Z

ZAP was the best-known and most infl uential underground comic book, featuring

taboo-breaking work by the movement’s key fi gures. Upon its initial appearance in San
Francisco in 1968 with a cover price of 25 cents, and the “fair warning” that it was “for
adult intellectuals only,” Zap Comix (the spelling itself virtually a declaration of inde-
pendence) linked comic books directly to the counterculture, otherwise being expressed
through popular music, fashion, drugs, and lifestyle. Soon thereafter underground
comics (now routinely known as “ comix ”) would be sold in “head shops,” since regular
distribution was unavailable to them.
Th e fi rst issue of Zap was printed by Beat writer and publisher Charles Plymell and
Don Donahue of Apex Novelties. Apex would publish six more issues (including #0,
1967–74); Th e Print Mint published issues #7–9 (1974–78), and Last Gasp published
issues #10–15 (1982–2004). Th e fi rst two issues (#1 followed by #0, recreated from
photocopies of the stolen art for the issue intended to appear fi rst) were entirely the work
of Robert Crumb , who quickly became the most famous and infl uential underground
cartoonist despite his own ambivalence toward the hippie movement; thereafter the
comic functioned as an anthology of disconnected pieces featuring what soon became a
stable group consisting of S. Clay Wilson , Robert Williams, “Spain” Rodriguez, Gilbert
Shelton, Rick Griffi n, and Victor Moscoso, the latter two often working in entirely non-
narrative modes associated with psychedelic drugs and rock concert posters. Much later,
for the last two issues, Paul Mavrides came aboard.
Th e initial all-Crumb issues announced many of the themes that would dominate
Crumb’s career, and featured one of his most important characters, the irreverent bearded
sage Mr. Natural (introduced in Yarrowstalks in 1967), along with his hapless disciple
Flakey Foont. Th e strip “Whiteman” indicated Crumb’s skill at social satire , although