Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton | |
---|---|
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame , 2012 | |
Spouse(s) | Lora Fountain |
Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940)[2] is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, and Wonder Wart-Hog.
Biography
Early life and education
Shelton was born in Dallas, Texas, on May 31, 1940. His father, George Shelton, worked for
Early career
Directly after graduation, Shelton moved to New York City and got a job editing automotive magazines, where he would sneak his drawings into print. Early work of his was published in Warren Publishing's Help![1] The idea for the character of Wonder Wart-Hog, a porcine parody of Superman, came to him in 1961. The following year, Shelton moved back to Texas to enroll in graduate school and get a student deferment from the draft. The first two Wonder Wart-Hog stories appeared in Bacchanal, a short-lived college humor magazine, in the spring of 1962. That same year, he published (in zine form) Frank Stack's The Adventures of Jesus, one of the first underground comix; Stack wrote and drew the comic strip under the name Foolbert Sturgeon.
Shelton then became editor of The Texas Ranger[1] and published more Wonder Wart-Hog stories.
After switching from graduate school to art school (where he befriended singer
The period of 1965–1968 was an itinerant one for Shelton: he moved to New York to work for the
That same year, Millar Publishing Company, who had been publishing regular Wonder Wart-Hog stories since 1966, published two issues of Wonder Wart-Hog. 140,000 copies of each were printed, but distributors did not pick up the magazine, and only 40,000 of each were sold.[citation needed]
Underground comix star
Also in 1968 Shelton
In 1969, Shelton co-founded
During this period, Shelton was also a regular contributor to
In the 1970s, Shelton managed the
Shelton designed the cover art for the 1973 album
He also illustrated the cover of the early classic
In 1979,
Later work
Shelton's
A new Wonder Wart-Hog story appeared in Zap Comix #15 (Last Gasp, 2005), as well as The Complete Zap boxed set (Fantagraphics, 2014) which contained Zap #16; and a new Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers story appeared in Zap #16 as well.
Fifty Freakin' Years with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was published in 2017 by Knockabout Comics. It contains new strips by Shelton, as well as his written introduction.
Music
In 1966 Shelton formed the Gilbert Shelton Ensemble and released a
Since moving to France, Shelton has become part of a rhythm and blues group, the Blum Brothers, featuring Shelton on vocals and piano. The band features fellow cartoonist musician Bruno Blum on vocals and guitar. A Blum-produced album was recorded but not released. The Blum Brothers played at the Jockomo, a New Orleans-style bar in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.[3]
Personal life
Shelton and his wife, literary agent Lora Fountain, left San Francisco in 1979.[11] They were residents of Barcelona, (Catalonia, Spain) in 1980–1981,[7] and moved to France in 1984.[7][10]
In popular culture
Film and TV
There have been several attempts to film Shelton's Freak Brothers characters, and over the years there were several film rights options taken on Shelton's work, but none of them went to production.[12]
In 1978, the unauthorized
It was rumored that Universal's acquisition of the Freak Brothers film rights in 1979 was in order to prevent competition against the Cheech & Chong franchise. Although a script was written, the film was never done.[14][13]
At one point, the Freak Brothers' antics were reportedly being turned into a
Finally, in 2021, an animated series called Freak Brothers featuring the voices of
Music
"Set My Chickens Free"
Shelton's strip "Set My Chickens Free," published in issue #1 of the Bijou Funnies comic (1968) has been used in multiple music projects:
- In 1969, the words were set to music by The Hub City Movers and recorded as "The Chicken Song"; re-released in 1983 as "Set Your Chickens Free".[18][19]
- In David Carradine's 1975 album Grasshopper (and 1976 single "Cosmic Joke"), he uses the words in "Chicken Song."[20]
- In 1994, Merle Haggard used the words in his song "Set My Chickens Free," released on his studio album 1994.[21]
Literature
Shelton's "Set My Chickens Free" cartoon was also published on page 128 of Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book (1971), illustrating its third section, "Liberate!"
