Mack White
Encyclopedia
For the Louisiana
politician
, see Mack "Bodi" White.
Mack White (born December 20, 1952 in Mineral Wells
, Texas
) is a comics
writer and artist who lives in Austin
, Texas.
where his father published weekly newspapers in small towns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
, primarily Arlington
and Mansfield
. He graduated from Cleburne
High School in 1971, then attended Tarrant County Junior College
in Fort Worth
until 1972. In 1977 he moved to Austin and enrolled as a psychology major in The University of Texas at Austin. He graduated in 1982. White began creating and self-publishing comics in the 1980s. His first professionally published story was "El Bandito Muerto" which appeared in Rip Off Comix in 1990. Throughout the 1990s, he contributed to a number of comics anthologies (most notably Zero Zero, Buzz and Snake Eyes), magazines (Details
, Heavy Metal
, Boing Boing
, and others), and newspapers (Austin Chronicle
and Austin American-Statesman
). His books include: The Mutant Book of the Dead (Starhead Comics, 1994); Villa of the Mysteries (a limited series published by Fantagraphics, 1996–98); and The Bush Junta (Fantagraphics, 2004), a political comics anthology which he co-edited with Gary Groth
. White's artwork has also been featured in a number of art shows, particularly the Comics on the Verge show which was presented by the Yerba Buena Arts Center in 2003 and later toured galleries and universities throughout the United States. In addition to his comics work, White is co-host (with SMiles Lewis) of the Internet radio talk show PsiOp Radio which is carried on iTunes
and elsewhere on the Internet. White was featured in the 1995 documentary
Day 51: The True Story of Waco and in 2010 began working as an actor in the independent film Bozoland, currently in production in Austin.
White's early stories were bizarre, darkly humorous, and dealt with metaphysical themes. The Baltimore City Paper
described his work as combining "an illustrative style reminiscent of serial adventure comic strips with the paranoia of Robert Anton Wilson
's The Illuminatus! Trilogy
." Later, his work became more political, the best known examples being "Dead Silence in the Brain: The CIA
Assassination of John Lennon
" (The Comics Journal
Summer Special 2001); "Operation Northwoods
" (The Comics Journal Winter Special 2002); "1963," an autobiographical account of growing up in the Dallas
area during the Kennedy assassination
, which appeared in Roadstrips (Chronicle Books, 2006); and the aforementioned book The Bush Junta, in which White and 25 other cartoonists told the history of the George H. W. Bush
and George W. Bush
presidential administrations in comic strip form. White has also worked in the Western
genre, one example being his story "Trouble in Tascosa," which appeared in Hotwire 2 (Fantagraphics, 2008). In 2011, White collaborated with author Mike Kearby
on Texas Tales Illustrated, a graphic novel about the Texas Revolution (Texas Christian University Press
).
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, see Mack "Bodi" White.
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, 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...
) is a comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
writer and artist who lives in Austin
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...
, Texas.
Biography
White grew up in North TexasNorth Texas
North Texas is a distinct cultural and geographic area forming the central-northeastern section of the U.S. state of Texas. North Texas is generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, and north of Waco...
where his father published weekly newspapers in small towns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
, primarily Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
and Mansfield
Mansfield, Texas
Mansfield is a city in Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,368.In 2009, CNN/Money Magazine rated Mansfield as one of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States, ranking 24th out of the top 100 places.-History:The first...
. He graduated from Cleburne
Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. According to 2007 United States Census Bureau estimates, the population is 29,050. It is the county seat of Johnson County. Cleburne is named for a Confederate General, Patrick Cleburne...
High School in 1971, then attended Tarrant County Junior College
Tarrant County College
Tarrant County College ' or Tarrant County College District is a community college serving the Fort Worth area in Tarrant County, Texas and providing degree programs toward an Associate of Arts, an Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching...
in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
until 1972. In 1977 he moved to Austin and enrolled as a psychology major in The University of Texas at Austin. He graduated in 1982. White began creating and self-publishing comics in the 1980s. His first professionally published story was "El Bandito Muerto" which appeared in Rip Off Comix in 1990. Throughout the 1990s, he contributed to a number of comics anthologies (most notably Zero Zero, Buzz and Snake Eyes), magazines (Details
Details (magazine)
Details is an American monthly men's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, founded in 1982. Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, Details also features reports on relevant social and political issues.-History:...
, Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
, Boing Boing
Boing Boing
Boing Boing is a publishing entity, first established as a magazine, later becoming a group blog.-History:...
, and others), and newspapers (Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
and Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
). His books include: The Mutant Book of the Dead (Starhead Comics, 1994); Villa of the Mysteries (a limited series published by Fantagraphics, 1996–98); and The Bush Junta (Fantagraphics, 2004), a political comics anthology which he co-edited with Gary Groth
Gary Groth
Gary Groth is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of The Comics Journal and a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books.-Early life:...
. White's artwork has also been featured in a number of art shows, particularly the Comics on the Verge show which was presented by the Yerba Buena Arts Center in 2003 and later toured galleries and universities throughout the United States. In addition to his comics work, White is co-host (with SMiles Lewis) of the Internet radio talk show PsiOp Radio which is carried on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and elsewhere on the Internet. White was featured in the 1995 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Day 51: The True Story of Waco and in 2010 began working as an actor in the independent film Bozoland, currently in production in Austin.
White's early stories were bizarre, darkly humorous, and dealt with metaphysical themes. The Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper is a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. Current owner Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the paper in 1987...
described his work as combining "an illustrative style reminiscent of serial adventure comic strips with the paranoia of Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
's The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex-, and magick-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both...
." Later, his work became more political, the best known examples being "Dead Silence in the Brain: The CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Assassination of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
" (The Comics Journal
The Comics Journal
The Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
Summer Special 2001); "Operation Northwoods
Operation Northwoods
Operation Northwoods was a series of false-flag proposals that originated within the United States government in 1962. The proposals called for the Central Intelligence Agency , or other operatives, to commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities and elsewhere...
" (The Comics Journal Winter Special 2002); "1963," an autobiographical account of growing up in the Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
area during the Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
, which appeared in Roadstrips (Chronicle Books, 2006); and the aforementioned book The Bush Junta, in which White and 25 other cartoonists told the history of the George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
presidential administrations in comic strip form. White has also worked in the Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
genre, one example being his story "Trouble in Tascosa," which appeared in Hotwire 2 (Fantagraphics, 2008). In 2011, White collaborated with author Mike Kearby
Mike Kearby
Mike Kearby is an American novelist and inventor. Since 2005, Kearby has published eight novels and one graphic novel.-Biography:...
on Texas Tales Illustrated, a graphic novel about the Texas Revolution (Texas Christian University Press
Texas Christian University Press
Texas Christian University Press is a university press that is part of Texas Christian University....
).
External links
- Official Website #2: Bison Bill's Weird West
- Official Website #3: PsiOp Radio
- Official Website #4: Texas Tales Illustrated