Jaxon (cartoonist)
Jack Jackson | |
---|---|
Born | Pandora, Texas, US | May 15, 1941
Died | June 8, 2006 Stockdale, Texas, US | (aged 65)
Area(s) | Cartoonist, illustrator, historian, writer |
Pseudonym(s) | Jaxon |
Notable works | God Nose Rip Off Press historical comics |
Jack Edward Jackson (May 15, 1941 – June 8, 2006), better known by his pen name Jaxon, was an American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer. He co-founded Rip Off Press, and some consider him to be the first underground comix artist, due to his most well-known comic strip God Nose.[1]
Early life
Jackson was born in 1941 in
Career
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot
In addition to Slow Death, Jackson contributed to a selection of other underground comix, including Barbarian Comics (California Comics) and Radical America Komiks (Radical America Magazine). In the 1980s Jaxon contributed historical comics to Fantagraphics' Graphics Story Monthly and a number of Kitchen Sink Press titles, including BLAB! and the 11-part, 126-page "Bulto… The Cosmic Slug," about a space creature's effect on the people of the ancient Southwest, which was serialized in Death Rattle. Jackson did freelance work for Marvel Comics as a colorist from 1988 to 1991.[4]
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of
The
Personal life
Jackson died in Stockdale, Texas on June 8, 2006, in an apparent suicide after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.[7][8][9]
Legacy and honors
- Lifetime fellowship to Texas Historical Association
- Judges' Choice for The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2011[10]
Bibliography
Comics-format
- God Nose (self-published, 1964; republished by Rip Off Press, 1969)
- Happy Endings Comics (Rip Off Press, Aug. 1969)
- Comanche Moon: A Picture Narrative About Cynthia Ann Parker (Rip Off Press, 1979)
- Recuerden El Alamo: The True Story of Juan N. Seguin and his Fight for Texas Independence (Last Gasp, 1979)
- Los Tejanos (Fantagraphics Books, 1982)
- Jaxon's Illustrated Tales (FTR Publishing, 1984)
- The Secret of San Saba: A Tale of Phantoms and Greed in the Spanish Southwest (Kitchen Sink Press, 1989)
- Optimism of Youth: The Underground Work of Jack Jackson (Fantagraphics Books, 1991)
- (adaptation of the novel by James Fenimore Cooper) Dark Horse Classics: Last of the Mohicans (Dark Horse Comics, 1992)
- (with Neal Barrett, Jr., adapted from the novel by Joe R. Lansdale) Dead in the West (Dark Horse Comics, 1993)
- God's Bosom and Other Stories: The Historical Strips of Jack Jackson (Fantagraphics Books, 1995)
- "Threadgill's: The Comic Book," in Threadgill's: The Cookbook (Longstreet Press, 1996)
- Lost Cause: ReconstructionTexas (Kitchen Sink Press, 1998)
- Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (Mojo Press, 1999)
- The Alamo: An Epic Told from Both Sides (Paisano Graphics, 2002) — self-published
- New Texas History Movies (ISBN 978-0876112236)
Prose
- Long Shadows: Indian Leaders Standing in the Path of Manifest Destiny, 1600–1900. Amarillo, TX: Paramount Publishing, 1985.
- Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas, 1721–1821. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 1986.
- (with Maurine T. Wilson) Waco, TX: Texian Press, 1987.
- Mapping Texas & the Gulf Coast: The Contributions of Saint-Denis, Oliván, & Le Maire. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1990.
- Imaginary Kingdom: Texas As Seen by the Rivera & Rubi Military Expeditions, 1727 & 1767. Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association, 1995.
- Flags Along the Coast: Charting the Gulf of Mexico, 1519–1759. Austin, TX: Book Club of Texas/Wind River Press, 1995.
- Shooting the Sun: Cartographic Results of Military Activities in Texas, 1689–1892. Austin, TX: Book Club of Texas/Wind River Press, 1998.
- (ed., with trans. John Wheat) Texas by Terán: The Diary Kept by General Manuel de Mier y Terán on His 1828 Inspection of Texas. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2000.
- Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean In Mexican Texas. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2005.
- Almonte’s Texas: Juan N. Almonte's 1834 Inspection, Secret Report, and Role in the 1836 Campaign. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association, 2005.
References
- ^ a b Booke, Keith M. 2010, Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels, ABC-CLIO, LLC, Santa Barbara, CA
- ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Texas Ranger," ComixJoint. Accessed Dec. 18, 2016.
- ^ Moriaty, J. David. "Back From the Dead," The Texas Sun (Apr. 8, 1977). Archived at The Newspaper Archives of the Texas Sun. Accessed Dec. 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Jackson entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Oct. 1, 2016.
- ^ "Texas History Movies". Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Texas History Movies". www.toonopedia.com. Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ M. B. Taboada, "Austin cartoonist dies: 'Jaxon' known as first underground cartoonist" Archived June 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Austin American-Statesman (June 10, 2006).
- ^ Robert Faires, "Texas in Bold, Dark Strokes", Austin Chronicle (June 16, 2006).
- ^ Moser, Margaret (August 11, 2006). "Arts: General Jackson". The Austin Chronicle. 25 (50). Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ "The 2011 Eisner Awards: Nominees Announced - Nominations Span Full Range of Works". www.comic-con.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011.
Further reading
- Kim Thompson and Gary Groth, "Devoured By His Own Fantasies", introduction to Optimism of Youth: The Underground Work of Jack Jackson, Fantagraphics, 1991.
- Gary Groth, Excerpts from A Tribute to Jaxon, Monday, September 18, 2006
External links
- Jack Jackson profile at Lambiek
- Jack Jackson interview, The Comics Journal #213
- Art and Artifice
- Jack Jackson on the Rag Authors' Page
- Jaxon's Last Ride documentary short interview on YouTube
- Vimeo Jaxon: Drawn to the Task interview
- UT Texas Ranger Magazine archive
- Jaxon at Find a Grave