Bibliography
Wonder Wart-Hog
- Wonder Wart-Hog (2 issues, Millar Publishing Company, 1967)
- (Not Only) The Best of Wonder Wart-Hog (3 issues, Rip Off Press and the Print Mint, 1973) — issues #1-2 published by Rip Off Press, #3 by the Print Mint
- Wonder Wart-Hog, Hog of Steel (3 issues, Rip Off Press, 1995)
- Wonder Wart-Hog and The Battle of the Titans (Rip Off Press, 1985)
- Underground Classics #5 (Rip Off Press, 1987) —titled "Wonder Wart-Hog Vol. 1"
- Wonder Wart-Hog and the Nurds of November (Rip Off Press, 1988)
- The Best of Wonder Wart-Hog (Knockabout Comix, 2013)
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
- The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers (13 issues, Rip Off Press, 1971–1997) — with Dave Sheridan (1974–1982) and Paul Mavrides (1978–1997)
- Thoroughly Ripped with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy's Cat! (Rip Off Press, 1978) ISBN 9780896200777. There are 2 editions, one with a board game, one without
- Underground Classics #1 (Rip Off Press, 1985) — titled "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #0"
- The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Volume One (Knockabout Comics, 2001) ISBN 0-86166-146-X— reprints The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #0–7 and 12
- The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Volume Two (Knockabout Comics, 2003) ISBN 0-86166-149-4— reprints The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #8-11 and 13
- The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus (Knockabout Comics, 2008)
- Fifty Freakin' Years with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers (Knockabout Comics, 2017)
Fat Freddy's Cat
- The Collected Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat and his Friends (Gilbert Shelton, 1975)
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat (ISBN 0-8296-0054-X— reprints the four small Adventures of ... comix except for 4 strips from #2 and 1 strip from #3
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 1 (Rip Off Press, 1977)
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 2 (Rip Off Press, 1977)
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 3 (Rip Off Press, 1977)
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 4 (Rip Off Press, 1980) — titled "The Burning of Hollywood"
- The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat Book 5 (Rip Off Press, 1980)
- More Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat (Rip Off Press, 1981) ISBN 0-89620-057-4— reprints 91 one-page strips
- Fat Freddy's Comics & Stories (2 issues, Rip Off Press, 1983–1985)
- The Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus (Knockabout Comics, 2009) ISBN 0-86166161-3— reprints The Adventures of Fat Freddy's Cat #1-7, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers #1-6
Other titles
- Feds 'N' Heads (self-published, 1968) — re-issued in multiple printings by the Print Mint
- Give Me Liberty: A Revised History of the American Revolution 1976
- Underground Classics #12: "Gilbert Shelton in 3D" (Rip Off Press, 1990)
- Philbert Desanex' Dreams (Rip Off Press, 1993)
- Not Quite Dead (6 issues, Rip Off Press, 1993–1996; Knockabout Comics, 2005–2010) — with Pic
References
- ^ a b c d Shelton entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed November 5, 2016.
- ^ "Gilbert Shelton - Comic Book DB". May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017.
- ^ a b "Premis Liberpress | 2011 Gilbert Shelton".
- ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Texas Ranger," ComixJoint. Accessed December 22, 2016.
- ^ Freeman, John (November 3, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Gilbert Shelton reveals some Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers secrets, new collection extracts!".
- ^ Holland, Richard A. The Texas Book: Profiles, History, and Reminiscences of the University (University of Texas Press, 2006), pp. 223–299.
- ^ a b c Elam, Elliot (February 15, 2013). "Gilbert Shelton in Conversation". The Comics Journal. No. 302. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
- ^ a b Fox, M. Steven. "Feds 'n' Heads," ComixJoint. Accessed Nov. 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Estren, Mark. A History of Underground Comics: 20th Anniversary Edition (Ronin Publishing, 2012), p. 54.
- ^ a b c d e Fox, M. Steven. "Rip Off Comix — 1977-1991 / Rip Off Press," Comixjoint. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2022.
- ^ Ward, Ed. "The Fab Three," Texas Monthly (Nov. 1991), pp. 116–120.
- ^ a b Kuznik, Frank (July 1, 2009). "Drawing conclusions". The Prague Post.
- ^ a b "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Movie!". Rip Off Press, Inc.'s Freak Brothers Factory Store. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
- ^ Don Markstein. "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers". Toonopedia. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
- ^ "X takes 'Grassroots' toke". The Hollywood Reporter. February 14, 2006.
- ^ Knowles, Harry (January 13, 2006). "There Is A God!!! I've Got Absolute Indisputable Proof of His Existence!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^ "Tubi Grooves into Adult Toons with Debut Original 'The Freak Brothers'". October 19, 2021.
- ^ "The Hub City Movers". Discogs. 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "Gilbert Shelton & The Hub City Movers". Captain Wayne’s Mad Music.com. 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "David Carradine - Grasshopper". Discogs. 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ "Merle Haggard - 1994". Discogs. 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
External links
- Gilbert Shelton at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- "Me and Gilbert Shelton: A Memoir," by Ramsey Wiggins, The Rag Blog, March 8, 2010.
- The Hog of Steel, a complete bibliography of Wonder Wart-Hog
- UT Texas Ranger Magazine archive
- Best of Creative Computing, Volume 2 cover art
Interviews
- "Gilbert Shelton Interview". No. 187. (Online excerpts) The Comics Journal. May 1996. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000.
- "Cartoonist and Underground Comix Artist Gilbert Shelton" on Rag Radio, interviewed by Thorne Dreyer, March 9, 2010.
- Video Interview with Gilbert Shelton on oc-tv.net