LEGION OF CHARLIES (LAST GASP)

LEGION OF CHARLIES
One-shot
1971
Publisher: Last Gasp Eco-Funnies
Editor: Ron Turner
Cover: Greg Irons
Pages: 36
Cover price: 50 cents

CONTENTS
"The Legion of Charlies"
Script: Tom Veitch
Art: Greg Irons

"The Conversion of President Nixnerk"
Script: Dave Sheridan
Art: Dave Sheridan

During their heyday, or as R. Crumb would put it, Hytone days, underground comix were the creative outlet for hippie writers and artists who wanted to express their counter-culture, subversive and often perverse visions on the printed page when no mainstream publisher would touch them with a 10-foot pole. Found only in head shops (they're known as "Smoke Shops" now, and only carry drug paraphernalia sans black light posters and the rest) and through the mail, underground comix were unabashed in their political, satirical and sexual themes.

One of the most extreme of the satirical titles that was ever concocted on a drawing board was the story of the "Legion of Charlies". The dope-enhanced brain child of writer Tom Veitch (Slow Death Funnies) and Greg Irons (Skull Comix), "Charlies" opens with the comic version of a split screen movie that concurrently shows two American tragedies: The Mai Lai Massacre in Vietnam and Manson's Tate-La Bianca killings.

The story progresses as the spirit of Manson (the "Charlie" of the story) takes over the bodies of returning Vietnam veterans who go on a bloody mission to remove "the Establishment" from power.

A powerful critique of "The Man" in all his deviant glory, "Charlies" is a social commentary that will stick to you like an alien face-hugger, especially if you were around during these times. The paradox that was the Vietnam war will forever a divisive topic. This comic exploits the contradiction in the most disturbing of ways.

TWO-FISTED ZOMBIES NO. 1 COMPLETE ORIGINAL ART

Most people equate underground "comix" with unbridled sex, perversity and drug use. With titles like Jiz, Felch, and Tits & Clits, there's not much to argue about. However, it is necessary to add that most of these demented geniuses were heavily influenced by the comics of their youth, specifically the horror comics of the 1950s lead by Bill Gaines' EC Comics line. If you saw the recent posts here at MMW on Skull Comics you'd know what I mean.

Other underground comix creators emulated the 50s horror comics, albeit with considerably more graphic violence, sex and gore, which is not to say that the 50s comics weren't gruesome themselves, but the undergrounds took it to the limit.

One of the more restrained titles was Two-Fisted Zombies. Opting for a more conventional storyline, the example shown here elects to use a fair amount of violence and nudity, but the overall tone of the story is more in the traditional style of "above-ground" comic books. It even emulates an EC title, Two-Fisted Tales.

Presented here is Two-Fisted Zombies #5, created by Rick (art) and Tom (words) Veitch, and published by San Francisco's Last Gasp Eco-Funnies in 1973. Listed as "Two-Fisted Zombies #5", it is actually "Two-Fisted Zombies #1 as All New Underground Comix #5" as described on the title page. Shown here in its original art form (14" x 17" Bristol Board), "Death's World -- A World of Terror!", is a tale of a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Earth. With artwork influenced by the late, great Jack Kirby, it is just one of many examples of the modern comic book mutated by the hands of underground comix creators, with an added tip of the water pipe to the horror comics of the 1950s.

Color cover.

Back cover.