Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American

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 a key member of 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, ...

movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

Wonder Wart-Hog Wonder Wart-Hog (the "Hog of Steel") is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by American cartoonist Gilbert Shelton and first published in 1962. Over the years, Shelton has worked on the strip in collaboration ...

''.

Biography

Early life and education

Shelton was born in Dallas, Texas, on May 31, 1940. His father, George Shelton, worked for Firestone, which moved the family around the southeast during the 1940s. They settled in Houston, Texas, where he graduated from Lamar High School. He attended

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, and 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 ...

, where he received his bachelor's degree in the social sciences in 1961. His early cartoons were published in the University of Texas humor magazine '' The Texas Ranger''.

Early career

Directly after graduation, Shelton moved to New York City and got a job editing automotive magazines, where he would sneak his drawings into print. Early work of his was published in

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

's ''

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...

'' The idea for the character of ''Wonder Wart-Hog'', a porcine parody of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, came to him in 1961. The following year, Shelton moved back to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to enroll in graduate school and get a student deferment from the

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

. The first two ''Wonder Wart-Hog'' stories appeared in ''Bacchanal'', a short-lived college humor magazine, in the spring of 1962. That same year, he 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)

Frank Stack Frank Huntington Stack (born October 31, 1937, in Houston, Texas) is an American underground comix, underground cartoonist and fine artist. Working under the name Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid persecution for his work while living in the Bible Belt ...

's ''The Adventures of Jesus'', one of the first underground comix; Stack wrote and drew the comic strip under the name Foolbert Sturgeon. Shelton then became editor of '' The Texas Ranger''Shelton entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''
Accessed November 5, 2016. and published more ''Wonder Wart-Hog'' stories. After switching from graduate school to art school (where he befriended singer

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

) for two years, he was finally drafted, but Army doctors declared him medically unfit after he admitted to taking

psychedelic drug Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...

s. After this, in 1964 and 1965, he spent some time in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, where his girlfriend Pat Brown (another UT alum)Holland, Richard A. ''The Texas Book: Profiles, History, and Reminiscences of the University'' (University of Texas Press, 2006), pp. 223–299. was studying at the

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at f ...

. He applied for a job at the Cleveland-based American Greeting Card Company (where a fellow

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, ...

artist

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 ...

had worked) but was turned down. The period of 1965–1968 was an itinerant one for Shelton: he moved to New York to work for the

underground paper 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 rece ...

East Village Other ''The East Village Other'' (often abbreviated as ''EVO'') was an American underground press, underground newspaper in New York City, issued biweekly during the 1960s. It was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a New York newspaper so counterc ...

'', and to Los Angeles to work for the ''

Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher un ...

''. Then Shelton became art director for the Vulcan Gas Company, a rock

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, where he worked with Jim Franklin. He created a number of posters in the style of contemporary California poster artists such as

Victor Moscoso Victor Moscoso (born July 28, 1936) is a Spanish–American artist best known for producing psychedelic rock posters, advertisements, and underground comix in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the first of the rock poster artists of ...

and

Rick Griffin Richard Alden "Rick" Griffin (June 18, 1944 – August 18, 1991) was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. He was a key figure in the underground comix movement as a fouding member of the ' ...

. After a year of this, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1968, hopeful that being closer to the action would enable him to do more poster work. That same year, Millar Publishing Company, who had been publishing regular Wonder Wart-Hog stories since 1966, published two issues of ''Wonder Wart-Hog''. 140,000 copies of each were printed, but distributors did not pick up the magazine, and only 40,000 of each were sold.

Underground comix star

Also in 1968 Shelton

self-published Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...

'' Feds 'n' Heads'', a collection of strips first published in the Austin underground paper ''

The Rag ''The Rag'' was an underground press, underground newspaper published in Austin, Texas from 1966–1977. The weekly paper covered political and cultural topics that the conventional press ignored, such as the growing antiwar movement, the sexu ...

''. The comic featured Wonder Wart-Hog and what became his most famous strip, ''

''. The first edition of ''Feds 'N' Heads'' was hand-collated, folded, and stapled by Shelton in his garage, with an initial print run of 5,000 copies; it proved so popular that it was later re-issued multiple times by the San Francisco-based publisher the

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 ...

