Big Rapids Distribution was a

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

-based

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 p ...

focusing on

underground newspaper 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 ...

s, radical literature, and

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, ...

. They were responsible for the unusually good coverage that underground comix and underground papers got in the Michigan area in the early 1970s, when they could be found in most full-service newsstands there. At its height, shortly before it went bankrupt in 1980, Big Rapids was functioning as an alternative independent distributor in the central and southern Michigan areas, selling a full line of magazines and paperbacks, as well as mainstream comics.

Services

Among the periodicals distributed by Big Rapids were 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 ...

'', ''

Fifth Estate The Fifth Estate is a socio-cultural reference to groupings of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society, and is most associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media or "social license". The ...

'', ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential cri ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', and ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

'', in addition to a plethora of underground comix.

History

Origins

Big Rapids was founded as a

-area

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-contro ...

circa 1970 as the Keep On Truckin' Coop. They eventually changed their name when they moved their headquarters to

Big Rapids, Michigan Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...

, but retained their

co-op 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 ...

structure. Jim Kennedy, Big Rapids' "first-among-equals," described the company as an "alternative Independent Distributor."

Rise to prominence

Big Rapids' entry into mainstream comics distribution came in early 1975, when Donahoe Brothers Inc. of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

went under and Big Rapids purchased its assets. (Up to that point, Big Rapids had bought its mainstream comics from Donohoe Brothers.) Moving their headquarters back to Detroit, Big Rapids was aggressive, often taking over the businesses of customers who ran up large debts (ironic, given that their delivery vehicles carried pictures of

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

on the inside doors). The 1978 lawsuit brought by East Coast distributor

Irjax Enterprises New Media Distribution/Irjax Enterprises was a comic book distributor and publisher active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1978, the company's legal actions against the dominant distributor of the era, Sea Gate Distributors, widened the fi ...

— against

Sea Gate Distributors Philip Nicholas Seuling (January 20, 1934 – August 21, 1984) was a comic book fan convention organizer and comics distributor primarily active in the 1970s. Seuling was the organizer of the annual New York Comic Art Convention, originally held ...

and all the major comics publishers — opened up the distribution market, enabling Big Rapids to expand even further.Gearino, Dan. ''Comic Shop: The Retail Mavericks Who Gave Us a New Geek Culture'' (Ohio University Press, 2017). At its height, Big Rapids was actually functioning as an alternative independent distributor in the Detroit and central and southern Michigan areas, selling a full line of magazines and paperbacks, as well as comics.

Acquisitions

Distributors acquired by Big Rapids: *

The Comic Distributor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

— run by Jim Friel. Big Rapids called in Friel's debt in 1979 and he became an employee for a year. (The name "The Comic Distributor" was later taken by Mark Hylton of Comic Carnival.) * Isis News (Minneapolis, Minnesota) *

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

(Los Angeles, California) *

Well News Co. A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

(Columbus, Ohio) — their personnel became the nucleus of an early

Capital City Distribution Capital City Distribution was a Madison, Wisconsin-based comic book distributor which operated from 1980 to 1996 when they were acquired by rival Diamond Comic Distributors. Under the name Capital Comics, they also published comics from 1981 to 198 ...

branch * Wisconsin Independent News Distributors (WIND) — run by

Milton Griepp Milton Griepp (born c. 1954) is an American businessman who has spent the bulk of his career involved with American comic books. He was the co-founder and CEO of Capital City Distribution, a distributor of comic books and related material, from ...

and John Davis, who later founded

"Who We Are: Milton Griepp," ICv2.com.
Accessed October 15, 2009.

Bankruptcy and dissolution

In 1980, despite being the largest of many distributors in the direct market, Big Rapids went bankrupt and their assets were liquidated. There was a scramble to fill the void; a couple of new companies that grew briefly from the wreckage lasted only briefly — Comic Kingdom (Bob Hellems' company in Detroit) and

Common Ground Distributors Robert Lee Beerbohm (born June 17, 1952) is an American comic book historian and retailer who has been intimately involved with the rise of comics fandom since 1966. Beginning as a teenager in the late 60s, he became a fixture in the growing comic ...

(

Robert Beerbohm Robert Lee Beerbohm (born June 17, 1952) is an American comic book historian and retailer who has been intimately involved with the rise of comics fandom since 1966. Beginning as a teenager in the late 60s, he became a fixture in the growing comic ...

's in the San Francisco Bay Area). Most of the pieces were picked up by the brand-new

or by New Media Distribution.

References

{{reflist

External links

Video slideshow of Big Rapids activities and employees
Comics industry Companies based in Detroit Privately held companies based in Michigan Wholesalers of the United States Business services companies established in 1970 Mass media companies disestablished in 1980 1970 establishments in Michigan 1980 disestablishments in Michigan Mass media companies established in 1970