Rip Off Press
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Rip Off Press Inc. is a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing ...
retailer and
distributor A distributor is an enclosed rotating switch used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines that have mechanically timed ignition. The distributor's main function is to route high voltage current from the ignition coil to the spark plugs ...
, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like ''
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...
'' and ''
Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...
'', as well as many other seminal publications from 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, ...
era. Founded in 1969 in San Francisco by four friends from
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
— cartoonists
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 Jack Jackson, and Fred Todd and Dave Moriaty — Rip Off Press is now run in
Auburn, California Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Placer County, California, United States. Its population was 13,776 during the 2020 census. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history and is registered as a California Historical Landmark. Au ...
, by Todd. Rip Off Press is notable for being the first company to publish the fourth edition of the ''
Principia Discordia The ''Principia Discordia'' is the first published Discordian religious text. It was written by Greg Hill ( Malaclypse the Younger) with Kerry Wendell Thornley (Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst) and others. The first edition was printed allegedly usi ...
'', a
Discordian Discordianism is a religion, philosophy, or paradigm centered on Eris, a.k.a. Discordia, the Goddess of chaos. Discordianism uses archetypes or ideals associated with her. It was founded after the 1963 publication of its "holy book," the ''Pri ...
religious text written by Gregory Hill and
Kerry Thornley Kerry Wendell Thornley (April 17, 1938 – November 28, 1998) was an American author. He is known as the co-founder (along with childhood friend Greg Hill) of Discordianism, in which context he is usually known as Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst or sim ...
. It was also an early publisher of a booklet on drug manufacturing, ''Psychedelic Chemistry''.


History


Origins

In January 17, 1969, the company was founded in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
by four Texans: Fred Todd, Dave Moriaty, and cartoonists
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 Jack Jackson. The initial plan was to print
rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
promotional posters on an old press and do comix on the side — in some ways the company was formed as a sort of cartoonists'
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
, as an alternative publishing venue to other Bay Area publishers like
Apex Novelties The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...
,
Print Mint The Print Mint, Inc. was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the genre's late 1960s-early 1970s heyday. Starting as a retailer of psychedelic posters, the Print Mint soon evolved into ...
, and
Company & Sons Company & Sons was an early underground comix publisher based in San Francisco, ran by John Bagley. The company operated from 1970 to 1973, publishing a total of 15 titles, all but one of them consisting of a single issue. Company & Sons was t ...
. The four men purchased a used Davidson 233 offset
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
and set up shop in the same space as Apex Novelties, located on the third-floor ballroom of the former Mowry's Opera House, at 633 Laguna Street in Hayes Valley.Rosenkranz, Patrick
"Don Donahue @ Mowry’s"
''The Comics Journal'' website (November 9th, 2010 ).
The first comix Rip Off Press published, in 1969, were R. Crumb's ''Big Ass Comics'' (June '69), a reprint of Jaxon's ''
God Nose ''God Nose'' is a 42-page American comic book produced in 1964 by Jack "Jaxon" Jackson and is considered one of the first underground comix. ''God Nose'' centers on philosophical discussions between God and the "fools he rules." Plot ''God Nose ...
'' (originally published in 1964), Jaxon's ''Happy Endings Comics'' (August '69), and the first issue of Fred Schrier and Dave Sheridan's ''Mother's Oats Comix'' (October '69). After a fire almost destroyed the opera house in late 1969, Rip Off moved to the decaying former headquarters of the Family Dog
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
music promotion collective (which Jaxon had been a member of starting in 1966). Rip Off Press was located at 1250 17th Street in San Francisco from 1970 until 1985. By 1972, the poster printing business had faded away and the company had become a
publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
. Other works the company published during this period included comix by
Frank Stack Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937 in Houston, Texas) is an American underground cartoonist and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the Bible Belt, Stack published wh ...
, Sheridan (all co-published with
Gary Arlington Gary Edson Arlington (October 7, 1938 – January 16, 2014) was an American retailer, artist, editor, and publisher, who became a key figure in the underground comix movement of the 1960s and 1970s.Yardley, William"Gary Arlington, a Force in Unde ...
's San Francisco Comic Book Company), ''
The Rip Off Review of Western Culture ''The Rip Off Review of Western Culture'' was an underground comics magazine published by Rip Off Press and produced out of San Francisco, California. It published three issues in 1972. The publication was historically significant in that it broug ...
'' omnibus, and Shelton's ''
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...
''.