,Estren, Mark. ''A History of Underground Comics: 20th Anniversary Edition'' (Ronin Publishing, 2012), p. 54. selling over 200,000 total copies by 1980.Fox, M. Steven
"Feds 'n' Heads,"
ComixJoint. Accessed Nov. 3, 2016. In 1969, Shelton co-founded

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 ...

with three fellow "expatriate" Texans: Fred Todd, Dave Moriaty, and

Jack Jackson. Rip Off Comix published 13 issues of ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' comic from 1971 to 1997, with many issues undergoing multiple printings. Shelton created a spin-off strip, ''

'', in 1969. During this period, Shelton was also a regular contributor to ''

Zap Comix ''Zap Comix'' is an underground comix series which was originally part of the Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the late 1960s. While a few small-circulation self-published satirical comic books had been printed prior to this, ''Zap' ...

'' and other underground titles, including ''

Bijou Funnies ''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Ro ...

'', '' Yellow Dog'', ''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

Anarchy Comics ''Anarchy Comics'' is a series of underground comic books published by Last Gasp (publisher), Last Gasp between 1978 and 1987, as part of the underground comix subculture of the era. Edited by Jay Kinney (#1-3) and Paul Mavrides (#4), regular con ...

''. Along with

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 ...

, S. Clay Wilson,

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Architecture * Train %26 Williams#Robert Edmund Williams, Robert Edmund Williams (1874–1960), Canadian-American architect * Robert Williams (architect) (1848–1918), Welsh architect a ...

, "Spain" Rodriguez, and two artists with reputations as

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

designers,

and

, Shelton became part of the "''Zap'' collective," which remained mostly constant throughout the nearly 50-year history of ''Zap.'' In the 1970s, Shelton managed the Rip Off Press Syndicate, which sold weekly content, including Shelton's own strips, 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 ...

s and

student publication A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

s. Much of the material produced for the syndicate was eventually published in the company's long-running

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

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. Shelton designed the cover art for the 1973 album ''

Doug Sahm and Band ''Doug Sahm and Band'' is the debut solo album of American singer-songwriter Doug Sahm. In 1972, after leaving the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sahm moved to Austin, Texas. He was signed by Jerry Wexler to the newly opened country music division of Atlan ...

'', as well as

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psyc ...

's 1978 album, ''

Shakedown Street ''Shakedown Street'' is the tenth studio album (fifteenth overall) by rock band the Grateful Dead, released November 8, 1978, on Arista Records. The album came just over a year after previous studio album '' Terrapin Station''. It was the fina ...

''. He also illustrated the cover of the early classic

computer magazine Computer magazines are about computers and related subjects, such as networking and the Internet. Most computer magazines offer (or offered) advice, some offer programming tutorials, reviews of the latest technologies, and advertisements. ...

compilation ''The Best of

Creative Computing ''Creative Computing'' was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from October 1974 until December 1985, the magazine covered the spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format t ...

Volume 2'' in 1977. In 1979,

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

paid Shelton and Rip Off Press $250,000 for the rights to make a live-action ''Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' film.Fox, M. Steven
"Rip Off Comix — 1977-1991 / Rip Off Press,"
Comixjoint. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2022. Shelton used his share (which was the bulk of the money) to finance repeated trips to Europe, and to eventually settle down in France. Meanwhile, the Universal-produced ''Freak Brothers'' film never made it to production.

Later work

Shelton's '' Not Quite Dead'', done in collaboration with French cartoonist

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 ...

, appeared in ''

'' #25 (Winter 1989) and in six ''Not Quite Dead'' comic books (1993–1996). A new Wonder Wart-Hog story appeared in ''

'' #15 (

Last Gasp (The) Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) Last Gasp is a San Francisco–based book publisher with a lowbrow art and counterculture focus. Owned and operated by Ron Turner, for most of its existence Last Gasp was a publisher, dis ...

, 2005), as well as ''The Complete Zap'' boxed set (

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 ...

