Five Highlights From The Comics Journal #51

 

The first of many full-color back cover ads

THE COMICS JOURNAL #51 (November 1979)

1. NEWSWATCH: Undergrounds by Bruce Sweeney (Clay Geerdes uncredited)

There's a ton of mini-comics listed this month. Much thanks to Poopsheet Foundation for having cover reproductions of most of these rare comics (all images from PF, unless where indicated)

mycomicshop

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comixjoint

comicbookrealm

eBay

2. MARILYN BETHKE WATCH:  Criticism vs. Analysis and An Interview With Howard Chaykin

Marilyn Bethke (along with ten other Journal critics) responds to Paul Levitz's essay from the previous issue. Bethke's response starts thusly:

 "Paul Levitz has certainly made some valid points in his article. The kind of analysis within a historical frame of reference he refers to is clearly lacking in fan writing and would provide 'fans' and 'pros' with a thorough, working knowledge and background in comics art. Very little has been done in this area, and as a fairly young medium, comics could only benefit from scrupulous and scholarly commentary. But, and this is the important question, is it criticism? I think not."

 

Marilyn Bethke conducts one of the most awkward interviews in Journal history, with a pissed off Gary Groth conducting a follow-up interview.

3. WILDMAN & RUBBEROY vs. SPEED ALIEN by Grass Green (Eddie Eddings inks) 7 pages

4. UNDERGROUND COMIX: Sympathy for the Groundlevel by Bill Sherman

 "Groundlevel" is an outdated term from the late 70s, coined before the term "independent" comics became more prevalent in the 80s. It refers to the, then either nascent or nebulous, genre comics mixed with the creator-owned ethos of the undergrounds. Think Byron Preiss, Heavy Metal, Cerebus, or Eclipse at this time. 

Sherman examines one forgotten, Hot Stuf', and one well-known, Star*Reach, example of this term. I liked this bit of obscure history from the end of Sherman's column pointing to what may have happened to a lot of these Groundlevel titles.

Leave it to the Hercules Petix YouTube channel to show us inside Hot Stuf' 5-8:

5. SUSPENDED ANIMATION: The New Japanese Invasion by Jim Korkis

This is a sequel, of sorts, to "Suspended Animation: Metamorphoses: The Greeks Must Have Had a Word for It" from TCJ #42. Korkis gives an update on Metamorphoses and talks more about Japanese animation ied to the United States during the 60s and 70s. It was fascinating to learn more about Osamu Tezuka's history in animation, in particular. Korkis recounts Tezuka's visit to Los Angeles, and meeting an important anime proponent whose name comics fans may recall: Fred Patten.

Weekly Weird Trigger Warnings 5

Copacetic Comics Gift Guide:

We've been lurking the Pittsburgh-based Copacetic Comics site for years now, not quite making an order yet. They have a great 2025 Holiday Gift Guide this year with over 50 hand-picked books, some low stock and some on sale. The WWIII Illustrated set is a particularly nice idea!

Copacetic

Bud's Art Book Free Comics:

Bud Plant

Bud's Art Books has eight free items (with a purchase) including the Moebius postcard set (pictured above), Bob Foster items, First Kingdom #1, and old issues of Walt Disney Comics and Stories.

 

Plant is also running a 30% off sale of over 200 items, with only one or two copies left in stock, until December 16th. You never know what you're going to find on BAB, like the last copy of Ron English's Greetings From Delusionville tabloid-sized hardcover.

It's been reported Bud Plant will be retiring next year, so order while you can!

The Comics Journal Spotlight Interview of the Month:

Books With Pictures

Zach Rabiroff interviews Books With Pictures, Portland OR comics shop, owner Katie Pryde. This is an in-depth talk about Pryde's early years in comics retail and the intense threadbare line between breaking even and being in the red in the modern landscape of comic shops. One of the best interviews on the site this year.

Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo 2025 Scene Report:

micexpo.org

Arpad Okay has a great write-up at The Beat of the recent 2025 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, including five highlights from his show haul.

More links from the show include a list of books debuting at MICE 2025, and a related list of all the 2025 MICE Mini Grant recipients.

Zine Freak News:

The UK underground comix and alternative zine distro, Zine Freak, sent out an update recently, including the cover to Matt Simmons' main publication, MZW. If you are a fan of comics that bite (or sometimes lick, according to that cover below), check out his Patreon and Discord, or stop by his comix stall at Lancaster's Assembly Rooms Emporium if you're in the UK.

