Print Mint
Encyclopedia
The Print Mint was a major publisher of underground comics during the genre's heydey. Starting as retailer of psychedelic poster
s, it soon evolved into a publisher, printer, and distributor. It was "ground zero" for the psychedelic poster. The Print Mint was originally owned by poet Don Schenker and his wife Alice, later partnered in the business with Bob and Peggy Rita.
in Berkeley, California
, in December 1965, originally sharing a store with Moe's Books, but later on moving into a separate location down the block. (The Schenkers and Moe's Books owner Moe Moskowitz had been friends back in New York City during the 1950s Beat era
, so this association was a continuation of that connection.)
and The Fillmore
were advertised by posters designed by artists Stanley Mouse
, Rick Griffin
, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso
, and others. These posters were soon in much demand, and The Print Mint distributed many of them along with work by Peter Keymack, Hambly silkscreens, Solo Period posters, M. C. Escher
prints, Neon Rose
, Bob Frieds Food line, and many others.
The store grew from being a simple retailer into a complex cross-country distribution and then publishing operation.
Moscowitz forfeited the building in December 1967, bringing a demise to Print Mint in San Francisco.
, but really getting going in 1969, publishing and distribution of underground comics became The Print Mint's major endeavor. With their partners the Ritas, (employees that the Schenkers had offered a partnership to in 1967), Don did the organizing, editing and layout of the books, working with the artists. Bob and Peggy Rita and Alice did the distribution and the nuts and bolts of running the business. Alice also oversaw the Berkeley store.
The Print Mint published such underground comix
notables as Robert Crumb
, Rick Griffin
, S. Clay Wilson
, Victor Moscoso
, Gilbert Shelton
, Spain Rodriguez
, and Robert Williams
. Titles they published include Zap Comix
, Mr. Natural
, The Legion of Charlies, Moondog, and Cheech Wizard
. In addition they published one of the first eco-comics, the Dying Dolphin, a solo effort by rock poster artist Jim Evans
, with contributions by Ron Cobb
and Rick Griffin
.
The Print Mint's bold experiment with Arcade: The Comix Revue
, started in 1975
and edited by Art Spiegelman
and Bill Griffith, with each issue sporting a cover by R. Crumb, paved the way for RAW!
just a few years later.
. Previous to that, Simon Lowinsky, who had a gallery on College Avenue in Berkeley and had put up an exhibition of the comic artist’s original drawings, had been arrested on the same charge. His case came to trial first. He was acquitted after supportive testimony from Peter Selz, a prominent figure in the art world. At that point the city dropped the charges against the Print Mint.
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s, it soon evolved into a publisher, printer, and distributor. It was "ground zero" for the psychedelic poster. The Print Mint was originally owned by poet Don Schenker and his wife Alice, later partnered in the business with Bob and Peggy Rita.
History
Don and Alice Schenker started The Print Mint as a picture-framing shop and retailer of posters and fine art reproductions on Telegraph AvenueTelegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, USA, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California campus in Berkeley, California...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, in December 1965, originally sharing a store with Moe's Books, but later on moving into a separate location down the block. (The Schenkers and Moe's Books owner Moe Moskowitz had been friends back in New York City during the 1950s Beat era
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
, so this association was a continuation of that connection.)
Posters and underground comics
The Print Mint soon opened a wholesale division, publishing and distributing posters and underground comics. The dance venues at The Avalon BallroomThe Avalon Ballroom
The Avalon Ballroom is a music venue, in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California, at 1268 Sutter Street, on the north side, one building east of the corner of Van Ness Avenue. The space operated from 1966 to 1968 and reopened in 2003...
and The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
were advertised by posters designed by artists Stanley Mouse
Stanley Mouse
Stanley George Miller , better known as Mouse and Stanley Mouse, is an American artist, notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and Grateful Dead album cover art.-Early life:...
, 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...
, Alton Kelley, 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 others. These posters were soon in much demand, and The Print Mint distributed many of them along with work by Peter Keymack, Hambly silkscreens, Solo Period posters, M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
prints, Neon Rose
Neon Rose
-History:Neon Rose was formed in 1969 by bandmembers Roger, Piero and Benno under the name Spider; when Stanley Larsson joined the group in 1973 they took the name Neon Rose. Signing with Vertigo Records, their debut album was released in 1974, and was quickly followed with a sophomore effort early...
, Bob Frieds Food line, and many others.
Move to The Haight
In December 1966, the Print Mint opened a second store on Haight Street, in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, in a building that Moe Moscowitz had purchased to install a book store. (Unfortunately, the city had refused to give Moscowitz a permit to sell used books, so his plan was never realized.) 1967 was an eventful time, with the store being a center of neighborhood activities, a main source of countercultural information and creative energy to the huge influx of young people coming into San Francisco that summer.The store grew from being a simple retailer into a complex cross-country distribution and then publishing operation.
