The US underground comix movement of the 1970s was a wild and agile space where anything was possible, dominated by the style of Robert Crumb. At the same time Craig Yoe drew one ‘comix’, Sammy Saved and Al Most, with a cover coloured by Zap Comix’s surf artist Rick Griffin. Artist Craig Yoe is back with a new ‘comix’ style book, called WOMAN & MAN+, after 50 years away.
After success with Sammy Saved and Al Most, Craig went on to work as creative director for Jim Henson and the Muppets, Disney, Nickelodeon, and MTV. But now he’s back with a new book 50 years in the making that reignites the style and freedom of the ’70s underground comix scene. WOMAN & MAN+ is a ferociously surreal autobiographical comic that’s being crowdfunded on Kickstarter.
WOMAN & MAN+ reads like a visual diary of the artist’s life; a humorous scurry into the mind of a comic creative that covers sex, horror and the drama of life as a hippy artist on the move in a funny and wordless way. (If you keen on launching your own book, read our feature ‘creating your own indie comic‘.)
Craig comments: “The book has been with me for a long time and in the countries I’ve lived. Its secret origin was in NYC, pages were first drawn in Berlin, it continued in Spain’s Canary Islands, and was consummated here in the Philippines,” said Yoe. “It’s the culmination of a lifetime of studying cartooning history and my deeply personal look at comics, art–and life’s lunacy.”
A call-back to the 1970s and the underground comix scene where many artists made their names
The new comic has been described as ‘Steranko meets Hieronymus Bosch’ and ‘Robert Crumb clashing with Dali. Craig’s style is loose but complex, weird, bold and challenging; a call-back to the 1970s and the underground comix scene where many artists made their names and influenced so much art, animation and advertising.
You can support the publication of WOMAN & MAN+ at the comic’s Kickstarter where fans can get signed limited edition copies and various added extras, including a puzzle, stickers, a collector’s slip case and more.
If you’re keen on following Craig and creating your own comic, read our guide to launching a successful Kickstarter campaign, as well as our guides to the best drawing tablets and the best digital art software to get creating.
