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 ...
–based
book publisher
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
counterculture
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
focus. Owned and operated by Ron Turner, for most of its existence Last Gasp was a publisher,
distributor
A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time.
Design
...
, and wholesaler of
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, ...
and books of all types.
Last Gasp was established in 1970. Although the company came onto the scene a bit later than some of the other underground publishers, Last Gasp continued publishing comics far longer than most of its competitors. In addition to publishing notable original titles like '' Slow Death'', ''
Wimmen's Comix
''Wimmen's Comix'', later retitled (respelled) as ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused m ...
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 '' Young Lust''—from rivals who had gone out of business.
Although Last Gasp no longer publishes "floppy" comics; the company continues to publish art and photography books,
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 ...
s, fiction, and poetry, producing 10–15 new titles per year.
History
Last Gasp Eco Funnies was founded in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
, in 1970 by
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...
graduate studentNelson, Gayle "The Origins of Last Gasp," Last Gasp website (Jan. 1999). Accessed December 14, 2013. Ronald E. Turner,Indicia ''Slow Death'' #8 (1977). with the help of
Gary Arlington
Gary Edson Arlington (October 7, 1938 – January 16, 2014) was an American retailer, artist, editor, and publisher, who became a key figure in the underground comix movement of the 1960s and 1970s.Yardley, William"Gary Arlington, a Force in Unde ...
, to publish the ecologically-themed comics title '' Slow Death Funnies'' (in conjunction with the first
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...
). Last Gasp followed ''Slow Death Funnies'' with the all-female anthology ''It Ain't Me, Babe'', spearheaded by
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins ( Perlson; August 17, 1938 – April 10, 2024) was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic '' I ...
Air Pirates
The Air Pirates were a group of cartoonists who created two issues of an underground comic called ''Air Pirates Funnies'' in 1971, leading to a famous lawsuit by Walt Disney Productions. Founded by Dan O'Neill, the group also included Bobby Lon ...
-related titles, including ''The Tortoise and the Hare'', ''Dopin' Dan'' #1–3, and ''Merton of the Movement''. (Turner insists that he only served as an advisor to the Air Pirates collective, despite them crediting his company as "publisher.") Considered to be an "enabler" of the Air Pirates infamous
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
parodies, Turner's name was added to Disney's lawsuit against the collective. Turner quickly settled with Disney, but Air Pirates
Dan O'Neill
Dan O'Neill (born April 21, 1942) is an American underground cartoonist, creator of the syndicated comic strip ''Odd Bodkins'' and founder of the underground comics collective the Air Pirates.
Education
O'Neill attended the University of S ...
,
Bobby London
Robert London (born June 29, 1950) is an American underground comix and mainstream comics artist. His style evokes the work of early American cartoonists such as George Herriman, Cliff Sterrett and Elzie Crisler Segar.
Biography
As a child, Lond ...
, and Ted Richards continued fighting, in a case that dragged on for years.
The company's success with ''Slow Death'' and ''It Ain't Me, Babe'' enabled Last Gasp to expand into distribution, in addition to publishing. The company soon became a major part 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. Sociopolitical themes were explored in Last Gasp series such as
Guy Colwell
Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...
's ''Inner City Romance'' (1972–1979), which portrayed gritty urban tales; ''
Armageddon
Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
'' (1973), which focused on
anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism (colloquially: ancap or an-cap) is a political philosophy and economic theory that advocates for the abolition of centralized states in favor of stateless societies, where systems of private property are enforced by pri ...
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 ...
'' (1978), which focused on
left-wing politics
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
. In addition to publishing ''
Wimmen's Comix
''Wimmen's Comix'', later retitled (respelled) as ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused m ...
'' for much of its run, Last Gasp published a number of other comix with feminist themes, including ''
It Ain't Me, Babe
"It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album '' Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the al ...
Harold Hedd
Randolph Holton Holmes (February 22, 1942 – March 15, 2002) was a Canadian artist and illustrator probably best known for his work in underground comix. His work was of a higher level of quality than was seen elsewhere in the field, and is cons ...
''. In 1977, the company picked up Joyce Farmer and Lyn Chevely's '' Tits & Clits Comix'', publishing that series until 1987. Last Gasp published the final three issues of ''
San Francisco Comic Book
''San Francisco Comic Book'' was an underground comix anthology published between 1970 and 1983. Conceived of and edited by Gary Arlington, the anthology highlighted the work of many of San Francisco's top underground talents, including Bill Grif ...
'' in 1980–1983, and the latter half of ''
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' ...
run from 1982 to 2005.
Last Gasp also published '' Weirdo'' from 1981 to 1993, and ''
Cherry Poptart
''Cherry'' (originally ''Cherry Poptart'') is an erotic comic book about a sexually adventurous 18-year-old woman and her friends, written and drawn by Larry Welz.
Creation
Welz created Cherry Poptart, first appearing in underground comic ' ...
'' from 1982 to 1992.
In the early 1980s Last Gasp published some of the first books about the West Coast
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
scene, including a number of titles by Peter Belsito.
Last Gasp moved its headquarters from Berkeley to San Francisco in c. 1975. Starting in 1975, Ron Turner began hosting the annual "Burritos, Beer & Cheer" holiday party at the Last Gasp offices, which was also a fundraiser for the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality, a free soup kitchen located in San Francisco. Last Gasp hosted "Burritos, Beer & Cheer" for more than 30 years.
In the period 2004–2010, Last Gasp published English-language compilations of popular
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms
is a one-volume manga written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. The two connected stories were first published in Japan by Futabasha in ''Weekly Manga Action'' in 2003 and 2004, then collected in a single ''tankōbon'' volume in 2004. The ...
'';
Junko Mizuno
is a Japanese manga artist. Her drawing style is often termed as ''Gothic kawaii'' or ''kawaii noir'' style.
Art style
Mizuno's drawing style, which mixes childish sweetness and cuteness with terror and erotica, has often been termed a ''Goth ...
Barefoot Gen
is a Japanese historical manga series by Keiji Nakazawa, loosely based on Nakazawa's experiences as a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The series begins in 1945 in and around Hiroshima, Japan, where six-year-old Gen Nakaok ...
''.
In early December 2016, Last Gasp announced it was ending its comics distribution business to focus solely on book publishing. (As one of the last independent distributors, they handled comics distribution from more than 100 small comics publishers.) As a consequence, the company planned to lay off the bulk of its dozen employees by February 2017.Aoki, Deb "Comics Publisher Last Gasp Shuts Down its Distribution Operation," ''Publishers Weekly'' (December 7, 2016).
Creators associated with Last Gasp
Notable artists published by Last Gasp include
Tim Biskup
Tim Biskup (born 1967), is an American visual artist and designer. He is known for illustration, painting, sculpture, and product design.
Early life and education
Tim Biskup was born on September 21, 1967, in Santa Monica, California. He reali ...
,
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 ...
,
Richard Corben
Richard Corben (November 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film a ...
Camille Rose Garcia
Camille Rose Garcia (born 1970) is a California-based lowbrow (art movement), lowbrow/pop surrealism artist. She paints in a goth subculture cartoon style. She says her influences are Walt Disney and Philip K. Dick.
Early life and education
Gar ...
Bill Griffith
William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited t ...
, John Howard,
Greg Irons
Greg Irons (September 29, 1947 – November 14, 1984) was an American poster artist, underground cartoonist, animator and tattoo artist.
Biography
Irons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to San Francisco, California, in 1967, ...
, Shawna Kenney,
Spain Rodriguez
Manuel Rodriguez (March 2, 1940 – November 28, 2012), better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, was an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman.
Influences
His experiences on the road with the motorcycle club, the ...
,
Mark Ryden
Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or pop surrealist) art movement. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop surrealism" by ''Interview'' magazine.Dori Seda,
Larry Welz
Lawrence Edward Welz (born November 21, 1948) is an American cartoonist who created Cherry Poptart (now known simply as Cherry). He was an early contributor to the underground comix movement in the San Francisco area during the late 1960s and ea ...
,
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 ...
,
Jay Howell
Jay Canfield Howell (born November 26, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1980), Chicago Cubs (1981), New York Yankees (1982–1984), Oakland Athletics (1985–1987), Los Angeles Dodgers (19 ...
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms
is a one-volume manga written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. The two connected stories were first published in Japan by Futabasha in ''Weekly Manga Action'' in 2003 and 2004, then collected in a single ''tankōbon'' volume in 2004. The ...
Barefoot Gen
is a Japanese historical manga series by Keiji Nakazawa, loosely based on Nakazawa's experiences as a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The series begins in 1945 in and around Hiroshima, Japan, where six-year-old Gen Nakaok ...
'' (10 issues, 2004–2010)
Books
* Belsito, Peter, Bob Davis, and Marian Kester. '' StreetArt: The Punk Poster in San Francisco 1977-1981'' (1981)
* Belsito, Peter and Bob Davis. ''Hardcore California: A History of Punk and New Wave'' (1983)
* Belsito, Peter. ''Notes From the Pop Underground'' (1985)
* Blank, Joani (ed.) ''
Femalia
''Femalia'' is a book of 32 full-color photographs of human vulvas, edited by Joani Blank and first published by Down There Press in 1993. A reprint edition was published by Last Gasp in 2011. The photographs were taken by Tee Corinne, Mich ...
'' (2nd ed., 2011)
*
Cometbus
Aaron Elliott (born May 20, 1968), better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, author, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the punk zine ''Cometbus''.
Career
Born in Berkeley, California, Cometbus ...
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...
: The Unauthorized Version'' (1983)
* LeRoy, J. T. with illustrations by Cherry Hood. '' Labour'' (2006)
* Perry, Michael with illustrations by Doug Cunningham. '' Turntable Timmy'' (paperback re-issue, 2015)
* Schorr, Todd. '' American Surreal'' (2008)
See also
*
List of book distributors
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, bu ...