Moscowitz forfeited the building in December 1967, bringing a demise to Print Mint in San Francisco.
Underground comics
Beginning in 19681968 in comics
See also:1968 in comics,other events of 1968,1969 in comics,1960s in comics and thelist of years in comics- Year overall :* With Kinney National Company's acquisition of Warner Bros., DC Comics becomes part of what eventually will be known as Warner Communications.* DC Comics art director Carmine...
, but really getting going in 1969, publishing and distribution of underground comics became The Print Mint's major endeavor. With their partners the Ritas, (employees that the Schenkers had offered a partnership to in 1967), Don did the organizing, editing and layout of the books, working with the artists. Bob and Peggy Rita and Alice did the distribution and the nuts and bolts of running the business. Alice also oversaw the Berkeley store.
The Print Mint published such 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...
notables as 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...
, 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...
, S. Clay Wilson
S. Clay Wilson
S. Clay Wilson is an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Wilson is known for aggressively violent and sexually explicit panoramas of "lowlife," often depicting the wild escapades of pirates and bikers. He was an early contributor to Zap Comix,...
, 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....
, Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton
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...
, Spain Rodriguez
Spain Rodriguez
Manuel Rodriguez , better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, is an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman. His experiences on the road with the biker gang, the Road Vultures, provided inspiration for his work, as did his left-wing politics.-Biography:Born in Buffalo, New...
, and Robert Williams
Robert Williams (artist)
Robert Williams is an American painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine.Williams was part of the Zap Collective, along with other underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton...
. Titles they published include 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"...
, Mr. Natural
Mr. Natural (comics)
Mr. Natural is a comic book character created and drawn by 1960s counterculture and underground comix artist Robert Crumb. The character first appeared in the premiere issue of Yarrowstalks .-Characterization:...
, The Legion of Charlies, Moondog, and Cheech Wizard
Cheech Wizard
Cheech Wizard was a cartoon character created by artist Vaughn Bodé and appearing in various works, including the National Lampoon, from 1967 until Bodé's death in 1975...
. In addition they published one of the first eco-comics, the Dying Dolphin, a solo effort by rock poster artist Jim Evans
Jim Evans (artist)
Jim Evans born sometime in the 1950s, sometimes known as T.A.Z., is an American painter, printmaker, and Creative Director who was a contributing figure in the visual art movement known as underground comics...
, with contributions by Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb is an American cartoonist, artist, writer, film designer, and film director.By the age of 18, with no formal training in graphic illustration, Cobb was working as an animation "inbetweener" artist for Disney Studios in Burbank, California. He progressed to becoming a breakdown artist on...
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...
.
The Print Mint's bold experiment with Arcade: The Comix Revue
Arcade (magazine)
Arcade: The Comics Revue was a magazine-sized comics anthology created and edited by Art Spiegelman and Bill Griffith to showcase the work of underground artists. Published by the Print Mint, it ran for seven issues between 1975 to 1976...
, started in 1975
1975 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1975.- Year overall :* Following up their various Giant-Size series from 1974, Marvel publishes a number of one-shot Giant-Size annuals featuring reprints of "classic" Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Invaders, Iron Man,...
and edited by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
and Bill Griffith, with each issue sporting a cover by R. Crumb, paved the way for RAW!
RAW (magazine)
RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
just a few years later.
Legal troubles
The Print Mint weathered a lawsuit filed over the publication of Robert Crumb's Zap, particularly issue #4 (published in 1969). The Schenkers were arrested and charged with publishing pornography by the Berkeley Police DepartmentBerkeley Police Department
The Berkeley Police Department is the municipal police department for the city of Berkeley, California, USA.-History:Shortly after Berkeley was incorporated in 1878, a town marshal and constables were elected to provide law enforcement. In 1909, the town marshal was appointed to be the first...
. Previous to that, Simon Lowinsky, who had a gallery on College Avenue in Berkeley and had put up an exhibition of the comic artist’s original drawings, had been arrested on the same charge. His case came to trial first. He was acquitted after supportive testimony from Peter Selz, a prominent figure in the art world. At that point the city dropped the charges against the Print Mint.
Later years
By 1975 the partnership with the Ritas was not going smoothly. Alice Schenker says that an agreement was made to split the business between retail and wholesale, the Schenkers taking the retail store and the Ritas the wholesale and publishing. The Print Mint ceased publishing comics in 1978, but the poster shop continued. In 1985 the Schenkers sold the store. It continues to this day, looking much the same.Titles published
- All Girl Thrills
- American Flyer Funnies (1971) — anthology title. Contributors included Larry WelzLarry WelzLarry Welz is an American cartoonist and commercial artist, and the creator of Cherry Poptart . He is a noteworthy early contributor to the underground comics movement based in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s and early 1970s.In 1969 his work was published in Yellow Dog, a tabloid comic...
