The Puma Blues
Encyclopedia
The Puma Blues was a comic book
written by Stephen Murphy and drawn by Michael Zulli
. It ran from October 1986
to somewhere in the beginning of 1989
, stretching over 23 regular issues and a single "half-issue" minicomic
.
Published first by Aardvark One International
and later by Mirage Studios
, the story was set around the millennium
as Gavia Immer, a governmental fauna agent, goes through an existential dilemma
as he watches the videos his father left for him after his death.
The comic book's detailed artwork by Michael Zulli, which focused primarily on wildlife and nature, was superposed to a loose narrative with a druggy, dreamy, new age
apocalyptic atmosphere. This de-structuralizing of the main narrative increased dramatically in later issues, with the second half of the series often taking the form of illustrated prose poetry
within an associative narrative.
. It seems that on April 20, 1995, a white supremacist
group attempted to kidnap the President
during a visit to New York City. During the ensuing gunplay, a member of the group detonated a nuclear device, and five years later the Northeastern United States is still in recovery.
U.S. Agent Gavia Immer (sharing a name with the common loon
) is stationed by the U.S. military
in a cabin in the woods of the Quabbin Reservoir
in Massachusetts. His new job consists of displacing mutated animals ("animutes" or "biomutes") and collecting pH samples of the reservoir, which is frequently limed to compensate for the effects of acid rain
.
Gavia is alone at this cabin (save for an occasional trespasser and the puma that stalks the mountains above the reservoir) but is in contact with his superiors through a video conferencing system, which he also uses to speak to his mother.
Haunted by his unresolved relationship with his late father, four years gone, he spends many nights watching a series of videotapes his father made documenting his search for truth—something Gavia also desperately seeks.
Among the questions needing answers is that of a colony of flying manta rays—the principal "animute" inhabiting the reservoir. Although the government is aware of their existence, of chief concern at the story's outset is the origin of their mutation, as well as the importance of keeping the creatures a secret.
Starting with issue #21 the story skips two years ahead, and follows Gavia as he leaves the service and begins to travel cross-country.
Most issues include sections called "Notes on the Environment" and "The Fraying Weave", which offered facts and often frightening statistics related to tropical rain forests, endangered animals, and other environmental concerns.
It was announced in issue #22 that the third story arc, Under a Deep Blue Sun, would conclude in issue #26. However, this arc ultimately remained unfinished. Puma Blues ended with issue #23.
The story arcs ran as follows:
, Puma Blues publisher Dave Sim
fell into dispute with Diamond Comic Distributors
over his decision not to use Diamond to distribute the Cerebus graphic novel
High Society
. As a result, Diamond's National Account Representative William D. Schanes
informed Sim: "If it is your intention to pick and choose which products you want distributors to carry, it should be our privilege to choose what we wish to distribute. Therefore, it is our feeling we should no longer carry and promote Puma Blues." At that time, Diamond distributed an estimated 33% of the series' print run. Puma Blues creators Murphy and Zulli responded with an open letter titled "Not Fade Away", stating their intent to continue with or without Diamond's support.
This incident was one of the primary factors leading to Sim's participation in developing the Creator's Bill of Rights
.
("quite impressive, quite ambitious"), Neil Gaiman
("intelligent and urgent mythology for the end of the millennium"), The Village Voice
("difficult but intriguing"), The Comics Journal
("Zulli's wildlife art is utterly breathtaking"), and Peter Laird
("a multi-level, imaginative, lushly-rendered story").
The relative low print runs of The Puma Blues, coupled with Zulli's later popularity (primarily due to his work on Neil Gaiman's The Sandman) has made it a popular cult
comic among both fans and collectors.
A lengthy tribute to and analysis of the series by Steve Bissette was included in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Soul's Winter, a 2007 trade paperback collecting Zulli & Murphy's work on Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
written by Stephen Murphy and drawn by Michael Zulli
Michael Zulli
Michael Zulli is an American artist known for his work as an animal and wildlife illustrator and as a comic book illustrator. He's gotten great acclaim for his work on The Sandman with writer Neil Gaiman and has been a longtime collaborator with the author...
. It ran from October 1986
1986 in comics
-Year overall:* Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics, debuts...
to somewhere in the beginning of 1989
1989 in comics
-Year overall:* "Inferno" company-wide Marvel Comics crossover continues, involving the mutant titles The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, The New Mutants, and Excalibur, as well as the X-Terminators limited series and various other Marvel titles...
, stretching over 23 regular issues and a single "half-issue" minicomic
Minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
.
Published first by Aardvark One International
Aardvark-Vanaheim
Aardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. It is best known for publishing Sim's Cerebus....
and later by Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, based in Northampton, Massachusetts and best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series.-History:...
, the story was set around the millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
as Gavia Immer, a governmental fauna agent, goes through an existential dilemma
Existential crisis
An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...
as he watches the videos his father left for him after his death.
The comic book's detailed artwork by Michael Zulli, which focused primarily on wildlife and nature, was superposed to a loose narrative with a druggy, dreamy, new age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
apocalyptic atmosphere. This de-structuralizing of the main narrative increased dramatically in later issues, with the second half of the series often taking the form of illustrated prose poetry
Prose poetry
Prose poetry is poetry written in prose instead of using verse but preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery and emotional effects.-Characteristics:Prose poetry can be considered either primarily poetry or prose, or a separate genre altogether...
within an associative narrative.