Patreon

Black Comic Lords Virtual Convention:

The Beat

December 6th brought an entire days live programming of Black comics creators and publishers on the Black Comic Lords YouTube channel. Reported by George Carmona 3rd on The Beat. All 12 hours of programming have been archived on their channel!

Rob Clough's 31 Days of CCS Begins:

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Rob Clough, Looper

It's December, so Rob Clough brings us 31 days of reviews of comics from alumni of The Center for Cartoon Studies! First up was veteran cartoonist Colleen Frakes. Check out Clough's High-Low blog throughout December for more of this series.

Optical Sloth reviews the Bible:

Optical Sloth

 

Kevin Bramer comes up with some amazing finds. John Minkoff has a wild line, and Bible stories are always worthy of adaptation, imho. Check out the review or comic

1987: The Year That Ruined My Life:

GCD

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TCJ

My first new issue of The Comics Journal was #115. Maybe not coincidentally my first issue of Love and Rockets was #20. Both were (according to GCD) published in April 1987. I was 17 and a junior in high school, at the time. I was already a misanthropic weirdo, so I guess this just sealed the deal!

New Thick Lines Podcast by Katie Skelly and Sally Madden:

Buy here

Katie Skelly and Sally Madden discuss Junko Mizuno's Pure Trance. More info on Mizuno here. Listen to Thick Lines here.

Scarred for Life by 2000 AD.:

2000 A.D.

Michael Molcher and (Trigger Warning favorite) Chloe Maveal interview the team behind the Scarred for Life book series, Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence.

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lulu.com

If you aren't familiar with the Scarred For Life series, it examines the weird and warped pop culture of the UK. They have a three book series covering the 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as live presentations and a podcast.

Comix Reading List:

Speaking of Katie Skelly, I poured over all her books on Hoopla in one day (plus bonus story with Alex DeCampi in Twisted Romance). I loved all her work, although My Pretty Vampire may have been a slight favorite. Nothing quite like a good cartoony horror book.

all Hoopla

Comixology Unlimited had Volume Two of Fantagraphics Guido Crepax series, which I was totally not prepared for. This is probably some of the densest, most surreal comics narrative I've ever seen. I don't even know if I like it, but it's definitely an experience.

Comixology Unlimited

Weekly Weird Trigger Warnings 4

 Scott Shaw! Profile:

Amazon

About Comics released a collection of Scott Shaw!'s underground comix and creator-owned work in 2023. 

Shaw! has a weekly column at 13th Dimension highlighting even more of his Oddball Comics collection.

Because I'm a big John Candy fan (The Great Outdoors, Summer Rental, Uncle Buck), this article on Shaw!'s work on Camp Candy was a lot of fun.

Manga Reading List:

Found an intriguing book on Hoopla by Frederik L. Schodt called Dreamland Japan. It provides an essential portrait of the Manga industry in Japan in the early to mid 90s, during the infancy of the Manga explosion in the US (and also when I started reading Manga: Return of Lum, Gunsmith Cats, and random Osamu Tezuka series)

GCD

Probably like every old person, my first recollection of reading Manga was Leonard Rifas' comic book version of Keiji Nakazawa's I Saw It (recently reprinted by Last Gasp).

Last Gasp

Also found this classic book by Frederik L. Schodt, Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics on Internet Archive. Unlike Dreamland Japan, it traces the roots of Manga back hundreds of years.

Internet Archive

New Hermann collection:

A selection of 15 historical shorts from 1965-70, originally published in Tintin and Spirou magazines. Lambiek shop

Poopsheet Foundation New Arrivals:

More from the Bill Fitts collection, including this classic from the Polyester Age of alternative mini-comics:

Poopsheet Foundation

Cassiopeia the Witch 28 by Perry Lake. Love the ad for Elizabeth Watasin's Adventures of A-Girl #2 on the back cover!

Larry Shell Benefit Auction:

GCD

Check out some rare Peter Bagge, Hunt Emerson, Don Simpson, Gary Hallgren, and much more original art to help with living expenses after many health problems for former underground comix editor Larry Shell. Link to auction. (From downthetubes.net)

Comics Video Watchlist:

Adam Yeater (Blood Desert) shows us more of the mini-comics that have shown up in his mailbox:

Everybody's favorite Manga YouTube channel. Straight from Australia, the newest horror haul from Famicon Collects: