Jim Mitchell (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Jim Mitchell is an American
underground
cartoonist
from Milwaukee. Mitchell was part of the late-1960s/early-1970s Milwaukee
underground comix scene and a co-founder of the Krupp Comics/Kitchen Sink
group (with Denis Kitchen
and Don Glassford).
In the early 1970s, Mitchell (then a Marquette University
student) regularly created strips for the underground newspaper The Bugle
, which were subsequently syndicated to other underground and college newspapers via the Krupp Syndicate. He created "Smile," a sweet, pleasantly upbeat strip which sometimes seemed out of place (though some found it refreshing) in the grim universe of underground comix. His strips (and covers) appeared in The Bugle; in three issues of his own comic, Smile (1971-1972); and in other comix, including Teen-Age Horizons of Shangrila, Mom's Homemade Comics, Bizarre Sex, Pro Junior, and Hungry Chuck Biscuit's Comics & Stories.
Mitchell was imprisoned in Mexico
for four and a half years on a petty charge, which prevented his involvement in the further evolution of the underground scene, but was released in late 1977.
He now runs his own full-service art studio, Distant Thunder Studios, in Milwaukee.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground
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...
from Milwaukee. Mitchell was part of the late-1960s/early-1970s Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
underground comix scene and a co-founder of the Krupp Comics/Kitchen Sink
Kitchen sink
Kitchen sink is a term often used in the phrase everything but the kitchen sinkKitchen sink may also refer to:* A sink in a kitchen for washing dishes, vegetables, etc* Kitchen Sink, a 1989 short film by Alison Maclean...
group (with Denis Kitchen
Denis Kitchen
Denis Kitchen is an American underground cartoonist, publisher, author, and agent from Wisconsin, and the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.-Early life:...
and Don Glassford).
In the early 1970s, Mitchell (then a Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
student) regularly created strips for the underground newspaper The Bugle
Bugle (newspaper)
The Bugle or Bugle-American was an underground newspaper based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and distributed throughout Wisconsin from September 1970 to 1978, publishing mostly weekly for a total of 316 issues in all...
, which were subsequently syndicated to other underground and college newspapers via the Krupp Syndicate. He created "Smile," a sweet, pleasantly upbeat strip which sometimes seemed out of place (though some found it refreshing) in the grim universe of underground comix. His strips (and covers) appeared in The Bugle; in three issues of his own comic, Smile (1971-1972); and in other comix, including Teen-Age Horizons of Shangrila, Mom's Homemade Comics, Bizarre Sex, Pro Junior, and Hungry Chuck Biscuit's Comics & Stories.
Mitchell was imprisoned in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for four and a half years on a petty charge, which prevented his involvement in the further evolution of the underground scene, but was released in late 1977.
He now runs his own full-service art studio, Distant Thunder Studios, in Milwaukee.
Sources
- A History of Underground Comics; Mark James Estren. 3rd ed. (Berkeley, CA. : Ronin, 1993)
- Encyclopédie des bandes dessinées; Marjorie Alessandrini, ed. (Paris: A Michel, 1986)