Changing times

As the underground comix market began to peter out in the early 1970s, Rip Off Press shifted its focus to other cartoonists and other comics. By this point, Rip Off Press co-founders Moriaty and Jackson had gone back to Texas, leaving the running of the company to Shelton and Todd. The company started a syndication service, managed by Shelton, that sold weekly content to
alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...
s and
student publication A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
s.Fox, M. Steven
"Rip Off Comix — 1977-1991 / Rip Off Press,"
Comixjoint. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2022.
Each Friday, the company sent out a distribution sheet with the strips it was selling, by such cartoonists as Shelton,
Joel Beck Joel Beck (May 7, 1943 – September 14, 1999) was a San Francisco Bay Area artist and cartoonist. His comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', one of the earliest underground comic books of the 1960s, was the first underground comic book published o ...
, Dave Sheridan,
Ted Richards Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). AFL career Richards was recruited from Xavier Col ...
,
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 daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...
, and
Harry Driggs Harry Driggs (November 3, 1935 — July 14, 2007) was an American artist, graphic designer, political activist, and underground cartoonist. Much of his comix work was published under the name R. Diggs. Driggs was a longtime resident of San Franci ...
(as R. Diggs). The Rip Off Press Syndicate, never really a profitable operation, was discontinued by 1979. (Griffith's ''Zippy'', which had debuted in 1976 as a weekly strip with Rip Off's syndicate,"Zippy Congratulates Rip-Off Press," ''Rip Off Comix'' #21 (Winter 1988), p. 50. was picked up for daily syndication in 1986 by
King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
.) Much of the material produced for the syndicate was eventually published in the company's long-running anthology ''
Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...
'', which had debuted in 1977. In 1979,
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
paid Shelton and Rip Off Press $250,000 for the rights to make a live-action ''Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' film. Rip Off used its share of the rights fees to buy a new typesetting machine and a computer system, which enabled it in turn to launch the
mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing ...
business that later became integral to the company's survival. (The Universal-produced ''Freak Brothers'' film never made it to production.) The future Kathe Todd, who first came to the company in 1975 for a college summer job, married co-founder Fred Todd in 1980; by the mid-1980s she had assumed co-management of the company. Cartoonist
Jay Kinney Jay Kinney (born 1950) is an American author, editor, and former underground cartoonist. Kinney has been noted for "adding new dimensions to the political comic" in the underground comix press of the 1970s and '80s. Kinney was a member, along w ...
joined the company as an editor in 1981, but left after a few months. Cartoonist
Guy Colwell Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...
began freelancing for Rip Off Press in the production department beginning in 1980; he worked on-and-off for the company through . After bouncing back and forth between Europe and the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s (thanks to the money he received from Universal), co-founder Shelton and his wife permanently relocated to France in 1984. In mid-1985, the company moved from 17th Street to a smaller space on San Jose Avenue near the city's southern border, with warehouse space across town at the Bayview Industrial Park. This three-story, block-square building, which housed over a hundred other businesses, burned to the ground on April 6, 1986, following an explosion in an illegal fireworks factory in the basement.


Relocation to Auburn

Freed of a 17-year accumulation of comix and other paraphernalia, Fred Todd (who at this point was the only original partner still working in the business) decided to relocate Rip Off Press to
Auburn, California Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Placer County, California, United States. Its population was 13,776 during the 2020 census. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history and is registered as a California Historical Landmark. Au ...
(part of the
Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...
), where he and Kathe continued to run the company while raising their two small children in more pleasant surroundings. The move was made in June 1987. During this era, Rip Off Press continued to publish Shelton's ''
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...
'' and the ''
Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...
'' anthology; the popularity of
erotic comics Erotic comics are adult comics which focus substantially on nudity and sexual activity, either for their own sake or as a major story element. As such they are usually not permitted to be sold to legal minors. Like other genres of comics, they c ...
in the late 1980s/early 1990s led to the publication of such titles as ''Strips'' by
Chuck Austen Chuck Austen (born Chuck Beckum)
Kees Kousemaker's Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
is an Ameri ...
, ''The Girl'' by Kevin J. Taylor, ''Doll'' by
Guy Colwell Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...
, and
SS Crompton Steven S. Crompton is a Canadian-born artist, author and designer who has worked in the role-playing and comic genres since 1981. In the gaming industry he is best known as the artist for the Grimtooth's Traps books as well as other ''Catalyst' ...
's ''
Demi the Demoness Demi the Demoness is a fictional, humorous, erotic comics character whose fantasy adventures have been published since 1992. Demi was created by SS Crompton. Demi has appeared in numerous comics crossovers with other characters, including ''Shau ...
''. The company published two music-related indy comics titles by Matt Howarth — '' Savage Henry'' and ''
Those Annoying Post Bros. ''Those Annoying Post Bros.'' is an Alternative comics, independent comic mostly by Matt Howarth about two fun-loving bad boys, Ron Post and Russ Post, from the fictional Bugtown. Equally inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Philip K. Dick, and Ambient mus ...
'', from 1989 to 1994. Rip Off Press also took over the publication of the long-running all-female underground anthology ''
Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other ...
'' with issue #14 (1989) of that title, publishing it through 1993.


