Jay Kinney
Encyclopedia
Jay Kinney is an American author, editor, and former underground
cartoonist
. A member, along with Skip Williamson
, Jay Lynch
and R. Crumb, of the original Bijou Funnies crew, Kinney also edited Young Lust, a satire of romance comics
, in the early 1970s with Bill Griffith. He later founded the political comic Anarchy Comics
, which was published sporadically by Last Gasp
between 1978 and 1987.
Though a member of the first wave of the American underground comix movement, Kinney largely moved away from cartooning after the 1980s, first as editor of CoEvolution Quarterly
from 1983 to 1984, and then as publisher and editor in chief of the magazine Gnosis
from 1985 to 1999. Since the end of Gnosis, Kinney has written two books and edited an anthology, all focusing on aspects of Western esoteric traditions.
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...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
. A member, along with Skip Williamson
Skip Williamson
Skip Williamson is an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement.Williamson is known for being the most political and satirical cartoonist of the underground comix movement.- Childhood :...
, Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch is an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his Bijou Funnies and other titles. His work is sometimes signed Jayzey Lynch. He has contributed to Mad, and in 2008, he expanded into the children's book field.-Early life and career:Born in Orange,...
and R. Crumb, of the original Bijou Funnies crew, Kinney also edited Young Lust, a satire of romance comics
Romance comics
Romance comics is a comics genre depicting romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published through the first three decades of the Cold War...
, in the early 1970s with Bill Griffith. He later founded the political comic Anarchy Comics
Anarchy Comics
-Anarchism:Overtly anarchist in its bent, all content included was based on anarchist philosophy and history. The humor of each anthology was satirical in nature, mocking both mainstream culture as well as traditional leftist ideas of revolution.-Punk rock:...
, which was published sporadically by Last Gasp
Last Gasp
Last Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
between 1978 and 1987.
Though a member of the first wave of the American underground comix movement, Kinney largely moved away from cartooning after the 1980s, first as editor of CoEvolution Quarterly
CoEvolution Quarterly
CoEvolution Quarterly is a descendant of Stewart Brand's Whole Earth Catalog. It eventually became the Whole Earth Review.-History:...
from 1983 to 1984, and then as publisher and editor in chief of the magazine Gnosis
Gnosis (magazine)
Gnosis was an American magazine published from 1985 to 1999, devoted to the western esoteric tradition.Gnosis was published by the Lumen Foundation, a non-profit organization incorporated in California by Jay Kinney and Dixie Tracy-Kinney. It had offices in San Francisco. 5,000 copies were...
from 1985 to 1999. Since the end of Gnosis, Kinney has written two books and edited an anthology, all focusing on aspects of Western esoteric traditions.
Books
- The Best of Bijou Funnies (Quick Fox, 1975)
- Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions, with Richard Smoley (Quest Books, 2006)
- The Inner West: An Introduction to the Hidden Wisdom of the West (Tarcher/PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 2004) - The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth about the Symbols, Secret Rites, and History of Freemasonry (HarperOne, 2009)