Knockabout Comics is a UK publisher and distributor of underground and

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

books and comics. They have a long-standing relationship with underground comix pioneer

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 ...

History

The company was founded in 1975 by Tony and Carol Bennett as Hassle Free Press, a U.K. publisher of underground titles like

's ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Fat Freddy's Cat ''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 ...

'', as well as work by British creators such as

Hunt Emerson Hunt Emerson (born 1952) is an English cartoonist. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s. His many comic strips and graphic novels have ...

and

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequels '' Heart of Empire'' and '' The Legend of Luther Arkwright'', as well as the ''Gra ...

. Around 1978 or 1979 the company changed its name to Knockabout Comics. It has published works by

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist 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 contemporary American c ...

(''My Troubles With Women'', ''R. Crumb Draws the Blues'', ''R. Crumb's America''). In the 1980s 13 issues of the eponymous ''Knockabout'' anthology were produced. Graphic designer and cartoonist

Rian Hughes Rian Hughes is a People of the United Kingdom, British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist. Overviews Hughes has written and drawn comics for ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and ''Batman Black ...

was the company's chief designer from 1985 to 1992. Knockabout has frequently suffered from prosecutions from U.K. customs, who have seized work by creators such as Crumb and

Melinda Gebbie Melinda Gebbie (born 1947) is an American comics artist and writer, known for her participation in the underground comix movement. She is also known for creating the controversial work ''Fresca Zizis'' and her contributions to '' Wimmen's Com ...

, claiming it to be obsceneKnocking about with Tony Bennett
,

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

, September 13, 2006 or promoting drug use. The company currently has a diverse catalogue of titles and, with

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock with a small staff. Currently an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Sh ...

has co-published '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century'' and '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: The Tempest'', both by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

and Kevin O'Neill. (The previous installments were published by

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

, and

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) was a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's ...

, all of which are imprints of

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

.) Since the late 1990s, when

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 ...

essentially stopped publishing comics, Knockabout has become the main English-language publisher for Gilbert Shelton, including such titles as ''

'', '' Wonder Wart-Hog'', ''

'', and '' Not Quite Dead''.

Titles (selected)

Original titles

* ''A Guide to British Psilocybin Mushrooms'' by Richard Cooper (1979) * ''Knockabout Comics'' (13 issues, 1980–1988) * ''Knockabout Trial Special'' (1984) *''Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament'' (1987) – by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

Dave McKean David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an England, English artist. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpture. McKean has illustrated works by authors such as S. F. Said, S.F. Said, ...

, et al. * ''Hard to Swallow'' (1988) – John Dowie &

* ''Seven Deadly Sins'' (1989) – anthology featuring

Lew Stringer Lew Stringer (born 22 March 1959 in England) is a freelance comic artist and scriptwriter. Biography Stringer began his career from the late 1970s with a series of fanzines, many featuring his popular '' Brickman'' character; these were read by ...

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

, Davy Francis, et al. * ''Firkin'' (7 issues, 1989–1991) – by

and Tom Motley * '' Not Quite Dead'' (6 issues, 1993–2010) – by

and

Pic PIC or pic may refer to: Places * Penbay International Circuit, or PIC, a motor track circuit in Pingtung County, Taiwan * Pic River, in Ontario, Canada * Picayune (Amtrak station) (Amtrak station code PIC), Mississippi, United States * Pic, a ...

; originally co-published with

*'' A Disease of Language'' (2005) – adapted by

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist. He was the illustrator and publisher of '' From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), and the creator of the semi-autobiographical ''Alec'' stories collected in ''Alec: ...

, from

's "The Birth Caul" and "Snakes and Ladders" with interview from ''Egomania Magazine'', hardcover, 160 pages, * ''

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns 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 English. ''The ...

'' (2009–2012) – by

and Kevin O'Neill; co-published with

*''

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

'' (2016) – novel by

* '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: The Tempest'' (2018–2019) – by

and Kevin O'Neill; co-published with Top Shelf Productions

Reprints and collections

* ''

'' (9 issues, 1976–1992) * ''Fresca Zizis'' (1985) –

* ''Opium'' (1986) – Daniel Torres * ''

'' (7 issues, 1988) * ''My Troubles With Women'' (1990) – by

* ''

R. Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist 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 contemporary American c ...

Draws the Blues'' (1992) * ''

's America'' (1994) *''

From Hell ''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions. Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...

'' (2000) – by

and

, trade paperback *''Bolland Strips!'' (2005) – by

Brian Bolland Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' (Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ''2000 AD (comi ...

*''Yesterday's Tomorrows: Rian Hughes Collected Comics'' (2007) – by

, 256 pages, * '' The Bojeffries Saga'' (co-published with

, Feb. 2013)

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{Authority control Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies established in 1975 British comics British companies established in 1975