Five Highlights From The Comics Journal #39

THE COMICS JOURNAL #39 (APRIL 1978)

5. CLASSIFIED AD from Joel Milke

We featured an advertisement by Milke in an earlier installment of this series, he was a very early comix self-publisher and obviously an original art collector.

Just for fun here's a 1977 comic from Joel Milke (with George Erling) archived on Poopsheet Foundation by Rick Bradford...

4. THE SAN FRANCISCO COMIX SCENE by Clay Geerdes

A three page history of the origins of Underground Comix and how so many disparate artists ended up in San Francisco in the late 60s. Three photos by Clay accompany the article.

Bonus: A Close Encounters of the Third Kind movie review in Blood 'n Thunder...

3. MARILYN BETHKE WATCH

Her savage takedown of Jim Steranko's MEDIASCENE...

2. THE DEATH OF UNCLE WALT by Jim Korkis (1950-2023) 

1. NEWSWATCH

The Alternative Comics Publishers section includes a lot of Underground Comix new releases (presumably information provided by an uncredited Clay Geerdes), undergrounds were at least artistically at a high point in 1978...

images from GCD and lastgasp.com

Five Highlights from THE NEW NOSTALGIA JOURNAL 28

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 THE NEW NOSTALGIA JOURNAL 28 (September 1976)

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Advertisement by Joel Milke selling Basil Wolverton original art, and HEEBIE JEEBIE FUNNIES small press comic with art by Milke, Doug Hansen, George Erling, Jay Lynch, Rick Griffin, Gary Hallgren, and Larry Todd. [page 16]

Carter Scholz recent photo

Carter Scholz "Exploring Ellison" reviewing no less than three of Harlan Ellison's books: DEATHBIRD STORIES, APPROACHING OBLIVION, and LOVE AIN'T NOTHING BUT LOVE MISSPELLED. [page 28-29]

Doug Fratz fondly remembers "The Decker Era" and Dwight Decker's "faan" fiction of 1969-71. Dwight Decker was a future Managing Editor of THE COMICS JOURNAL. [page 36]

 "TNJ Letters" starts a longstanding tradition of angry LOC from comics professionals, the honor going to then Star Reach publisher Mike Friedrich. Richard Morrissey is another name people might recognize from this first Journal battlefield, I mean letter column. [page 8 10]

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Bud Plant watch: "New for August" listings include AMERICAN SPLENDOR 1, METAL HURLANT 6 with new Corben, ILLUSTRATED FICTION 3: CHANDLER by Steranko (also lists a deluxe 8 1/2 x 11 edition), DOGMAN and ZOMIX (two UK underground comix), Frank Thorne Red Sonja poster, and sale item TANTE LENY 20 (Dutch underground). [page 9]