Graffiti artists who faced arrest are now Street Artists and some making a LOT of money from spray paint cans and stencils. No real art. If you ever visit Bristol during its Upfest you will see some great artists, no stencils, drawing and painting incredible pieces free-hand.
Robert Crumb was the hero of the Underground Comix movement in the US, UK and other countries. He pushed boundaries and offended a lot of sensibilities. I do not like all his work but some is incredible. Apparently, according to the ‘nice guys’ who want to reboot comics history and get rid of anyone far more talented than themselves and their Beano/Dandy comics strips (yeah, real hard core to these people), Crumb is persona non grata (not welcome, to be side-lined and then ignored) in comics. Yes, they are jumping on the spineless Social Justice Warrior band wagon and be righteous feminists (though I can tell you what these ‘nice guys’ have said about women behind their backs as well as “ethnics”).
As I have mentioned before, people appear to crawl from under stones, wipe the slime off of themselves and then tell tales of the “disgusting human being” that is Robert Crumb -oh, and any woman Crumb has been with at certain times in his life. These, once you check them, turn out to be half truths or outright fabrications by people with a grudge or just pure jealousy.
Crumb ‘supports’ the use of drugs, sexist language and the degradation of all women. Women are there to be quiet and get used for sex then kicked out of the door. Is it any wonder with this type of constant online attack that Crumb keeps to himself?
But how does this affect the ‘nice guys|’ and their work? Okay, most of it is art for Dandy that has not progressed in style, in fact it has stagnated, since the 1980s. However, they are ‘friends’ with artists that draw loosely clad women, some other rather anti-SJW work and above all else, creators who openly promote the use of drugs -not occasionally but in every strip they draw.
Now before anyone starts shouting out any claims let me get things straight. I knew policemen involved in Operation Julie in the mid 1970s. Far from the doped out idiots claiming this was aimed at people “innocently wanting a bit of Puff (cannabis)” it was in fact aimed at LSD manufacturing rings in the UK. When these creators start spouting their rhetoric about this all being aimed at pot smokers the sounds they make come from their asses.
“Dope don’t do you any harm”. Yes. Yes it does if you are a “recreational user” smoking it 2-3 times a day AND consuming alcohol at the same time -that part of the scientific research they often quote they leave out.
I have seen the medical benefits of marijuana and even helped administer it once when it was totally illegal in the 1970s. I have seen someone going purple in the face, uncontrollable coughing, rasping breathing and the crackling sounds coming from the chest I remember vividly. Within two minutes of smoking a joint the person was able to breath again. In his case his own doctor had recommended cannabis but could not prescribe or supply it/ I have seen other examples.
So, I am not backing “The Man”…that they still use that term…
There are no DEA agents on covert missions backed up by black ops and all sorts of super tech gear. No war planes or drone strikes. The UK has never had that so to weave this fantasy into some story about “a few innocent lads who just want to chill out” is embarrassing. Time after time after time and it makes those involved in the comics look like jokes and it is a genre of comic that really is not going to be remembered for much. hose behind these comics show talent but will not venture away and try something new. The question is whether this is through choice or whether it is because they have been told that they have to stick with doing this -oh, there are people who act like little groups of bullies and tell you what you must do and if the artist has no backbone he’ll do what he’s told for an easy life and ‘acceptance’ …until he steps out of line.
Amongst certain UK creators there is a culture of heavy drinking (attend any UK comic convention still going) and smoking dope (some while being outspoken against it). I have seen this first hand since the 1980s and many others can cite the same sort of thing. On the various incarnations of online CBO I have reported on drunken creators and their behaviour, including swearing, throwing things across rooms where they are supposed to be on panels and hitting people and even hotel staff complaining about their intoxicated behaviour. This is/was a laugh to the ‘nice guys’ who were hanging on to coat tails or part of the group.
Bland, silly and outdated fantasy drug culture material is acceptable -anyone read Bryan Talbot’s The Naked Artist ? – but Crumb and other creators not conforming to what these ‘nice guys’ like, because then they can say they support “talent” and British comics (and their own inane work looks better then).
This is the sort of thing you can expect if you become involved with UK comics. It is the reason that many talented UK Silver and Bronze ages creators avoid events and any online group.
No one tells you whose work you should read or look at or even like. No one can tell you what you must draw and that you must never develop beyond what they like.
Do not join the long line of could-have-been creators or event organisers who give in to bullying from a small group of people who lack real talent for anything but that.
You are you.
Fuck them.
Comic Bits 20 