. - ArcadeArcade (magazine)Arcade: The Comics Revue was a magazine-sized comics anthology created and edited by Art Spiegelman and Bill Griffith to showcase the work of underground artists. Published by the Print Mint, it ran for seven issues between 1975 to 1976...
(7 issues, 1975–1976) — magazine-sized comics anthology created and edited by Art SpiegelmanArt SpiegelmanArt Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
and Bill Griffith. Contributors included Spain RodriguezSpain RodriguezManuel Rodriguez , better known as Spain or Spain Rodriguez, is an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman. His experiences on the road with the biker gang, the Road Vultures, provided inspiration for his work, as did his left-wing politics.-Biography:Born in Buffalo, New...
, Justin Green, Kim DeitchKim Deitch-Sources:* at Lambiek's Comiclopedia-External links:* Ford, Jeffrey. *Heller, Steven. **...
, Robert CrumbRobert CrumbRobert 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...
, and Charles BukowskiCharles BukowskiHenry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
. - Bijou Funnies — anthology with early work by Jay LynchJay LynchJay 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,...
, Art SpiegelmanArt SpiegelmanArt Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
, Gilbert SheltonGilbert SheltonGilbert 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...
, and Skip WilliamsonSkip WilliamsonSkip 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 :... - The Captain (1972)
- Captain Guts (1969)
- Cheech WizardCheech WizardCheech Wizard was a cartoon character created by artist Vaughn Bodé and appearing in various works, including the National Lampoon, from 1967 until Bodé's death in 1975...
(Vaughn BodeVaughn BodéVaughn Bodē was an artist involved in underground comics, graphic design and graffiti. He is perhaps best known for his comic strip character Cheech Wizard and artwork depicting voluptuous women. His works are noted for their psychedelic look and feel...
) - Coochy Cooty Men's Comics (1970)
- Demented Pervert (1971)
- Despair (1970)
- Deviant Slice Funnies (1972)
- Dying Dolphin
- El Perfecto — Timothy LearyTimothy LearyTimothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
Benefit (1973) - Feds 'n' Heads (Gilbert SheltonGilbert SheltonGilbert 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...
, 1968) - Girl Fight Comics (1972)
- Guano Comix
- Heavy Tragi-Comics (1969)
- Hit the RoadHit the RoadHit the Road is a crime comedy film featuring the Dead End Kids. Four juvenile delinquents are released from reform school into the care of a reformed gangster who now runs a ranch with his wife and intends to open a school for wayward boys...
(1971) - Human Drama (1978)
- Insect Fear (3 issues)
- Junkwaffel (Vaughn BodéVaughn BodéVaughn Bodē was an artist involved in underground comics, graphic design and graffiti. He is perhaps best known for his comic strip character Cheech Wizard and artwork depicting voluptuous women. His works are noted for their psychedelic look and feel...
, 1971) - Kukawy Comics (1969)
- The Legion of Charlies
- Lemme Outa Here (1978)
- Light Comitragies (1971)
- Mean Bitch Thrills
- Meef Comix (1972)
- Moondog (George Metzger, 1969–1973)
- Mr. NaturalMr. Natural (comics)Mr. Natural is a comic book character created and drawn by 1960s counterculture and underground comix artist Robert Crumb. The character first appeared in the premiere issue of Yarrowstalks .-Characterization:...
(Crumb) - Occult Laff Parade (1973) — anthology title; featured a story by Jay KinneyJay KinneyJay 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...
and Ned Sonntag entitled "Bud Tuttle and Commander Jesus" - Real Pulp — anthology; issue #1 featured first Zippy the PinheadZippy the PinheadZippy is an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. The character of Zippy the Pinhead initially appeared in underground publications during the 1970s...
strip (by Bill Griffith) - San Francisco Comic Book (7 issues, 1970–1978) — anthology title
- Spiffy Stories (1969)
- Truckin' (George Metzger, 1972)
- Tuff Shit Comics (1972)
- Uneeda Comics
- Vaughn Bode's The ManVaughn BodéVaughn Bodē was an artist involved in underground comics, graphic design and graffiti. He is perhaps best known for his comic strip character Cheech Wizard and artwork depicting voluptuous women. His works are noted for their psychedelic look and feel...
(1972) - Yellow Dog — anthology title. Contributors included Larry WelzLarry WelzLarry Welz is an American cartoonist and commercial artist, and the creator of Cherry Poptart . He is a noteworthy early contributor to the underground comics movement based in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s and early 1970s.In 1969 his work was published in Yellow Dog, a tabloid comic...
. - Young Lust — anthology title co-edited by Bill Griffith and Jay KinneyJay KinneyJay 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...
. Contributors included Guy ColwellGuy ColwellGuy Colwell is an American political artist and underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets....
. - Zap ComixZap ComixZap 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"...
(issues #3–9, 1968–1978) — R. Crumb-edited anthology