Gary Arlington Part II

Here are a few more clippings and photos of the late Gary Arlington.

From Gary's art shows in San Francisco

Bruce Simon, Paul Mavrides and I paid a visit on Gary at his last apartment which was filled with his drawings. He drew everyday.

Paul in Gary's apartment

Bruce and Gary

Another newspaper clipping from the early 70's about Gary.

This one is from California Living.

A few good articles and remembrances can be found at these links

Rio Yanez remembers Gary:

http://rioyanez.com/

The Comics Journal article "No Longer of This Planet" by Patrick Rosenkranz

http://www.tcj.com/no-longer-of-this-planet-gary-arlington-1938-2014/

San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Gary-Arlington-dies-founded-nation-s-1st-5163962.php

The Comics Beat remembrance by Bob Calhoun

http://comicsbeat.com/gary-edson-arlington-1938-2014-creator-of-the-comic-book-store/

For more Gary related posts on this  artblog check the archives or type in Arlington in the search at the top.

Gary Arlington

Gary Arlington died this week in San Francisco at the age of 75.

Photo from newspaper clipping circa late 1960's

Gary founded what was arguably the first comic book store in the country.

The San Francisco Comic Book Company existed before most anyone had ever heard of –or conceived of--a comic book shop.

Beyond that his shop was the focal point, ground zero, for the underground comic book movement of the late 1960’s.

In those early days one could wander in to Gary’s shop in the mission district and find Robert Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Rick Griffin, Greg Irons, George Metzger, Spain or Jaxon hanging out in the tiny, narrow store.  Rory Hayes worked behind the counter.  Many of the artists lived within blocks of the shop.

There was always someone standing around with original artwork in hand.

By the late 1970’s the underground scene diminished or at least transmutated into the broader alternative comics movement and, eventually, graphic novels.

The scene left, but Gary’s shop remained. He moved down the street a couple of storefronts and continued to sell comics—whether they were Archie, the Incredible Hulk or Maus.  Over the years his place got more dilapidated and cluttered.

I was a little taken aback when I met a younger generation San Francisco cartoonist who regarded Gary just as some old weird guy who ran a comic shop. 

I had assumed Gary’s legacy was intact even if his physical shop wasn’t so much.

But Gary has never really got his due.

Beyond his proprietorship Gary was always a creative mind who dreamed up quirky plots, great comic book titles and entire comic book series. He made connections and provided support for cartoonists, which could include a job, cash or a place to stay.

Gary also created, published or edited many titles including Man from Utopia, The New Gravity, All Stars, San Francisco Comic Book, Boogieman, Skull, Nickel Library and the first mini-comics.

I, like many other would-be cartoonists, found my way to Gary’s shop in the late 1960’s.  I also later became his employee working the mail order business (and even later at the shop).

In the beginning of the 70’s, my girlfriend of the time and I became roommates with Gary.  At one point or another Kim Deitch, Sally Cruikshank and Simon Deitch were there as well.  The nearby storefront where Gary’s mail order business was also served as the home for Rory Hayes.  Don Donahue, another resident, had his printing press there. Other cartoonists often crashed there as well. There were some pretty exotic times but I think that those stories may be for another occasion.

Gary was a one of a kind. He could make the most unanticipated comments. He always had an unusal take on things. He was open to taking on crazy projects. He had a deep and abiding affection for EC comics and for the work of artists like Wally Wood, Rick Griffin and Carl Barks. And he really did have a sign in the window that warned against “psychic vampires”

He was a very important and influential part of my life. 

From Gary's messiah phase. Photo from All Stars

I offer here a sort of random scrapbook of clippings, drawings and photos.

I’m always surprised how few photos are available from that era (no cell phones in the back pocket).

Almost no one seemed to carry a camera around (exception: Clay Geerdes) —it was certainly rare to have access to a super 8, or 16 mm movie camera…hence, precious few photos or film.

Gary 1972

This is me in the late 1960's after one of my first purchases at Gary's shop.

From Clay Geerdes' Comix World newsletter

I drew these ads for Gary's shop and mail order business. They appeared in the Douglas Comix Catalog (1972)

One of Gary's mini comics (1972)

This Clay Geerdes article "Underground Comix Become an Industry"
appeared in Eric Fromm's Comics & Stories, January 1973

                                                                                   (click on this to enlarge)

My comic strip from this same issue.

Gary outside his shop circa early 1980's
(The man in the background is Ray. He dropped in almost everyday)

A latter day take on Gary:

A panel from "The Haunted Comic Shop" by Mats from the New Mission News, Feb. 2003
(Artwork copyright Mats)

Later in life Gary started drawing on a daily basis.

He exhibited at the Mina Dresden Gallery and the Muddy Waters Cafe.

Last Gasp published a collection appropriately titled I An Not of This Planet: The Art of Gary Edson Arlington (2011)

Larry's Vault: A Mini History of Mini Comics

My recent post on the Treasury of Mini Comics with a bit of mini- history received a couple of comments. So I thought it might be worth while to expand on that a bit.   Here goes:

In the early 70’s I was living in a flat with Gary Arlington, (proprietor of the legendary San Francisco Comic Book Company). I was also working at his mail order comix business.

