Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937, in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

) is an American underground

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...

, Stack published what is considered by many to be the first underground comic, ''The Adventures of Jesus'', in 1964. Stack's main artistic influences were

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...

Roy Crane Royston Campbell Crane (November 22, 1901 – July 7, 1977), who signed his work Roy Crane, was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip characters Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy and Buz Sawyer. He pioneered the adventure comic strip, estab ...

, and V. T. Hamlin."Special Collections and Rare Books: Frank Stack Collection,"
University of Missouri Libraries. Accessed Dec. 29, 2016. He is widely known as a

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...

, specializing in etchings and

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

, and his sketchy comics style evokes Stack's background as an etcher. (His technique of creating etchings on-site was featured in '' American Artist'' magazine.) His oil paintings and watercolors mostly feature landscape and figure compositions. He lives in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

, where he was a longtime professor at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

Education and teaching career

Stack graduated from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

with a BFA in 1959. He received his M.A. at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

, and also studied at the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

and the

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière () is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the A ...

of Paris. He was a long-time professor of art at the

, where he taught from 1963 to 2001, and is now a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

. In addition, he did teaching stints at Appalachian State and

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

Comics

While at the University of Texas, Stack joined the staff of '' The Texas Ranger'' student humor magazine in 1957,Holland, Richard A. ''The Texas Book: Profiles, History, and Reminiscences of the University'' (University of Texas Press, 2006), pp. 223–299. and was editor of the magazine in 1958–1959. As editor, Stack aspired for the ''Ranger'' to emulate the humor exemplified by ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' and '' Punch''. He published comic strips by fellow UT student

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 ...

, later known for Wonder Wart-Hog and ''

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an underground comic about a fictional trio of stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an underground newspaper published in ...

''. Soon after graduating from UT, Stack entered the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, stationed at

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

, New York, in 1961–1962. Although he had already graduated in 1959, starting in 1962, (using the pen-name Foolbert Sturgeon) he published ''The Adventures of Jesus'' in ''The Texas Ranger'' (as well as early counterculture publications like ''The Austin Iconoclastic'' and ''The Charlatan''). In 1964, then ''Texas Ranger'' editor Gilbert Shelton collected about a dozen of the ''Jesus'' strips, designed a cover, and made 50 photocopies of the collection, giving them to associates around the UT campus. Stack's most prolific period as a cartoonist was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During this period,

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and '' Rip Off Comix'', as well as many other seminal publications from ...

(co-founded by Shelton and fellow UT cartoonist Jaxon) published three issues of Stack's ''Jesus Comics,'' as well as such solo titles as ''Feelgood Funnies'' and ''Amazon Comics''. In 1972 Stack contributed to ''

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 ...

'' with "Jesus Goes To The Faculty Party." In addition to publishing several articles in ''

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 ...

'', Stack contributed comics to such anthologies as '' Zero Zero'', '' Blab!'', '' Snarf'', '' Rip Off Comix'', and '' Weirdo''. His strips ''The Case of Dr. Feelgood'' and ''Dorman's Doggie'' were syndicated by 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 ...

in 1976–1978. From 1986 to 2001, Stack was a regular contributor to

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired ...

's ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interv ...

''. He also illustrated the acclaimed nonfiction graphic novel '' Our Cancer Year'', written by Pekar and his wife Joyce Brabner, which won the 1995

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 a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for best original

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

Personal life

Stack met his future wife Robbie Powell at the University of Texas, where they were both staffers on ''The Texas Ranger''. Stack and Powell were married from 1959 until her death in 1998.

Exhibitions

* 2012 – 2013:

State Historical Society of Missouri The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Estab ...

(

, Columbia, Missouri) — "Frank Stack at 75"

Comics and books

*''The Adventures of Jesus'' (published in

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

form by

, 1964) * ''Jesus Comics'' (

, 1969–1972) ** #1: ''The New Adventures of Jesus'' (1969) ** #2: ''Jesus Meets the Armed Services'' (1970) ** #3: ''Jesus Joins the Academic Community'' (1972) *''Feelgood Funnies'' (2 issues, Rip Off Press, 1972, 1984) *''Amazon Comics'' (Rip Off Press, 1972) *''Dorman's Doggie'' (Rip Off Press, 1979) *'' Our Cancer Year'' (

Four Walls Eight Windows Four Walls Eight Windows was an American independent book publisher in New York City. Known as 4W8W or Four Walls, the company was notable for its dual commitment to progressive politics and adventurous, edgy literary fiction. History Four W ...

, 1994) — written by

and Joyce Brabner *''Naked Glory: the Erotic Art of Frank Stack'' (

Eros Comix Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed several awards for ...

, 1998) *''The New Adventures of Jesus: The Second Coming'' (

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...

, 2007)

Filmography

* 2010 - A Horrible Way to Die - Elderly Man * 2012 -

V/H/S ''V/H/S'' is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting, and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of six fou ...

- Old Man (segment "Tape 56")

Notes

External links

*
Stack bio
at Lambiek's Comiclopedia
Frank Stack Collection
at the University of Missouri Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, Frank American comics writers Underground cartoonists American comics artists American satirical comics writers American satirical comics artists American humorists American magazine editors 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters Virginia Tech faculty University of Missouri faculty 1937 births Living people Pseudonymous comics artists University of Texas at Austin alumni Artists from Houston Artists from Columbia, Missouri University of Wyoming alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière Appalachian State University faculty