, 2014) which contained ''Zap'' #16; and a new ''Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' story appeared in ''Zap'' #16 as well. ''Fifty Freakin' Years with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' was published in 2017 by

Knockabout Comics Knockabout Comics is a UK publisher and distributor of underground and alternative books and comics. They have a long-standing relationship with underground comix pioneer Gilbert Shelton. History The company was founded in 1975 by Tony and Car ...

. It contains new strips by Shelton, as well as his written introduction.

Music

In 1966 Shelton formed the Gilbert Shelton Ensemble and released a

45 record In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...

on ESP Records, "If I Was A Hells Angel," b/w "Southern Stock Car Man," backed by members of the

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

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 ...

band The Conqueroo, consisting of Tom Bright, Bob Brown and Ed Guinn. Since moving to France, Shelton has become part of a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

group, the Blum Brothers, featuring Shelton on vocals and piano. The band features fellow cartoonist musician

Bruno Blum Bruno Blum (born October 4, 1960, Vichy, France) is a French singer songwriter, guitar player, music producer and musicologist sometimes nicknamed "Doc Reggae". He is mostly known for his work in the reggae, Caribbean music, rock music and Afric ...

on vocals and guitar. A Blum-produced album was recorded but not released. The Blum Brothers played at the Jockomo, a New Orleans-style bar in the

11th arrondissement of Paris The 11th arrondissement of Paris (''XIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as ''le onzième'' (; "the eleventh"). The ar ...

Personal life

Shelton and his wife,

literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...

Lora Fountain, left San Francisco in 1979. They were residents of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, (

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain) in 1980–1981, and moved to France in 1984.

In popular culture

Film and TV

There have been several attempts to film Shelton's Freak Brothers characters and over the years several

film rights Film rights are rights under copyright law to produce a film as a derivative work of a given item of intellectual property. In US law, these rights belong to the holder of the copyright, who may sell (or " option") them to someone in the film indus ...

options have been taken on his work. None went to production. In 1978, the unauthorized

pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...

'' Up in Flames'' was released, which "ripped off the Freak Brothers [and

's] Mr. Natural (comics), Mr. Natural all in one go." It was reported that Universal's acquisition of the Freak Brothers film rights in 1979 was in order to prevent competition against the

Cheech & Chong Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo founded in Vancouver and consisting of American Cheech Marin and Canadian Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and fea ...

franchise. Although a script was written, the film was never made. At one point, the Freak Brothers' antics were reportedly being turned into a

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

after a

stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...

animated film, titled ''

Grass Roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

'' and produced by Celluloid Dreams, fell through.. Finally, in 2021, an animated series called ''Freak Brothers'' featuring the voices of

Pete Davidson Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He began his career in the early 2010s with minor guest roles on ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', ''Friends of the People'', ''Guy Code'', and ''Wild 'n O ...

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...

and

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

, premiered on the

streaming service Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

. It was renewed for a second season, which began in June 2023.

Music

"Set My Chickens Free"

Shelton's strip "Set My Chickens Free," published in issue #1 of the ''

'' comic (1968) has been used in multiple music projects: * In 1969, the words were set to music by The

Hub City Movers The Hub City Movers was an eclectic American band, formed in Austin, Texas in September 1969. The original members were Jerry Barnett, Stuart Ervin, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Stan Poytres, Charlie Sauer, and Ed Vizard. Ervin left late in 1969. Poytres w ...

and recorded as "The Chicken Song"; re-released in 1983 as "Set Your Chickens Free". * In

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor, director, and producer, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage. He was widely known ...

's 1975 album ''Grasshopper'' (and 1976 single "Cosmic Joke"), he uses the words in "Chicken Song." * In 1994,

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

used the words in his song "Set My Chickens Free," released on his studio album ''

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

''.

Literature

Shelton's "Set My Chickens Free" cartoon was also published on page 128 of

Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponent of the ...

's ''

Steal This Book ''Steal This Book'' is a book written by Abbie Hoffman. Written in 1970 and published the following year, it exemplifies the counterculture of the 1960s. The book sold more than a quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971. The n ...

