Newave! : the underground mini comix of the 1980's /

This neat block of a book's dimensions reflect those typical of its contents, a selection of the generally eight-page, five-by-five-inch, photocopied, hand-stapled mini comic books that hundreds of amateur and outside-the-business creators made and distributed as they could in the 1980s (examples of four '70s pioneers' stuff kicks things off, though). The author-artists represented were almost all inspired and abetted, particularly in redistribution, by Clay Geerdes (1934-97), publisher of the newsletter Comix World (later Comix Wave) and the collection's de facto dedicatee. Many became pros and a few are now famous (Peter Bagge, Rick Geary, Dan Clowes, Mary Fleener). In these pages, they already look good enough for prime time, though the comical sex and violence they portray often still isn't. Comics aficionados will spot an influence (or more) per page, though Basil Wolverton, Ed Big Daddy Roth, and frontline San Francisco undergrounders Crumb, Wilson, Shelton, Williamson, and Lynch are pervasive. Remarks by the most-represented contributors preface their work, and danged if still-amateur Steve Willis doesn't steal the show.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2010 Booklist

In his introduction to this fascinating treasure trove of an anthology, Dower describes drawing, folding, and stapling his first minicomic back in 1982. Many others were doing the same and their combined efforts added up to a do-it-yourself scene in which "obsessed nutballs" drew like crazy and made trips to the copy shops to get their work out there before the Web. In addition to work by greats like Artie Romero, Rick Geary, and Mary Fleener, and 50 or so others, the book serves as the history of a movement. The Newave Manifesto, written by Clay Geerdes in 1983 starts things off, and introductions and interviews preceding each creator's work puts it in context, while the list of artist Web sites at the end gives readers much more to discover. Some highlights include Dada Gumbo, in which a series of artists riff on the idea of dada; the 1993 comix ode to Louise Brooks by Molly Keily, whose black-and-white drawings offer seductive closeups of the actress's iconic eyes and hairstyle; and Brad Foster's Eternal Conflict, in which a man tries to get through dinner in clear line drawings that coolly present his absurdist difficulties. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved