The Complete Zap Comix Boxed Set

There scarcely was an underground comics world before Robert Crumb's classic solo first issue ofZap. By Zap #2, he had begun assembling a Seven Samurai of the best, the fiercest, and the most stylistically diversified cartoonists to come out of the countercultural kiln. All of them were extremists of one sort or another, from biker-gang member Rodriguez to Christian surfer Griffin, but somehow they produced a decades-long collaboration: a mind-blowing anthology of abstract hallucination, throat-slashing social satire, and shocking sexual excess, that made possible the ongoing wave of alternative cartoonists like Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware, and Charles Burns. The Complete Zap Comix collects every issue of Zap — every cover and every story, and even the Zam mini comic jam among the Zap artists — in a five-volume, slipcased hardcover set. It will also include the 17th unpublished issue with work by Crumb, Moscoco, Wilson, Rodriguez, Shelton, Mavrides, and Williams. Plus, an introduction by founder R. Crumb and an oral history of Zap by Patrick Rosenkranz. Zap is the most historically and aesthetically important comics series ever published.

Also included exclusively in this boxed set is a portfolio of?Zap covers by the eight artists, replicated from high resolution scans and proofs,?and specially printed for this edition on acid-free, 100% cotton fine-art paper utilizing archival pigment inks.

“"...Zap Comix [is] a top five comic book series in terms of historical importance and a top 10 comic book series in terms of artistic significance."”

...The Complete Zap [is]... strikingly designed... While the early issues stand as rowdy documents of the 1960s counterculture, Zap was also more. In reinventing the comic book, it set off legal battles and conversations over censorship, brought attention to cartoonists as artists, and set an example for generations of alternative comics creators...--Dana Jennings "The New York Times"
...Zap Comix [is] a top five comic book series in terms of historical importance and a top 10 comic book series in terms of artistic significance.--Tom Spurgeon "The Comics Reporter"
Is it possible for something to be too good? If so, this deluxe set of complete Zap Comix might just be it. This is the most important comics collection to be released in years... This set is worth every penny of its price tag.--Benn Ray "Largehearted Boy"
The irony of turning something that was once sold in dirty bookstores into a $500 collectible is delicious, but I can't think of a more deserving title than Zap. The production quality of The Complete Zap Comix is first rate and the pages are clearer than they've ever been... Seeing the whole of the Zap run laid out like this, it seems obvious -- so very, very obvious -- what a profound and truly American cultural treasure this is. This is great art of historical and cultural importance that changed people, blew their minds and inspired them. ... Zap Comix deserves to be reappraised and valued for what it's truly worth and Fantagraphics has done an amazing job with this stunning box set.--Richard Metzger "Dangerous Minds"
Without a doubt one of the most influential titles in comics and comix history... A fantastic collection, and equally fantastic packaging. ... Zap definitely is an important staple in the history of comics, and this ultimate collection from Fantagraphics is an ultimate treasure trove to be enjoyed by new generations to come.--Cameron Hatheway "Bleeding Cool"

Born in Philadelphia, R. Crumb is the author of numerous comic works and one of the pioneers of underground comics and arguably one of the most famous cartoonists in history. His books include The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb, and many more. He lives in the south of France with his wife, the artist Aline Kominsky-Crumb. S. Clay Wilson, one of the founding members of the Zap comics collective. (Zap is a seminal underground comic book anthology, with contributors like R. Crumb.) He lives in San Francisco. Gilbert Shelton (b. 1940, Houston, Texas), a founding father of the underground comix movement, is the creator of the iconic comix characters The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, and Wonder Wart-Hog. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012. He has been known to sing and play piano for the Blum Brothers, a Paris-based rhythm and blues group. He lives in Paris, France, with his wife and an ever-changing number of cats. Manuel Rodriguez (1940-2012), better known as Spain, was one of the great American underground and socially conscious cartoonists. In addition to being one of the seven, original Zap Comix contributors, Robert Williams's influence on alternative art is immeasurable. From his endeavors to broaden the possibilities for young artists to gain exposure sprang the well-known art chronicle, Juxtapoz magazine. He is the subject of a recent documentary, Mr. Bitchin'. He lives in Chatsworth, CA with his wife Suzanne. Victor Moscoso is one of the defining stylists of the psychedelic culture of the 1960s, and one of the original Zap Comix artists (with R. Crumb, Robert Williams, Gilbert Shelton, Spain Rodriguez, S. Clay Wilson and Rick Griffin). He lives with his wife Gail in San Francisco, California. Paul Mavrides (b. 1952), an enigmatic cartoonist, painter, and graphic artist, began collaborating with Gilbert Shelton on The Freak Brothers in 1978. He is a founding member of the Church of the SubGenius. In 1997, after a six-year legal battle, he won a landmark decision for artists' rights in California that established a legal equivalency between written-word authors and cartoonists.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.