'' (1971), illustrating its third section, ''"Liberate!"''

Bibliography

Wonder Wart-Hog

* ''Wonder Wart-Hog'' (2 issues, Millar Publishing Company, 1967) * ''(Not Only) The Best of Wonder Wart-Hog'' (3 issues, Rip Off Press and the Print Mint, 1973) — issues #1-2 published by Rip Off Press, #3 by the Print Mint * ''Wonder Wart-Hog, Hog of Steel'' (3 issues, Rip Off Press, 1995) * ''Wonder Wart-Hog and The Battle of the Titans'' (Rip Off Press, 1985) * ''Underground Classics'' #5 (Rip Off Press, 1987) —titled "Wonder Wart-Hog Vol. 1" * ''Wonder Wart-Hog and the Nurds of November'' (Rip Off Press, 1988) * ''The Best of Wonder Wart-Hog'' (Knockabout Comix, 2013)

''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers''

* ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' (13 issues, Rip Off Press, 1971–1997) — with Dave Sheridan (1974–1982) and Paul Mavrides (1978–1997) * ''Thoroughly Ripped with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy's Cat!'' (Rip Off Press, 1978) . There are 2 editions, one with a

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

, one without * ''Underground Classics'' #1 (Rip Off Press, 1985) — titled "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #0" *''The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', Volume One (Knockabout Comics, 2001) — reprints ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' #0–7 and 12 *''The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', Volume Two (Knockabout Comics, 2003) — reprints ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' #8-11 and 13 * ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus'' (Knockabout Comics, 2008) * ''Fifty Freakin' Years with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' (Knockabout Comics, 2017)

Fat Freddy's Cat

*''The Collected Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat and his Friends'' (Gilbert Shelton, 1975) *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat'' (

, 1977) — reprints the four small ''Adventures of ...'' comix except for 4 strips from #2 and 1 strip from #3 *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 1'' (

, 1977) *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 2'' (Rip Off Press, 1977) *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 3'' (Rip Off Press, 1977) *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 4'' (Rip Off Press, 1980) — titled "The Burning of Hollywood" *''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 5'' (Rip Off Press, 1980) *''More Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat'' (Rip Off Press, 1981) — reprints 91 one-page strips *''Fat Freddy's Comics & Stories'' (2 issues, Rip Off Press, 1983–1985) *''The Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus'' (Knockabout Comics, 2009) — reprints ''The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat'' #1-7, ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' #1-6

Other titles

* '' Feds 'N' Heads'' (self-published, 1968) — re-issued in multiple printings by the

* ''Give Me Liberty: A Revised History of the American Revolution'' 1976 * ''Underground Classics'' #12: "Gilbert Shelton in 3D" (Rip Off Press, 1990) * ''Philbert Desanex' Dreams'' (Rip Off Press, 1993) * ''Not Quite Dead'' (6 issues, Rip Off Press, 1993–1996; Knockabout Comics, 2005–2010) — with

References

External links

*
"Me and Gilbert Shelton: A Memoir," by Ramsey Wiggins, ''The Rag Blog''
March 8, 2010.
The Hog of Steel, a complete bibliography of Wonder Wart-Hog

UT Texas Ranger Magazine archive

Best of Creative Computing, Volume 2 cover art

Interviews

*
"Cartoonist and Underground Comix Artist Gilbert Shelton" on Rag Radio
interviewed by

Thorne Dreyer Thorne Webb Dreyer (born August 1, 1945) is an American writer, editor, publisher, and political activist who played a major role in the 1960s-1970s Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture, New Left, and underground press movements. Dreyer no ...

, March 9, 2010.
Video Interview with Gilbert Shelton on oc-tv.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Gilbert 1940 births American comic strip cartoonists American comics artists American comics writers American humorists American satirists American satirical comics writers American satirical comics artists American expatriates in France Artists from Austin, Texas Artists from the San Francisco Bay Area The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Living people American poster artists Psychedelic artists Texas A&M University alumni Underground cartoonists University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni Artists from Houston Artists from Dallas