Storyline
Issue #1 begins in March of the year 2000 (fourteen years in the future, by the comic's original publication date). It is a world of space shuttle passenger service, humanoid robotic workers, fully armored taxicabs, and children in gas masks—and it is a world without the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. It seems that on April 20, 1995, a white supremacist
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
group attempted to kidnap the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
during a visit to New York City. During the ensuing gunplay, a member of the group detonated a nuclear device, and five years later the Northeastern United States is still in recovery.
U.S. Agent Gavia Immer (sharing a name with the common loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
) is stationed by the U.S. military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
in a cabin in the woods of the Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir
The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was built between 1930 and 1939. Today along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, some to the east, as well as 40 other communities in Greater Boston...
in Massachusetts. His new job consists of displacing mutated animals ("animutes" or "biomutes") and collecting pH samples of the reservoir, which is frequently limed to compensate for the effects of acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
.
Gavia is alone at this cabin (save for an occasional trespasser and the puma that stalks the mountains above the reservoir) but is in contact with his superiors through a video conferencing system, which he also uses to speak to his mother.
Haunted by his unresolved relationship with his late father, four years gone, he spends many nights watching a series of videotapes his father made documenting his search for truth—something Gavia also desperately seeks.
Among the questions needing answers is that of a colony of flying manta rays—the principal "animute" inhabiting the reservoir. Although the government is aware of their existence, of chief concern at the story's outset is the origin of their mutation, as well as the importance of keeping the creatures a secret.
Starting with issue #21 the story skips two years ahead, and follows Gavia as he leaves the service and begins to travel cross-country.
Themes
A strong message of environmental responsibility runs throughout the series. In one of the most memorable scenes of the comic's run, a wealthy old woman enjoys a drive through the country with her robotic chauffeur. She sees a cluster of flowers with an aluminum can beside it and urgently requests the car pull over. She then asks the chauffeur to pick the flowers for her, leaving the can behind.Most issues include sections called "Notes on the Environment" and "The Fraying Weave", which offered facts and often frightening statistics related to tropical rain forests, endangered animals, and other environmental concerns.
Publication history
Puma Blues consisted of three separate story arcs with two stand-alone issues; the first and second arcs were later collected in trade paperback form by Mirage Studios.It was announced in issue #22 that the third story arc, Under a Deep Blue Sun, would conclude in issue #26. However, this arc ultimately remained unfinished. Puma Blues ended with issue #23.
The story arcs ran as follows:
- Issues #1–12—Book One: "Watch That Man" (Aardvark One International)
- Issues #13–19—Book Two: "Sense of Doubt" (Aardvark One International)
- Issue #20 "Eat or Be Eaten" (self-published benefit issue)
- Issues #21–23—Book Three: "Under a Deep Blue Sun" (intended to end at #26, Mirage Studios)
- Issue #24 "Mobile" (16-page minicomicMinicomicA minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
, Mirage Studios)
Collected editions
- The Puma Blues: Book One—Watch That Man (Mirage Studios)
- The Puma Blues: Book Two—Sense of Doubt (Mirage Studios)
Distribution controversy
In 19871987 in comics
- Year overall :* Independent publishers continue to enter the comics arena, including Amazing, CFW Enterprises, Imperial Comics, Matrix Graphic Series, New Comics Group, and Rebel Studios...
, Puma Blues publisher Dave Sim
Dave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
fell into dispute with Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is the largest comic book distributor serving North America. They transport comic books from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to the retailers. Diamond dominates the direct market in the United States, and has exclusive arrangements with most...
over his decision not to use Diamond to distribute the Cerebus graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
High Society
Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...
. As a result, Diamond's National Account Representative William D. Schanes
Bill Schanes
William D. Schanes is an executive in the comic book industry.Bill and his brother Steve Schanes co-founded Pacific Comics in 1971. Pacific Comics was an early pioneer in the direct market method of selling comic books, as well as a publisher in its own right which actively promoted creator-owned...
informed Sim: "If it is your intention to pick and choose which products you want distributors to carry, it should be our privilege to choose what we wish to distribute. Therefore, it is our feeling we should no longer carry and promote Puma Blues." At that time, Diamond distributed an estimated 33% of the series' print run. Puma Blues creators Murphy and Zulli responded with an open letter titled "Not Fade Away", stating their intent to continue with or without Diamond's support.
This incident was one of the primary factors leading to Sim's participation in developing the Creator's Bill of Rights
Creator's Bill of Rights
The Creator's Bill of Rights was a document drafted in November 1988 by a number of independent comic book artists and writers, designed to protect their rights as creators and aid against their exploitation by corporate work for hire practices...
.
Critical acclaim
The series received praise from Alan MooreAlan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
("quite impressive, quite ambitious"), Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
("intelligent and urgent mythology for the end of the millennium"), The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
("difficult but intriguing"), 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...
("Zulli's wildlife art is utterly breathtaking"), and Peter Laird
Peter Laird
Peter Alan Laird is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.-Early life and career:...
("a multi-level, imaginative, lushly-rendered story").
The relative low print runs of The Puma Blues, coupled with Zulli's later popularity (primarily due to his work on Neil Gaiman's The Sandman) has made it a popular cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
comic among both fans and collectors.
A lengthy tribute to and analysis of the series by Steve Bissette was included in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Soul's Winter, a 2007 trade paperback collecting Zulli & Murphy's work on Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .
External links
- Comic Geek Speak—Mr. Phil discusses Puma Blues
- Jog the Blog (July 4, 2006)—the (a)typical Puma Blues reading experience, through an in-depth examination of issue #18.
- Indie Spinner Rack (April 2007)—discussion of Puma Blues
- Partial cover gallery (issues #1-17)