''Boiled Angel'' was an early 1990s independent

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 panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

created by

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

-based

underground comic 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, ...

book artist

Mike Diana Michael Christopher DianaShepherd, Chuck (August 1994). "Loony Toons: Florida puts the boot to a cartoonist". "The Playboy Forum". ''Playboy'' magazine. Pages 41-43 (born 1969) is an American underground cartoonist. His work, which is largely sel ...

. The comic contained graphic depictions of a variety of taboo and gory subject matters. It effectively became the first comic book in the United States to cause its creator to be convicted for artistic obscenity. In a 1990 review, Mike Gunderloy of ''

Factsheet Five ''Factsheet Five'' was a periodical mostly consisting of short reviews of privately produced printed matter along with contact details of the editors and publishers. In the 1980s and early 1990s, its comprehensive reviews (thousands in each issue ...

'' called ''Boiled Angel'' "a prime candidate for banning in the 90s." In 1993, a copy of ''Boiled Angel'' #8 (or "Ate") found its way into the hands of Florida Assistant State's Attorney Stuart Baggish. Diana was subsequently charged with several counts of

obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be u ...

and fought a long legal battle with the aid of the

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) is an American non-profit organization formed in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses. Charles Brownstein served as the organi ...

, which he eventually lost. He was sentenced to community service and three years of supervised

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences ( alternatives to incarceration), suc ...

. The comic was referenced in the

Venetian Snares Aaron Funk (born January 11, 1975), known as Venetian Snares, is a Canadian electronic musician based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is widely known for innovating and popularising the breakcore genre, and is one of the most recognisable artists to ...

song, ''Boiled Angel'', which sampled his drunk friend talking about the comic.

References

{{Reflist Censorship in the United States American comics 1990 comics debuts 1990 comics endings Censored comics Comics controversies Underground comix Erotic comics Humor comics Comics critical of religion Obscenity controversies in comics