper published in Berkeley, California, during the years 1965 to 1980. It was one of the first and most influential of the counterculture newspapers, covering such subjects as the anti-war move ...
'', the ''
East Village Other
''The East Village Other'' (often abbreviated as ''EVO'') was an American underground newspaper in New York City, issued biweekly during the 1960s. It was described by '' The New York Times'' as "a New York newspaper so countercultural that it ...
'', '' Fifth Estate'', and others. Beginning in 1967, Lynch became the lead writer for the '' Bazooka Joe'' comics, a gig he kept until 1990.
In 1967, Lynch teamed up with fellow Chicago transplant
Skip Williamson
Mervyn "Skip" Williamson (August 19, 1944 – March 16, 2017) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Williamson's art was published in the '' National Lampoon'', ''High Times'', ''the Reali ...
to publish the underground newspaper ''The Chicago Mirror'', which in 1968 after three issues was renamed and reformatted into the
underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
anthology ''
Bijou Funnies
''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Rob ...
''. As Ben Schwartz writes, ''Bijou Funnies'' "... would become Chicago's answer to
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', ''Fat Freddy's Cat'', and ''Wonder W ...
and
Skip Williamson
Mervyn "Skip" Williamson (August 19, 1944 – March 16, 2017) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Williamson's art was published in the '' National Lampoon'', ''High Times'', ''the Reali ...
." ''Bijou Funnies'' was heavily influenced by '' Mad'' magazine, and, along with ''Zap'', is considered one of the titles to launch the underground comix movement.Fox, M. Steven "Bijou Funnies," ComixJoint. Accessed Oct. 21, 2016. ''Bijou Funnies'' lasted 8 issues (from 1968 to 1973); a selection of stories from ''Bijou Funnies'' were collected in 1975 in the book ''The Best of Bijou Funnies'' (Quick Fox/Links Books).
Lynch's best known comic book stories involve the human-cat duo Nard n' Pat, recurring characters in ''Bijou Funnies''. Nard is a bald middle-aged man of conservative tendencies, and Patrick is his more "hip" talking cat. Nard n' Pat were featured in two issues of their own comic, the first one published by
Cartoonists Co-Op Press
Cartoonists Co-op Press was an underground comix publishing cooperative based in San Francisco that operated from 1973 to 1974. It was a self-publishing venture by cartoonists Kim Deitch, Bill Griffith, Jerry Lane, Jay Lynch, Willy Murphy, Diane ...
in 1974 (Cartoonists Co-Op Press was a self-publishing venture by Lynch,
Kim Deitch
Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California)Donahue, Don and Susan Goodrick, editors. Deitch bio, ''The Apex Treasuet of Underground Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1974), p. 127. is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in th ...
,
Bill Griffith
William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...
that operated in 1973–1974), and the second issue published by
Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hard ...
in 1981.
The weekly comic strip ''Phoebe and the Pigeon People'', by Lynch and illustrator Gary Whitney, ran in the '' Chicago Reader'' for 17 years in the late 1970s and 1980s; Kitchen Sink Press published 3 issues of a ''Phoebe & the Pigeon People'' comic book collecting material from the strip in 1979–1981. Up until his death, Lynch had scans of more than 500 editions of the strip ready for any publisher who saw the potential of a ''Phoebe and the Pigeon People'' book.Schwartz, Ben "Culture Jamming," ''Chicago Reader'' (June 25, 2004).
Trading cards
Beginning in 1968, Lynch became a major contributor to
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, a ...
' ''
Wacky Packages
''Wacky Packages'' are a series of humorous trading cards featuring parodies of consumer products. The cards were produced by Topps beginning in 1967, first in die-cut, then in peel-and-stick sticker format. There were 16 series produced betwee ...
'' and ''
Garbage Pail Kids
''Garbage Pail Kids'' is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the ''Cabbage Patch Kids'' dolls, which were popular at the time.
Each sticker card features a Garbage P ...
'', plus other Topps humor products. In 2002, he recalled his creative working methods and procedures with Len Brown and others at the Topps' Product Development Department:
''Mad'', children's books, ''Mineshaft'', and other work
During the 1990s, he began writing for '' Mad'', and he also devised products for ''Mad'' merchandising.
Lynch and his wife Carol collaborated in the early 2000s on a series of fine art paintings, selling them under the joint pseudonym "Kringo."
Lynch wrote two
children's books
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...
for Toon Books in 2008–2009: ''Otto's Orange Day'', illustrated by Frank Cammuso, and ''Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever'', illustrated by
Dean Haspiel
Dean Edmund Haspiel (born May 31, 1967 in New York City) is an American comic book artist, writer, and playwright. He is known for creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his '' American Splendor ...
.
Jay Lynch was a regular contributor to '' Mineshaft'' magazine from 2006 to 2018 with his work appearing in issues 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 (front cover), 24, 25, 30, 31 (front cover), 32, 33, and ''Mineshaft'' #35, with front cover art by
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
, which was the "Jay Lynch Memorial Issue".
Personal life and death
Lynch's first wife Jane Lynch was an occasional contributor to comics in the early 1970s, including pieces she wrote for ''Arcade'' #3 (an interview with
Bill Griffith
William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...
's character
Zippy the Pinhead
Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ''Zippy'', an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' and became a ...
) and Skywald Publications's ''Psycho'' #17 (a story called "The Lunatic Class Of '64," illustrated by Emilio Bernardo). Lynch and his second wife, Carol, were married for twenty years.
Lynch died from complications of lung cancer on March 5, 2017, in Candor, New York.
A memorial for Lynch was held on March 31, 2017 at the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
Amphitheater in New York City. The event was organized and moderated by Art Spiegelman.
Awards
In June 2009, Jay Lynch was nominated for a
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
in the category of "Best Cover Artist" for his '' Mineshaft'' #23 cover.
Bibliography
Underground comix
Solo series and as editor:
* ''
Bijou Funnies
''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Rob ...
'' #1–8 (Bijou Publishing Empire, Print Mint, Kitchen Sink, 1968–1973) — editor, contributor
* ''Don Dohler's ProJunior'' (Kitchen Sink, Oct. 1971) — editor, contributor
* ''Turned on Cuties'' (Golden Gate Publishing Company, 1972) — editor, contributor
* ''Roxy Funnies'' (Head Imports, 1972) — editor, contributor
* ''Purple Cat'' (Adam's Apple Distributing, 1973) — editor, contributor
* ''Nard n' Pat'' #1-2 (Cartoonists Co-Op Press, 1974; Kitchen Sink, 1981) — Lynch solo series
* ''Phoebe & the Pigeon People'' #1–3 (Kitchen Sink, 1979–1981) — collection of material from ''Phoebe and the Pigeon People'' strip with Gary Whitney (17-year run in the '' Chicago Reader'')
As contributor:
* ''
Gothic Blimp Works
''Gothic Blimp Works'', an all-comics tabloid published in 1969 by Peter Leggieri and the '' East Village Other'', was billed as "the first Sunday underground comic paper". During its eight-issue run, the publication displayed comics in both color ...
'' #1–2 (1969)
* ''Radical America Komiks'' (Radical America, Jan. 1969)
* ''Bogeyman'' #2 (San Francisco Comic Book Company, 1969)
* ''Bogeyman'' #3 (Company & Sons, 1970)
Children's books
As writer:
* ''Otto's Orange Day'' (Toon Books, 2008) — illustrated by Frank Cammuso
* ''Mo and Jo'' (Toon Books, 2009) — illustrated by
Dean Haspiel
Dean Edmund Haspiel (born May 31, 1967 in New York City) is an American comic book artist, writer, and playwright. He is known for creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his '' American Splendor ...
Further reading
* "Jay Lynch and the Free Exploration of Ideas: An Interview," ''
The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...