View source for Rip Off Comix

{{Short description|Underground comix anthology}}
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image =RipOffComix11.jpg
|caption = The cover of ''Rip Off Comix'' #11 (Fall 1982), when the title converted to magazine format; art by [[Gilbert Shelton]] and [[Paul Mavrides]].
|schedule = bi-annually (1977–1983); quarterly (1987–1991)
|ongoing = y
|format = standard (issues #1-10); magazine (issues #11–31)
|publisher = [[Rip Off Press]]
|startmo = Apr.
|startyr = 1977
|endmo =
|endyr = 1991
|issues = 30
|genre = [[Underground comix|Underground]]
|Romance =
|multigenre =
|main_char_team = [[Wonder Wart-Hog]]<br />[[The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers]]
|writers =
|artists = [[Gilbert Shelton]], [[Bill Griffith]], [[Ted Richards (artist)|Ted Richards]], [[Justin Green (cartoonist)|Justin Green]], [[Joel Beck]], [[Mack White]], [[Frank Stack]], [[Dave Sheridan (cartoonist)|Dave Sheridan]], [[Fred Schrier]], [[Paul Mavrides]], [[Jean-Christophe Menu]], Joe Lee, [[Dori Seda]], [[Guy Colwell]], [[Larry Todd]], [[Spain Rodriguez]], [[Dennis Worden]], [[Frank Margerin]], [[Charlie Schlingo]], [[Mary Fleener]], [[Bernard Willem Holtrop]], [[Trina Robbins]], [[Larry Welz]], [[Mark Bodé]], [[Joshua Quagmire]], [[J. R. Williams (comics)|J. R. Williams]], [[Carol Lay]], [[Richard Sala]], [[Nina Paley]], [[Paul Ollswang]]
|pencillers =
|inkers =
|editors = Gilbert Shelton (c. 1982–1983)<br />Kathe Todd (c. 1987–1991)
|letterers =
|colorists =
|creative_team_month =
|creative_team_year =
|creators =
|subcat =
|sort = Rip Off Comix
}}
'''''Rip Off Comix''''' was an [[underground comix]] anthology published between 1977 and 1991 by [[Rip Off Press]]. As time passed, the sensibility of the anthology changed from underground to [[alternative comics]].

The anthology was originally a byproduct of the Rip Off Press [[Comic strip syndication|syndication service]], which, starting in the early 1970s, sold weekly content to [[alternative newspaper]]s and [[student publication]]s.<ref name=comixjoint>Fox, M. Steven. [https://comixjoint.com/ripoffcomix.html "Rip Off Comix — 1977-1991 / Rip Off Press"], Comixjoint. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2022.</ref> The syndication service was discontinued by 1979, but strips produced by such cartoonists as [[Gilbert Shelton]], [[Joel Beck]], [[Dave Sheridan (cartoonist)|Dave Sheridan]], [[Ted Richards (artist)|Ted Richards]], [[Bill Griffith]], and [[Harry Driggs]] (as R. Diggs) were published in early issues of ''Rip Off Comix''.<ref name=comixjoint /> For much of its run, the series served as a vehicle for Shelton's work, particularly [[Wonder Wart-Hog]] and [[The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers]]. 

For a period, ''Rip Off Comix'' was billed as "the International Journal of Humor and Cartoon Art", and became a showcase for the work of [[European comics|European cartoonists]].

== Publication history ==
The first ten issues of ''Rip Off Comix'' were standard comic book size and were published approximately every 6 months. From issue #11 onward ''Rip Off Comix'' was published magazine-size.

The title suffered a four-year hiatus between issue #12 (1983) and the next issue, #14 (1987); issue #13 was skipped in the numbering. From that point forward the title was published quarterly until it was canceled in 1991. As a result of skipping issue #13, even though the series ended with issue #31, only 30 issues were published in total.

Running for 14 years, ''Rip Off Comix'' was the second-longest-running title of any published by Rip Off Press (trailing only ''[[The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers]]'' title).<ref name=comixjoint />

== Overview ==
[[Gilbert Shelton]]'s [[Wonder Wart-Hog]] was a recurring character in issues #1-12 (1977–1983) (with the exception of issue #7). Shelton, Tony Bell, and Joe E. Brown, Jr. collaborated on the Wonder Wart-Hog storyline "Battle of the Titans", chapters 1–5, published in issues #8-12, a collaboration that spanned 20 years from the start to the finish of the story. Wonder Wart-Hog's last appearance in the title was in issue #22, published in 1989.

Shelton's [[The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers]] were also frequently featured in early issues, appearing in issues #1–14 (skipping only issue #7).

In addition to strips by Shelton, Beck, Sheridan, Richards, and Driggs; work by [[Frank Stack]], and Griffith's strip "Griffith Observatory" were constants of early issues as well. One of [[Fred Schrier]]'s last comics pieces appeared in issue #3 (Mar. 1978).