Shift from publishing to retailing

After the collapse of the
direct market The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of: * four major comic distributors: ** Lunar ...
in the early 1990s (fueled by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
' withdrawal of its 40% market share from the distribution system), Rip Off Press began cutting costs and gradually retreated from publishing. By 1997, it had shifted its business to selling backlist comics in its store and to mail-order customers, plus to the fans finding them online. The Todds moved the business to much smaller quarters adjoining their home in 1999, where they continue to sell comix, mostly through the company website. The website was disabled for a time in 2011–2012, during which time it was completely redesigned and a large number of collectors' items (including historic ad pieces, rare press sheets, publisher's overlay proofs from the company's publishing history, and more) were added to its offerings.


Selected titles and artists


Syndication service strips

* ''Cartoon Cavalcade'' by
Joel Beck Joel Beck (May 7, 1943 – September 14, 1999) was a San Francisco Bay Area artist and cartoonist. His comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', one of the earliest underground comic books of the 1960s, was the first underground comic book published o ...
* ''Dealer McDope'' by Dave Sheridan * ''E.Z. Wolf'' by
Ted Richards Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). AFL career Richards was recruited from Xavier Col ...
* ''
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...
'' by
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 ...
* '' Fat Freddy's Cat'' by Gilbert Shelton * ''Forty Year Old Hippie'' by Ted Richards * ''Griffith Observatory'' by
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 daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...
* ''Mom Squad'' by
Harry Driggs Harry Driggs (November 3, 1935 — July 14, 2007) was an American artist, graphic designer, political activist, and underground cartoonist. Much of his comix work was published under the name R. Diggs. Driggs was a longtime resident of San Franci ...
(as R. Diggs) * ''Motoring Tips'' by Gilbert Shelton * ''Nerds'' by Dave Sheridan * ''
Wonder Wart-Hog Wonder Wart-Hog (the "Hog of Steel") is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by Gilbert Shelton and first published in 1962. Over the years, Shelton has worked on the strip in collaboration with various write ...
'' by Gilbert Shelton with Tony Bell and Joe E. Brown, Jr. * '' Zippy'' by Bill Griffith (from 1976)