I recall Justin Green coming over with the paste up boards for Spare Comic? He showed us how the format worked (one sheet of back to back printed paper folded and quartered makes a 8 page chapbook or mini comic).

Gary and I were both impressed with it and began creating our own titles which Gary’s San Francisco Comic book Company printed (I believe he may have published Green’s Spare Comic?  as well).

The intro page from my mini Baloney 1972

The first of these minis were sold at Gary’s shop on the shelves with the underground comix. Gary also sold them through his Eric Fromm mail order business. They were sold in bagged packets for 50 cents as “Off the Cuff Comics”. 

Here’s a page from an Eric Fromm catalog of that period:

Eric Fromm mail order catalog page (click on it to enlarge)

Most of these sold for 7 cents--why?   Because Justin Green decided Spare Comic? should be seven cents --everyone else followed suit.

Most of the above shown titles were probably published by Gary and again, they were printed on photo offset presses from plates not photocopied.

Two comics shown above are not on the Justin Green model --the larger sized Murder by S.Clay Wilson and the rectangle formatted Mr. Infinity by Art Spiegleman.

Toy Dandruff and Lullabye for a Speed Freak by Scotty are actually booklets of poetry.  (I did the covers for both of those)

Since we’re on the subject, I also put together the cover of the mini faux Zap #7 (Gary dreamed that one up). Gary had the Crumb original art for an unused Zap logo. I did a paste up of the logo adding it to an old printed flyer by Crumb. I also added some other Crumb elements. The little “7”s were drawn by me.  (I did some paste up/production on some other minis as well).

Way back in ‘72 I drew the label for the Off the Cuff packet.

This was placed in the baggie with the mini comix set.



Other factoids:

A commentary on the infamous Dan White trial from the 1980 mini comic Pep Comix

I often see alleged histories of the mini comix movement that it began in the 1980’s.  I don’t know how this bit of historical revisionism became so popular. But the facts are there was a continuum of mini’s from 1972 on through and including the efforts of Clay Geerdes and Artie Romero in the late 70s and early 80’s --and on and on with all the varieties of alternative / DIY/  productions to this day.

And another skeleton sketch from Pep Comix:

Larry's Cartoon Vault: Gary Arlington

Congratulations to Gary Arlington.

Last Gasp just published a collection of Gary’s drawings “I Am Not of This Planet: The Art of Gary Edson Arlington”.



Gary in the early 1970's



 Former comic book shop proprietor, publisher, editor and comic artists mentor, Gary Arlington had hit on hard times in recent years.   But surprisingly, has reemerged as an artist. Gary now lives in the Mission Creek area near the SF Giant’s ball park.  He spends much of his time drawing.



Gary's place



Gary Arlington  founded the San Francisco Comic Book Company in San Francisco on 23^rd street  in 1968—arguably the very first comic book shop in the country, possibly the world.   R. Crumb wandered in with Zap Comix not long afterward and Gary’s shop soon became ground zero for the emerging underground comix scene.

By the beginning of the 1970’s, cartoonists from the east coast began moving into the Mission District—Roger Brand, Kim Deitch, Trina, Justin Green, Spain, Bill Griffith and others. Underground cartoonists congregated at the shop on a daily basis.

 I first met Gary there in 1969.  As a young neophyte cartoonist I spent many hours at the San Francisco Comic Book Co .  I got my first glimpses of Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, George Metzger, Greg Irons --and quite often their latest artwork. Rory Hayes worked behind the counter. Greg Irons gave me a tutorial on color separations. I also met Leonard Rifas at the SF Comic Book Co. 

Leonard and I both came into the shop the same February afternoon in 1970.  Gary had Leonard’s mini book Quoz on the shelf next to a comics tabloid Dirty Girdie’s Comix  featuring  my work.  Gary introduced us to each other and said “You guys should get together” (I eventually contributed to a handful of Leonard’s EduComics titles).

Gary knew comics; He had lots of good ideas.He had an immediate intuitive understanding of what the undergrounds were all about.  He created the San Francisco Comic Book and the EC influenced horror comic, Skull Comix. Gary published Hayes’ Bogeyman, Larry Fuller’s Ebon, the Nickel Library series and Rick Griffin’s Man from Utopia.

By late 1971, I became roommates with Gary and later worked at his Eric Fromm comix mail order operation . The Albion Street flat was a sort of waystation for cartoonists –during the time I was there Kim Deitch, Sally Cruikshank and Simon Deitch lived there at least briefly.



Eric Fromm crew: Gary in upper left. Larry as shoe rack- early 1973





A caricature I did of Gary in a comic strip in 1972



When Gary had to leave his home and shop a couple of years ago things weren’t looking so good. This book stands as a remarkable new chapter in Gary’s life.