He was drawing comics with an ‘underground’sensibility before there was a formal notion of
underground comics. He started in the
science fiction fandom circles and gravitated to the burgeoning comic book
fanzine movement of the early 1960s. Most notably Metzger contributed to Fantasy
Illustrated (later titled Graphic Story Magazine- the publication
responsible for coining the terms ‘Graphic Story’ and ‘Graphic Novel’). His fanzine work anticipated the underground
comics that were to appear on the horizon just a few years later.
Metzger’s work was almost always science fiction—a kind of mash-up
collision of hippie-post-apocalyptic themes that decades later would probably
have been labeled Steampunk.
Also a hint of Manga…
And he was doing all of this before there was truly a
format to accommodate this sort of work.
(His work among the usual fan-boy Super Hero stylings that appeared in Star
Studded Comics, Voice of Comicdom and other fanzines stuck out like a very
creative sore thumb).
His story, Master Tyme and Mobius Tripp, in Fantasy
Illustrated #7 raised a ruckus among its readers (who were usually among
the most open minded in comic fandom of the time).
One letter writer of the time said:
“My first reaction is
that I hope not all your experimental work is like this one.
The story reminds me (as it no doubt is supposed to) of the
‘hippie’ publications I’ve seen around the University of Washington…”
Although editor & archivist John Benson called Master Tyme and Mobius Tripp possibly "the most original
comic story in a decade”.
With all this said, I’m offering --from the Cartoon Vault--a very early
document: letters by Metzger from the science fiction fanzine, Pastell,
edited by Bjo Trimble dated June 1966.
( I've always been intrigued by the title "Whatever Happened to George Metzger" --since in 1966, it was the first time I had ever heard of him).
