Manuel Rodriguez (March 2, 1940 – November 28, 2012), better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, was 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 comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

who created the character

Trashman Trashman may refer to the following: *Trashman (character), a fictional character and eponymous comic book created by Spain Rodriguez * ''Trashman'' (video game), a 1984 video game for the ZX Spectrum *The Trashmen, a band from Minneapolis, Minneso ...

. His experiences on the road with the motorcycle club, the Road Vultures M.C., provided inspiration for his work, as did his

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...

. Strongly influenced by 1950s EC Comics illustrator Wally Wood, Spain pushed Wood's sharp, crisp black shadows and hard-edged black outlines into a more simplified, stylized direction. His work also extended the

eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

of Wood's female characters.

Biography

Early life

Manuel Rodriguez was born March 2, 1940, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. He picked up the nickname Spain as a child, when he heard some kids in the neighborhood bragging about their Irish ancestry, and he defiantly claimed Spain was just as good as Ireland. Rodriguez studied at the Silvermine Guild Art School in New Canaan, Connecticut alongside cartoonist M.K. Brown.

Career

In New York City, during the late 1960s, he became a contributor to the underground newspaper the '' East Village Other'', which published his own comics tabloid, ''Zodiac Mindwarp'' (1968). He covered the

1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus maki ...

in Chicago as a reporter for the ''East Village Other'', adventures which were chronicled in ''My True Story'' ( Fantagraphics Books, 1994). One of his earliest strips, "Manning," featured a hard-boiled, over-the-top cop and was later cited as an influence on the British comics character

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...

. A co-founder (with

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician 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 contem ...

) of the

United Cartoon Workers of America United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * United (2003 film), ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * United (2011 film) ...

, Spain contributed to numerous underground comics in the 1960s–2000s, including '' San Francisco Comic Book'', '' Young Lust'', '' Arcade'', '' Bijou Funnies'', ''

Weirdo Weirdo may refer to: * An eccentric * ''Weirdo'' (comics), an alternative comics anthology published by Last Gasp * "Weirdo" (song), a single by the Charlatans UK off their album ''Between 10th and 11th'' * ''Weirdos'' (film), a 2016 Canadian d ...

'', and Harvey Pekar's '' American Splendor''. Spain joined the ''

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

'' collective in issue #4 (August 1969), and contributed stories to every issue from then until the comic's demise in 2005. In such classics as Spain's ''Mean Bitch Thrills'' (Print Mint, 1971), Spain's women are raunchy, explicitly sexual, and sometimes incorporated macho sadomasochistic themes.

's first appearance was as a full-page serial in the ''East Village Other''.Rodriguez, Spain. ''Trashman Lives!'' (Fanatagraphics Books, 1997), p. iv. After moving from New York City to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1970, Spain's ''Subvert Comics'' series (1970–1976) featured "three full length ''Trashman: Agent of the Sixth International'' stories."''Trashman Lives'', pg. v. Trashman later appeared in such publications as '' High Times'', '' Heavy Metal'', ''

'', ''

'' magazine, ''Zap'' #11-13, and the Fantagraphics anthology '' Zero Zero'' #2. From 1976 to 1998, Spain contributed cover art to more than a dozen issues of the popular pornographic magazine '' Screw''. Spain drew ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ...

'''s continuing graphic story, ''The Dark Hotel'', which ran on the website in 1998–1999. His starkly forceful, naturalistic style perfectly matched

Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's eerie stories in '' Sherlock Holmes' Strangest Cases'' (Word Play Publications, 2001). Spain's later work included an illustrated biography of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, ''Che: A Graphic Biography'' ( Verso Books, 2008). Published in several different languages, it was described by cartoonist Art Spiegelman as "brilliant and radical." His history of the California farmworker movement, ''Farmworker Comix'' was published posthumously in 2014 by the California Federation of Teachers. Spain designed several posters for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a political satirist theatre company. Rodriguez taught art classes at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts for many years, and he supported the creation of murals in the Mission District.

Death

Rodriguez died at his home in San Francisco on November 28, 2012, after battling cancer for six years.Fagan, Kevin (November 28, 2012)
"Spain Rodriguez: Zap Comix artist dies"
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

''.

Awards

In July 2013, during the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

, Rodriguez was one of six inductees into the

Will Eisner Hall of Fame The following is a list of winners of the Eisner Award, sorted by category. The Eisner Awards have been presented since 1988, but there were no Eisner Awards in 1990 due to balloting mix-ups."Eisners Cancelled," ''The Comics Journal'' #137 (Sept. ...

. The award was presented posthumously by '' Mad'' magazine cartoonist and '' Groo the Wanderer'' creator Sergio Aragonés. The other inductees were Lee Falk, Al Jaffee, Mort Meskin, Joe Sinnott, and

Trina Robbins Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins bec ...

."Eisner Awards Current Info"
. Comic-Con International: San Diego. Retrieved September 11, 2013.

Exhibitions

* 1988 (June 27–August 10) Galería Esquina de la Libertad (San Francisco) — "Spain : a View from the Bottom: Posters, Comic Strips, Caricatures and More" * 2012 (September 14, 2012–January 13, 2013)

Burchfield Penney Art Center The Burchfield Penney Art Center, or just the Burchfield Penney, is an arts and educational institution part of Buffalo State College, located adjacent to the main campus in Buffalo, New York, United States. Dedicated to the art and vision of ...

at Buffalo State College (Buffalo, NY) — "Spain: Rock, Roll, Rumbles, Rebels & Revolution"

Bibliography

* ''Subvert Comics'' #1–2 (Rip Off Press, 1970–1972); #3 ( Saving Grace, 1976) * ''Mean Bitch Thrills'' ( Print Mint, Sept. 1971) * ''Food Price Blackmail: Who's Behind the High Cost of Eating'', text by Margaret Lobenstein & John Schommer. United Front Press, 1973. * ''Trashman Lives!: The Collected Stories from 1968 to 1985'' (Fantagraphics, 1989). * ''She: Anthology of Big Bitch'' (with Susie Bright). San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1993. * ''My True Story''. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 1994. * ''Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are'', text by Bob Frissell. Berkeley: Frog Ltd., 1994. * ''Alien Apocalypse 2006'' (with Kathy Glass and Harold S. Robbins). Berkeley: Frog Ltd., 2000. * ''Sherlock Holmes' Strangest Cases'' by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

. San Francisco: Word Play Publications, 2001. * '' Nightmare Alley'' by William Lindsay Gresham. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2003. * ''You Are a Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience'', text by Bob Frissell. Berkeley: Frog Ltd., 2003. * ''Che: A Graphic Biography'', edited by Paul Buhle. London/New York: Verso, 2008. * ''Devil Dog: the Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America'', text by David Talbot. Simon & Schuster, 2010. * ''Cruisin' with the Hound'' (Fantagraphics Books, 2012). * ''Farmworker Comix: a History of the Farm Labor Struggle in California'', text by Bill Morgan. (California Federation of Teachers, 2014). * ''Dies Irae: One Man Against the American Empire (A Graphic Story of 9/11)'', text by Wolcott Wheeler. Independently Published, 2003,2018.

References

Notes

Sources

* Ascher, Jon
"Sifting Through the Trash: Spain and Trashman,"
JonAscher.com (1998). * Hodler, Tim
"Spain Rodriguez: Tributes,"
''The Comics Journal'' (NOV 29, 2012). * Talbot, David
"Death of an American original: Cartoonist Spain Rodriguez subverted the youth of America,"
''Salon'' (DEC. 1, 2012). * Vallen, Mark

Art for a Change website (Dec. 5, 2012). * Viglietta, Sal
"Road Vultures and Rumbles,"
''Artvoice Weekly Edition''vol. 8, #42 (Oct. 14, 2009).