Larry’s Comic Art Memorabilia

While we are all ‘confined to quarters’ during this terrible pandemic, many of us are doing some version of spring cleaning—sifting through the debris of our life.

I’ve been attempting to organize/clean/purge my studio-office (aka Larry’s Cartoon Vault). It’s a slow going process to be sure.

I’ve also received a couple of old-cartooning-days blasts from the past of late.

Here are a couple.

Kevin Brady sent me this scan of a cartoon drawn by another Kevin—Kevin East.

The drawing commemorates the first encounter of a handful of young, neophyte cartoonists. We all met at the first Bay Con held at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley in 1975.

Me, Marc Miyashiro (who at the time drew ‘Xeno’ for the Berkeley Barb), Michael T. Gilbert (of Mr. Monster fame and various mainstream enterprises including, Superman, Dr. Strange and Mickey Mouse), Kevin Brady (a Dan O’Neil cartooning student who became host and/or wrangler of the soon to be GroundUnder Cartoonists and still making art up in the foothills of the Sierras) and Kevin East (another former Dan O’Neil student and Berkeley Barb cartoonist).


Speaking of the GroundUnder Cartoonists: I just rediscovered, in the Cartoon Vault, a tattered, torn, poorly printed official “GroundUnder’ T-shirt.

The late Roger May instigated the creation (and silk screening) of the meat-grinding T-Shirt featuring cartoon self-portraits of most of the core members.

‘Membership’ was a loose distinction, in deed. We met every Thursday night at Kevin Brady’s place in the Sunset district of San Francisco. We ate, drank, did a lot of show-and-tell, and created some very rambling cartoon jam sessions (many saw print in various Roger May self-published comics such as Vibratory Provincial News). 

Right to left, top row are: The amazing Melinda Gebbie as an amazing squid, Trina Robbins, Marc Miyashiro, Shelby Sampson, Roger May and Dot Bucher. Center: Kevin Brady. Right of Kevin: Michael T. Gilbert. Bottom: Me.


Michael Gilbert dug up a photo (circa 1977?) previously unknown to me.

Right to left are: Hairy Me again, Al Gordon (Marvel, DC inker), then Mary Gordon (a good calligrapher), Michael T. Gilbert, Steve Leialoha (another well-known DC and Marvel artist) and (legendary underground comix pioneer and comics “herstorian”) Trina Robbins.

I don’t know what the heck were supposed to be doing or why.  It looks like an out-take from an Austin Powers movie.

Stay Healthy

A Glimpse at the APE

This weekend I attended the Alternative Press Expo (aka APE). This year it was held at Ft. Mason along the Marina in San Francisco. An ideal setting for the event. Over the years, APE has presented a slew of often fascinating alternative books, comics and prints. In the past I recall seeing more adventuresome projects (involving letterpress chapbooks, hand sewn binding, screenscreen covers, art books and many aesthetic surprises). Of late that seems to have given way to a more small entrepreneur approach--less wacky and experimental but still pretty exciting.

I always come away with a lot of paper. Here are a few scraps from APE 2014:

Here's just one page from illustrator Mike Lee's book Bodega. The drawings in Bodega are all in pencil   (My first take was they must be digital art). 

For more about this excellent illustrator check out www. mlee. us

 A card announcing a new book by Veronica Graham and Jesse Eisenhower.

A digital print and business card by Yoshi Yoshitani. (Thanks to Val for the print).

A postcard of the mural Whole Cluster by Koak. (The 10 x 12 ft. chalk mural is at the Terroir wine bar on Folsom St. in San Francisco).

Here are a few business cards.

New business card by the talented Josh Ellingson

Veteran cartoonist and illustrator Rick Geary

Here's Vincent Kukua, R.R. Werner and  Jose Moreno.

Avy Jetter

Monstark otherwise known as Mark Thompson.

Here's some monstrous art from his new mini comic Hybrid Moments.

Veronica Graham and Jesse Eisenhower.

Louis M. Brill

Sushu Xia creator of China Comics

The Drink and Draw group.

I attended only one panel talk this year: Robert Williams, painter, Zap cartoonist and founding father of

Juxtapoz magazine.

There were lots (and lots) of young creative artists at APE but I somehow managed to hang out with the old timers like Al Gordon, Bruce Simon and Mark Badger.

Here's comic book artist Al Gordon channeling Steve Ditko.

Seriuosly talented artist and teacher, Mark Badger, has worked on all manner of comic book projects but is currently working on an adaption of Bill Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

He also created this remarkable Abstract Kirby (as in Jack Kirby).

Underground cartoonist Bruce Simon (People Are Phony, Mindshaft) and Mark Badger.

Unfortunately, this is APE's last year in San Francisco. It will be moving to San Jose (and according to current rumors will be scaled down). We will see.