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''The Biologic Show'' is a
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
series written and drawn by
Al Columbia Al Columbia (born 1970) is an American artist known for his horror and black humor-themed alternative comics. His published works include the comic book series ''The Biologic Show'', the graphic novel/art book '' Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear ...
. The first issue, #0, was released in October 1994 by
Fantagraphics Books 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 ...
, and a second issue, #1, was released the following January. A third issue (#2) was announced in the pages of other Fantagraphics publications and solicited in '' Previews'' but was never published. " I Was Killing When Killing Wasn't Cool", a color short story with a markedly different art style originally intended for issue #2, appeared instead in the
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 ...
'' Zero Zero''. In a 2010 interview, Columbia recalled that the unfinished issue "looked so different that it just didn’t look right, it didn’t look consistent, and it didn’t feel right to keep putting out that same comic book, to try to tell a story where the style is mutating." The series' title is taken from a passage in the
William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...
book ''
Exterminator! ''Exterminator!'' is a short story collection written by William S. Burroughs and first published in 1973. Early editions label the book a novel. It is not to be confused with ''The Exterminator'', another collection of stories Burroughs publish ...
'' (in the story "Short Trip Home"). The passage in question is quoted briefly in a story from issue #0, itself also titled "The Biologic Show". Each issue of ''The Biologic Show'' contains several short stories and illustrated
poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
s. Many of the pieces deal with disturbing subject matter such as
mutilation Mutilation or maiming (from the ) is Bodily harm, severe damage to the body that has a subsequent harmful effect on an individual's quality of life. In the modern era, the term has an overwhelmingly negative connotation, referring to alteratio ...
,
incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...
, and the
occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...
. Issue #0 introduces three of Columbia's recurring characters: the hapless,
Koko the Clown Koko the Clown is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer. His first appearance as the main protagonist in ''Out of the Inkwell'' (1918–1929), a major animated series of the silent era. Throughout the series, he goes on many adven ...
-like Seymour Sunshine in the opening story "No Tomorrow If I Must Return", and the
sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...
duo Pim and Francie in "Tar Frogs". (Both "Tar Frogs" and the aforementioned "The Biologic Show" had originally appeared in the British comics magazine ''
Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...
'' but were partially redrawn for Columbia's solo book.) Issue #1 is dominated by the 16-page Pim and Francie story "''Peloria'': Part One", intended as the start of an ongoing serial. It includes another character, Knishkebibble the Monkey-Boy, who reappears in Columbia's later work. Upon the demise of ''The Biologic Show'' Fantagraphics announced that ''Peloria'' would be released as a stand-alone
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 ...
, but this plan was also abandoned.


Reception

Reaction to ''The Biologic Show'' upon its release was mixed. One of the few contemporaneous reviews of issue #0 in the comics press dismissed it as "an array of senselessness. Themes are inane or non-existent and none seem to progress any sense of story." However, the series was highly praised by other
alternative comics Alternative comics or independent comics cover a range of American comic book, American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alterna ...
creators including
Mike Allred Michael Dalton "Mike" Allred (born 1962) is an American Comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He is most well known for his Alternative comics, independent comics creation Madman (Mike Allred character), Madman and for co-creating and dra ...
and
Jim Woodring James William Woodring (born October 11, 1952) is an American cartoonist, fine artist, writer and toy designer. He is best known for the dream-based comics he published in his magazine '' Jim'', and as the creator of the anthropomorphic cartoo ...
, who wrote that " 's full of stuff you don't want to think about too much, but it's so much fun to look at that you can't help but linger. olumbiadoes tricks with time and revelations that are shockingly deft." A 1998 profile of Columbia 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 ...
'' called issue #0 "a big, visceral, and messy masterwork which shouted his arrival to the ranks of cartoonists-to-watch" and described issue #1 as "even better: focused and more cohesive, with a longer, more meaningful story begun for Columbia's best characters." Writing in 2002,
Kieron Gillen Kieron Michael Gillen (; born 30 September 1975) is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for his creator-owned series such as '' Once & Future'' (2019–2022), '' Die'' (2018–202 ...
characterized the series as "comics transgression in its purest form." In the years since its publication ''The Biologic Show'' has been noted for its influence on other cartoonists and artists.
Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (; born February 25, 1975) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio, with whom he has recorded five st ...
of
TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
has described the series as a specific inspiration for multiple songs and a general influence on his music's structure and pacing. Singer and comic book writer
Gerard Way Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the Rock music, rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, ''Hesitan ...
spoke about the series in a 2009 segment for the G4 web show ''Fresh Ink Online'', calling issue #0 "the most important comic to me in my collection" and singling out the story "Li'l Saint Anthony" for praise. He also told an interviewer that his own work changed dramatically after he was exposed to the series. In 2011
Frances Bean Cobain Frances Bean Cobain (born August 18, 1992) is an American visual artist and model. She is the only child of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. She controls the publicity rights to her father's name and image. Early ...
was photographed with a
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...
of Columbia's Seymour Sunshine character taken from issue #1.


Collected edition

In October of 2020, Italian comics publisher Hollow Press released a collected edition containing both issues of ''The Biologic Show'', pages from Columbia's 1994
minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...
''23 Skidoo'', and "Johnny 23", a 1992 short story originally published in the
horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...
anthology ''
Taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
''. They also published an
Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...
version.


Contents


Issue #0

* No Tomorrow If I Must Return Starring Seymour Sunshine * The Biologic Show '' isted as "Self-Titled Instructional Version" in the issue's table of contents' * Grinding Larry * Over * Extinction * The Low-Born Peacock * Li'l Saint Anthony * Bruja * Tar Frogs: A Pim and Francie Adventure


Issue #1

* Squiggly Things * Peloria: Part One (A Pim and Francie Adventure) * Seymour Sunshine Debris ** Slow Machine ** Castigian ** The Hellbound Bellydancer * Ersatz (A Family Name)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biologic Show, The Comics by Al Columbia Fantagraphics titles Horror comics Black comedy comics Body horror Unpublished comics