Drew Friedman MAVERIX AND LUNATICS: ICONS OF UNDERGROUND COMIX
Perverted, Insane, Degenerate, Brilliant. Artist Drew Friedman pays tribute to the great underground comix creators from Z (Zap) to A (Arcade).
With the publication of R. Crumb's debut issue of ZAP in 1968, the Underground Comix revolution exploded, creating a major paradigm shift and blowing the lid off the traditional comic book. Maverix & Lunatix features 101 full page portraits (and more) by a cartooning icon in his own right, Drew Friedman, spotlighting the essential artists, writers, and editors who defined one of the great art and countercultural movements of the 20th century. Featuring R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, S. Clay Wilson, Melinda Gebbie, Art Spiegelman, Vaughn Bode, Trina Robbins, Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, Sharon Rudahl, Larry Gonick, Rick Veitch, Joyce Farmer, Justin Green, "Grass" Green, George DiCaprio, Diane Noomin, Harvey Pekar, Robert Williams, Howard Cruse, Dan O'Neill, Spain Rodriguez, Shary Flenniken, Richard Corben, and so many others… all of whom helped to reinvent an entire artistic medium and became icons of underground comix.
Featuring a foreword by Marc Maron (WTF with Marc Maron) and an introduction by historian Patrick Rosenkranz (Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963–1975), each portrait in Maverix & Lunatix is also accompanied by a short biography of its subject by Friedman, making the book both a gorgeous art book and a valuable historical resource.
Published by Fantagraphics, 2023
216 color pages
Hardback
9“ x 11.1“
"Drew Friedman is the Hans Holbein of our time, but, you know, funnier." — R. Crumb
"Us maverix and lunatix are all geriatrix now, except for those who've already shed their mortal coil. Drew Friedman—the greatest master of grotesque, warts-and-all caricature since Basil Wolverton—has mellowed into a subtle portrait artist, affectionately and patiently probing the mugs of my generation when in their prime. He's built a Mount Rushmore-sized tribute to the gang who forced comix to grow up." — Art Spiegelman
"[Friedman's] talent continues to amaze me and is appreciated." — Howard Stern
"The drawings are incredible, as always - [Friedman] gets better with each book, which seems impossible - but this one also makes for a great and much-needed catalogue of the underground artists. …The cover is really incredible, too - just perfect." — Daniel Clowes
"I knew about half of the characters in this book. Some I was friends with, and some I just bumped into from time to time. The portraits of those I knew well are especially impressive to me. Drew Friedman is so eerily talented at capturing the essence of people it seems like he possesses a sixth sense. I bet he'd be a great Casting Director if he ever gets sick of drawing." — Terry Zwigoff (Director of Crumb and Ghost World)