Comics

* Anthologies: ** ''
Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...
'' (30 issues, 1977–1991) ** ''
The Rip Off Review of Western Culture ''The Rip Off Review of Western Culture'' was an underground comics magazine published by Rip Off Press and produced out of San Francisco, California. It published three issues in 1972. The publication was historically significant in that it broug ...
'' (3 issues, 1972) — edited by Dave Moriaty ** ''
Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other ...
'' (4 issues, 1989–1992) *
Chuck Austen Chuck Austen (born Chuck Beckum)
Kees Kousemaker's Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
is an Ameri ...
: '' Strips'' (1989–1991) *
Guy Colwell Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...
: ** ''Doll'' (8 issues, 1989–1992) ** ''Central Body: The Art of Guy Colwell'' (1991) *
SS Crompton Steven S. Crompton is a Canadian-born artist, author and designer who has worked in the role-playing and comic genres since 1981. In the gaming industry he is best known as the artist for the Grimtooth's Traps books as well as other ''Catalyst' ...
: ''
Demi the Demoness Demi the Demoness is a fictional, humorous, erotic comics character whose fantasy adventures have been published since 1992. Demi was created by SS Crompton. Demi has appeared in numerous comics crossovers with other characters, including ''Shau ...
'' (1993–1997) *
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 ...
: ** ''Big Ass Comics'' (2 issues, 1969–1971) ** ''R. Crumb's Comics and Stories'' (1969) — features 10-page
Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began d ...
story drawn in 1964 ** ''Motor City Comics'' (2 issues, 1969–1970) *
Harry Driggs Harry Driggs (November 3, 1935 — July 14, 2007) was an American artist, graphic designer, political activist, and underground cartoonist. Much of his comix work was published under the name R. Diggs. Driggs was a longtime resident of San Franci ...
(as R. Diggs) ** ''Great Diggs of '77: a Cartoonists View of 1977 from the Pages of the Rip Off Comix Syndicate, the Berkeley Barb and the Ag-Biz Tiller'' (64 pp, 1977) —
political cartoons A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine ...
** ''Great Diggs II: a Cartoonist's View of World Events, Compiled from the Pages of the Rip Off Comix Syndicate'' (36 pp., 1979) — political cartoons ** ''Greatest Diggs of All Time'' (Rip Off Press, 1991) — collecting material from various anthologies ** ''The Life and Loves of Cleopatra'' (1991) — censored version of Driggs' pornographic comic, originally published in 1967 *
Larry Gonick Larry Gonick (born 1946) is a cartoonist best known for ''The Cartoon History of the Universe'', a history of the world in comic book form, which he published in installments from 1977 to 2009. He has also written ''The Cartoon History of the U ...
: '' Cartoon History of the Universe'' (9 issues, 1978–1992) * Matt Howarth: ** '' Savage Henry'' (17 issues, 1990–1993) ** ''
Those Annoying Post Bros. ''Those Annoying Post Bros.'' is an Alternative comics, independent comic mostly by Matt Howarth about two fun-loving bad boys, Ron Post and Russ Post, from the fictional Bugtown. Equally inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Philip K. Dick, and Ambient mus ...
'' (20 issues, 1991–1994) *
Carol Lay Carol Lay (born 1952) is an American alternative cartoonist best known for her weekly comic strip, ''Story Minute'' (later to evolve into the strip ''Way Lay''), which ran for almost 20 years in such US papers as the ''LA Weekly'', the ''NY Press' ...
: '' Good Girls'' (1991) *
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 ...
: ** ''
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...
'' (13 issues, 1971–1997) ** '' Fat Freddy's Cat'' (12 issues, 1977–1993) ** ''
Wonder Wart-Hog Wonder Wart-Hog (the "Hog of Steel") is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by Gilbert Shelton and first published in 1962. Over the years, Shelton has worked on the strip in collaboration with various write ...
'' (1973–1975) ** '' Not Quite Dead'' (5 issues, 1993–1995) * Dave Sheridan: ** ''Mother's Oats Comix'' (1970–1976)— with Fred Schrier and others ** ''Skull Comics'' #1 (1970) — with Fred Schrier and others; later picked up by
Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...
** ''The Balloon Vendor'' (1971)— with Fred Schrier *
Frank Stack Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937 in Houston, Texas) is an American underground cartoonist and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the Bible Belt, Stack published wh ...
: ** ''Jesus Comics'' (3 issues, 1969–1972) **''Feelgood Funnies'' (2 issues, 1972, 1984) ** ''Amazon Comics'' (1972) ** ''Dorman's Doggie'' (1979) * Kevin J. Taylor: ** ''Model by Day'' (1990)''Model by Day''
at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on April 16, 2012.
** ''The Girl'' (1991)


Further reading

* "Rip Off Press: The Publishing Company That's a Little Like the Weather," ''The Comics Journal'' # 92 (Aug. 1984), pp. 69-83 — interviews with Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Don Baumgart * Jackson, Jack. "Rip Off Press in the Golden Era," ''
Rip Off Comix ''Rip Off Comix'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by Rip Off Press. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to alternative comics. The anthology was originally a byproduct of th ...
'' #21 (Winter 1988), pp. 2-9: "Rip Off co-founder Jack Jackson tells it like it was, during the earliest years of grit and glory." * Todd, Fred. "The Real Story According to Fred Todd," ''Rip Off Comix'' #21 (Winter 1988), pp. 10-13: "ROP's illustrious president fleshes out Jack's tale with some anecdotes and photos, and takes the history of Rip Off Press up through our 1987 move to Auburn." * Crabb, R. L. "My Cosmic Connection with Rip Off Press," ''Rip Off Comix'' #21 (Winter 1988), pp. 14–16 — "Bob Crabb explains how mysterious forces brought him to our door." * "Rip Off Land," ''Rip Off Comix'' #21 (Winter 1988), pp. 17-29 — "Rip Off Press as seen by some of its artists, employees and others over the years."


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control Comic book publishing companies of the United States Underground comix Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in San Francisco Publishing companies established in 1969 1969 establishments in California