Various (Thompson, Kim (Editor); Bukowski, Charles et al.)

Zero Zero No. 1 (March-April 1995)

Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, 1995. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. “The 1980s, despite their numerous other faults as a decade, were an electrifying period for “alternative,” “underground” (or whatever you want to call them) comics, and much of that electricity flowed from the twin poles of RAW and Weirdo, the Gog and Magog of comics anthologies. Curiously, the two magazines often seemed at odds with one another, each specifically rejecting the other’s sensibilities. Even though a number of cartoonists were able freely to cross over between the two factions (Friedman, Kaz, most of the old-time undergrounders), many others remained resolute RAWheads, or Weirdo-ers. One can scarcely imagine RAW’s intellectual Eurotoonists, or arty folks like Panter, Beyer, and Burns in Weirdo (to say nothing of Maus!) nor would J.D. King, Dennis Worden, or Peter Bagge have been conceivable in the hallowed pages of RAW. This graphic cold war has faded into the past: Crumb drew the cover for the final RAW, while Spiegelman and Burns contributed a piece to the last regular issue of Weirdo. Still, it was fun while it lasted. Factional warfare aside, there was something tremendously exciting about picking up a new issue of either magazine. In addition to finding new work by your old favorites, you never knew when some brand new (or just unknown-to-you) inkstud or artbabe would blow your brain straight through the back of your skull. A new issue of Cud, JIM, or Dirty Plotte is an exciting thing, sure, but page for page, you know more or less what you’re getting: you’re not going to turn a page and get your very first glimpse of a Panter, a Swarte, or a Seda–nor are you going to stumble across a rare new story by S. Clay Wilson or Justin Green. A goodly number of first-rate anthology comics have been cluttering up the comics-store racks since RAW and Weirdo’s oddly synchronous exit from center stage–Blab!, Drawn & Quarterly, Twisted Sisters, a handful of short-lived hopefuls from the Fantagraphics stables (most recently Snake Eyes)--but none has hit quite the same resonant chord as their ‘80s forebears. That balance of the new and the established, of penthouse art and gutter art, of quantity (page count for RAW, frequency for Weirdo) and quality, remains elusive. ZERO ZERO is but the latest to attempt a few steps down that path…”--Kim Thompson. Zero Zero was an alternative comics anthology published by Fantagraphics Books from 1995 to 2000. It was printed in a typical 6½ × 9¾ comic book format. Issues ranged between 40 and 64 pages in length, printed mostly in black-and-white with a color cover but occasionally including sections printed in one or two colors, notably a series of stories by Al Columbia (b. 1970). Its release schedule fluctuated between bimonthly and quarterly intervals over the course of its run. A significant proportion of Zero Zero's pages were given over to serialized works, including Richard Sala's (1954-2020) The Chuckling Whatsit, Dave Cooper's (b. 1967) Crumple, Mack White's (b. 1952) Homunculus, Kaz (b. 1959) and Timothy Georgarakis's Meat Box, and Kim Deitch's (b. 1944) The Strange Secret of Molly O'Dare and The Search for Smilin' Ed. Derf Backderf's (b. 1959) short strip "My Friend Dahmer", which he later expanded to an award-winning graphic novel of the same name, also appeared in its pages. Offered today is the debut issue of Zero Zero: First Issue, March-April 1995. This inaugural issue of Zero Zero features the following: “They Rolled the Whole Bed Out of There” by Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), the late, great patron-saint of all things debauched with art by Pat Moriarity with points in Debritto, B1813, pg. 415.; the nightmarish, drug and violence-filled “Mark’s Friend, Woody” by the legendary master of the grotesque, Mike Diana (b. 1969) of Boiled Angel fame; “Over The Hill With Jesus,” the nihilistic and despairing piece by “Foolbert Sturgeon,” a/k/a, Frank Stack (b. 1937); the surreal Bosch-ean, menagerie of the absurd and vile “The Great Disease,” by Henrietta Vallum (1959-2021); and the Picasso-meets-Cronenberg-esque “The Man with the Big Head” by David N. Holzman among many other great contributions! Comic book in stapled wrappers. First & only printing. In very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, and slight smudging to front and back covers. Interior similarly very fine with crisp, clean pages and bright colors. Very Fine. [Item #8345]

Price: $40.00