With issue #8 (Apr. 1981), ''Rip Off Comix'' opened the doors of the anthology to European contributors with a new feature called "Cartoonists of the World". That issue featured a section on [[British comics|British cartoonists]], including [[Alan Moore]], [[Leo Baxendale]], [[Edwin Pouncey]], [[Steve Moore (comics)|Steve Moore]], [[Edward Barker (cartoonist)|Edward Barker]], and [[Terry Gilliam]]. Issue #9 highlighted "[[French comics|comix from France]]", including [[Jean-Marc Reiser]], [[Bernard Willem Holtrop]], [[Florence Cestac]], and [[Charlie Schlingo]].

Issue #10 had a special section on [[Spanish comics|Spanish cartoonists]], including {{ill|Guillem Cifré|ca|Guillem Cifré i Barrabín|es}}, Juan Mediavilla, [[Miguel Gallardo (comics artist)|Miguel Gallardo]], Sento, Marti Riera Ferrer (Martí), [[Francesc Capdevila]] (Max), {{ill|Joaquim Aubert Puigarnau|lt=Joaquim Aubert Puigarnau (Kim)|ca||es|Kim (historietista)|fr|Kim (auteur de bande dessinée)}}, {{ill|Nazario Luque|ca|Nazario|es||fr|Nazario}}, Javier Montesol, and Simonides. Issue #11 devoted a section to [[Dutch comics|Dutch cartoonists]], including [[Joost Swarte]], [[Kamagurka]], [[Peter Pontiac]], and [[Evert Geradts]].

Shelton edited issues #11–12. With issue #11 (Fall 1982), ''Rip Off Comix'' converted to magazine format, adding text features as well as comix. It also began billing itself as "the International Journal of Humor and Cartoon Art". Shelton and [[Paul Mavrides]] began serializing "[[The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers]] in The Idiots Abroad" in issues #11 and 12. Issue #12 featured Danish cartoonists, including Storm Petersen, [[Freddy Milton]], {{ill|Claus Deleuran|da||no}}, Ole Pihl, Peter Kielland-Brandt, {{ill|Mardon Smet|pl|Mårdøn Smet}}, {{ill|Henning Kure|da|Henning Kure}}, {{ill|Sussi Bech|da||fr||no||sv}}, and Joergen Nielsen.

[[Spain Rodriguez]] and [[Larry Todd]] contributed to issue #14; issue #15 featured a number of [[Franco-Belgian comics|Franco-Belgian cartoonists]], including {{ill|Jean-Michel Thiriet|fr}}, [[Frank Margerin]], [[Philippe Vuillemin]], {{ill|Pierre Ouin|fr}}, [[Jean-Christophe Menu]], {{ill|Paul Carali|fr|Carali}}, [[Charlie Schlingo]], and [[Ray Goossens]].

[[Larry Marder]] and [[Don Simpson (cartoonist)|Don Simpson]] contributed a story to issue #17.

Gilbert Shelton and the French cartoonist Pic's ''[[Not Quite Dead]]'' characters first appeared on the cover of issue #19 (Summer 1988), with their first adventure occurring in issue #25 (Winter 1989).

Regular contributors in the late 1980s-early 1990s included such notable names as [[Mary Fleener]], [[Dennis Worden]], [[Trina Robbins]], [[Larry Welz]], [[Mark Bodé]], [[Joshua Quagmire]], [[J. R. Williams (comics)|J. R. Williams]], [[Paul Ollswang]], [[Ace Backwords]], [[Carol Lay]], and [[Nina Paley]], as well as R. L. Crabb, Ronn Foss, Bruce Bolinger, Wayne Honath, Douglas Michael, Lindsay Arnold, The Pizz, George Parsons, and Lyndal Ferguson.

[[Mack White]]'s first professionally published story, "El Bandito Muerto", appeared in issue #26 (March 1990).<ref name=aas>{{cite journal|last=Wolfinsohn |first=Deborah J.|title=Inside XL's Cartoon Cartel|journal=Austin American-Statesman XLNT|volume=4:14|issue=April 3–9, 1997|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EA057F711F56DDC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|page=32}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Raw (comics magazine)|Raw]]''
* ''[[Weirdo (comics)|Weirdo]]''

== References ==
{{ref begin}}
{{reflist}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Luciano, Dale. "Parody, Poetry, Perversion, and a Bludgeoned Bard", ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' #81 (May 1983), pp. 41-46.
* Uhlenbrock, Bryan. "A Rip Off is a Good Deal: An Overview of Rip-Off Comics", ''[[Comics Feature]]'' #16 (Feb. 1982), pp. 53-58.

==External links==
* {{gcdb series|id= 17118 |title=Rip Off Comix}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id= 22314 |title=Rip Off Comix}}
* [http://comixjoint.com/ripoffcomix.html ''Rip Off Comix'' section] of ComixJoint, including reviews of all 30 issues

{{Underground comix works}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rip Off Comix)}}
[[Category:1977 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1991 comics endings]]
[[Category:Underground comix]]
[[Category:Comics anthologies]]
[[Category:San Francisco Bay Area literature]]