Gilbert Shelton
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Shelton is an American cartoonist
and underground comix
artist. He is the creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
, Fat Freddy's Cat
, Wonder Wart-Hog
, Philbert Desanex, Not Quite Dead
, and the cover art to The Grateful Dead's 1978 album Shakedown Street
.
He graduated from Lamar High School in Houston. He attended Washington and Lee University
, Texas A&M University
, and the University of Texas at Austin
, where he received his bachelor's degree in the social sciences in 1961. His early cartoons were published in the University of Texas' humor magazine The Texas Ranger.
Directly after graduation, Shelton moved to New York City and got a job editing automotive magazines, where he would sneak his drawings into print. The idea for the character of Wonder Wart-Hog, a porcine parody of Superman
, came to him in 1961. The following year, Shelton moved back to Texas
to enroll in graduate school and get a student deferment from the draft
. The first two Wonder Wart-Hog stories appeared in Bacchanal, a short-lived college humor magazine, in the spring of 1962. He then became editor of The Texas Ranger and published more Wonder Wart-Hog stories.
After switching from graduate school to art school (where he befriended singer Janis Joplin
) for two years, he was finally drafted, but Army doctors declared him medically unfit after he admitted to taking psychedelic
drugs. After this, in 1964 and 1965, he spent some time in Cleveland, where his girlfriend at the time was going to the Cleveland Art Institute. He applied for a job at the Cleveland-based American Greeting Card Company
(where a fellow underground comic artist Robert Crumb
had worked) but was turned down.
Around this time Shelton became art director for the Vulcan Gas Company
, a rock music venue
in Austin, Texas
, where he worked with Jim Franklin
. He created a number of posters in the style of contemporary California poster artists such as Victor Moscoso
and Rick Griffin
. After a year of this, he moved to San Francisco in the summer of 1968, hopeful that being closer to the action would enable him to do more poster work; as it turned out, he finally got his break in the alternative comix business.
That same year, Millar Publishing Company, who had been publishing regular Wonder Wart-Hog stories since 1966, published two issues of Wonder Wart-Hog Quarterly. 140,000 copies of each were printed, but distributors did not pick up the magazine, and only 40,000 of each were sold.
After a strip named Feds 'n' Heads (published by Print Mint
), Gilbert created his most famous strip, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in 1968, and a spin-off strip, Fat Freddy's Cat in 1969, when he also co-founded Rip Off Press
.
Shelton currently lives in Paris, France. His most recent work, in collaboration with French cartoonist Pic, is Not Quite Dead
, which appeared in Rip Off Comix #25 and in five Not Quite Dead comic books. In addition to a new Wonder Wart-Hog story in Zap Comix
#15 (2005), his Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are currently being turned into a stop-motion animated film.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and underground comix
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which 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, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
artist. He is the creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are a trio of underground comic strip characters created by the U.S. artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in The Rag, an underground newspaper published in Austin, Texas, beginning in May 1968; and were regularly reprinted in underground papers...
, Fat Freddy's Cat
Fat Freddy's Cat
Fat Freddy's Cat is a fictional orange tomcat nominally belonging to Fat Freddy Freekowtski, one of the Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies who are featured in Gilbert Shelton's underground comix.-History:...
, Wonder Wart-Hog
Wonder Wart-Hog
Wonder Wart-Hog is an underground comic book character, a porcine parody of Superman, created by Gilbert Shelton and Tony Bell.His secret identity is the mild-mannered reporter Philbert Desanex...
, Philbert Desanex, Not Quite Dead
Not Quite Dead
Not Quite Dead is an underground comic book series by Gilbert Shelton and the French cartoonist Pic, published in France by the magazine Flag and in the U.S. by Rip Off Press. The title is the name of a fictional band...
, and the cover art to The Grateful Dead's 1978 album Shakedown Street
Shakedown Street
Shakedown Street is the tenth studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Arista.The album was released for the first time on CD in 1990 by Arista Records before being re-released in 2000 by BMG International. It was then remastered, expanded, and released as part of...
.
He graduated from Lamar High School in Houston. He attended Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he received his bachelor's degree in the social sciences in 1961. His early cartoons were published in the University of Texas' humor magazine The Texas Ranger.
Directly after graduation, Shelton moved to New York City and got a job editing automotive magazines, where he would sneak his drawings into print. The idea for the character of Wonder Wart-Hog, a porcine parody of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, came to him in 1961. The following year, Shelton moved back to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to enroll in graduate school and get a student deferment from the draft
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. The first two Wonder Wart-Hog stories appeared in Bacchanal, a short-lived college humor magazine, in the spring of 1962. He then became editor of The Texas Ranger and published more Wonder Wart-Hog stories.
After switching from graduate school to art school (where he befriended singer Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
) for two years, he was finally drafted, but Army doctors declared him medically unfit after he admitted to taking psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
drugs. After this, in 1964 and 1965, he spent some time in Cleveland, where his girlfriend at the time was going to the Cleveland Art Institute. He applied for a job at the Cleveland-based American Greeting Card Company
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
(where a fellow underground comic artist Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
had worked) but was turned down.
Around this time Shelton became art director for the Vulcan Gas Company
Vulcan Gas Company
The Vulcan Gas Company was the first successful psychedelic music venue in Austin, Texas. The Vulcan opened its doors at 316 Congress Avenue in the fall of 1967, and closed in the summer of 1970. Houston White, Gary Maxwell, Don Hyde, and Sandy Lockett started the Vulcan...
, a rock music venue
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, where he worked with Jim Franklin
Jim Franklin (artist)
Jim Franklin is an artist best known for his poster art created for the Armadillo World Headquarters, a former Austin, Texas music hall....
. He created a number of posters in the style of contemporary California poster artists such as Victor Moscoso
Victor Moscoso
Victor Moscoso is an artist best known for producing psychedelic rock posters/advertisements and underground comix in San Francisco during the 1960s and '70s....
and Rick Griffin
Rick Griffin
Richard Alden Griffin was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. As a contributor to the underground comix movement, his work appeared regularly in Zap Comix. Griffin was closely identified with the Grateful Dead, designing some of their best known...
. After a year of this, he moved to San Francisco in the summer of 1968, hopeful that being closer to the action would enable him to do more poster work; as it turned out, he finally got his break in the alternative comix business.
That same year, Millar Publishing Company, who had been publishing regular Wonder Wart-Hog stories since 1966, published two issues of Wonder Wart-Hog Quarterly. 140,000 copies of each were printed, but distributors did not pick up the magazine, and only 40,000 of each were sold.
After a strip named Feds 'n' Heads (published by Print Mint
Print Mint
The Print Mint was a major publisher of underground comics during the genre's heydey. Starting as retailer of psychedelic posters, it soon evolved into a publisher, printer, and distributor. It was "ground zero" for the psychedelic poster...
), Gilbert created his most famous strip, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in 1968, and a spin-off strip, Fat Freddy's Cat in 1969, when he also co-founded Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press, Inc. is a seminal publishing company that specializes in adult-themed literature and graphic novels, mostly in a specific comic book format known as underground comix.-Overview:...
.
Shelton currently lives in Paris, France. His most recent work, in collaboration with French cartoonist Pic, is Not Quite Dead
Not Quite Dead
Not Quite Dead is an underground comic book series by Gilbert Shelton and the French cartoonist Pic, published in France by the magazine Flag and in the U.S. by Rip Off Press. The title is the name of a fictional band...
, which appeared in Rip Off Comix #25 and in five Not Quite Dead comic books. In addition to a new Wonder Wart-Hog story in Zap Comix
Zap Comix
Zap Comix is the best-known and one of the most popular of the underground comics that emerged as part of the youth counterculture of the late 1960s. While not believed to be the first underground comic to have been published, Zap is considered to mark the beginning of the "underground comix"...
#15 (2005), his Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are currently being turned into a stop-motion animated film.
Resources
- "Gilbert Shelton Interviewed by Frank Stack". The Comics Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2004.
- "Me and Gilbert Shelton: A Memoir," by Ramsey Wiggins, The Rag Blog, March 8, 2010.
- "Cartoonist and Underground Comix Artist Gilbert Shelton" on Rag Radio, interviewed by Thorne DreyerThorne Webb DreyerThorne Webb Dreyer is an American writer, editor, publisher, and political activist who played a major role in the 1960s-1970s counterculture, New Left, and underground press movements...
, March 9, 2010.
External links
- Freak Bros. movie on Ain't It Cool News [dead link]
- Video Interview with Gilbert Shelton on oc-tv.net
- Rip Off Press, Inc., publishers of the Freak Brothers comics in the U.S.A.
- Knockabout Comics, publishers of the Freak Brothers comics in the UK
- Freaknet, a popular Freak Brothers fan site.
- The Hog of Steel, a complete bibliography of Wonder Wart-Hog.
- UT Texas Ranger Magazine archive