Puck Magazine, an impressive collection of some of the leading comix artists and much more, launches its crowd funding campaign today. This is truly an international collection. If you are a fan of offbeat humor and you’d like a taste of it from around the world, then this is for you. Join the campaign here. It runs from November 26, 2013 thru January 4, 2014.
What follows is an informative essay on the Apocalypse, the history of alternative comics, and how that relates to Puck Magazine:
Welcome to the Apocalypse
Historically speaking, the Apocalypse is always now. By that I mean that at every period in human history, someone somewhere was certain that the world was about to end. Whether it was the author of the Biblical “Book of Revelation” (or “Revelation to John”) — surely one of the most mischievous tracts ever written — or some Vedic bard predicting the Kali Yuga, or urban street corner prophets ranting that “The End is Nigh,” the human imagination has repeatedly fixated on the end of the universe and the end of life as we know it.
It is not difficult to figure out why this is. At some undetermined point in time, for each of us, the universe will end. Death awaits us all, whether in a sudden accident or heart attack, or in a long lingering illness. That this is so seems like a monstrous joke, and so we repress the thought or, for many of us, we project it upon the world at large, finding solace in the thought that if we must die, so must everyone else, preferably all at the same time.
And yet, life goes on. Every prophecy of the End Times is, in some sense, a false prophecy. Predicted dates come and go, and true believers’ expectations fizzle out, only to be succeeded by new expectations which will eventually fizzle out as well.
Much of this apocalyptic fervor has been driven by religion, especially fundamentalist Christianity and Islam, which share similar scenarios of a Final Judgment. But there are no lack of secular apocalypses to choose from: catastrophic climate change, nuclear war, the end of Capitalism (a particularly elusive apocalypse), an impending police state, and the list goes on.
All of which brings us to the volume you hold in your hands, a smorgasboard of personal apocalypses conjured up by a stellar crew of cartoonists from around the world. For most comic artists, apocalypse looms as the rent comes due at the end of each month, so this theme was one that the assembled artists could really get their teeth into. As you will discover, some took the challenge lightly, producing humorous strips (including the inevitable Mother In Law joke), while others dove into full-fledged horror and paranoia.
The result is a well-balanced collection of unique visions that you will not find anywhere else. The locations change from strip to strip, usually manifesting the apocalypse in the artists’ own locales. If you’ve ever dreamed of making an Around the World Tour, but know you never will, this volume is a suitable substitute, albeit with rather more demons, cannibals, black holes, and Avenging Angels than you would likely encounter in hopping from country to country.
Sadly, I am told that this is likely the last PUCK volume for years to come, so it represents an apocalypse of sorts for the whole PUCK enterprise. PUCK’s staff has beat all odds in uniting cartoonists from numerous countries in its group projects that are done for the love of free and uncensored cartooning.
The Underground Comix movement was launched in the U.S. during the Sixties and spread its influence to England, the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Italy (among others), in the following decades. PUCK has been one of the most energetic recent manifestations of the underground impulse and Ivan and the rest of the PUCK gang deserve a round of applause for keeping the torch held high.
The Apocalypse is always now. Enjoy it while you can.
–Jay Kinney
Jay Kinney was a participant in the Underground Comix movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He edited and co-edited Young Lust, Occult Laff-Parade, Cover-up Lowdown, and Anarchy Comics, and contributed to many others.
He has since been a magazine publisher, book author, and antiquarian bookseller. Recently published is: Anarchy Comics: the Complete Collection (PM Press), a retrospective anthology of the hard-to-find four originals issues, plus never before published strips and sketchbook pages.
Caption for Mavrides-Kinney Armageddon panels…
The “End Times” erupt in “Armageddon Outtahere” by Paul Mavrides and Jay Kinney in Anarchy Comics #4. This story and all others from the comic series can be found in Anarchy Comics: the Complete Collection (PM Press).
Press release follows:
A message from PUCK – Alternative Comix MAGAZINE.
It’s official. Today, the crowd funding campaign “Finance the Apucalypse” (http://vkm.is/apuckalipse ) begins, and if it will be a success we will be able to print the next (and last!!!) issue of PUCK comix magazine: “APUCKALYPSE”, the best collection of nightmares for these uncertain times.
WATCH OUR NEW PROMOTIONAL VIDEO HERE!
More than 120 cartoonists, painters, satirical authors and illustrators from all over the world: Italy U.S.A., Russia, China, France, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Japan … The weirdest visionary artists of the globe (and beyond) gathered in the greatest editorial tragedy ever.
You can read complete line up of artists BELOW.
Funding the project will help us … but not only! First, you will have the printed magazine, and it is not a trivial matter. And then you could become an active part in the project: get unpublished drawings, backstage material, posters and alternative covers
With the option “You die in the Apocalypse” you could become a comic strip character of Apuckalypse and choose how to spend your last day, if eaten alive by locusts, dissected by aliens or squashed by a meteorite.
You can also buy our collaborator Emanuele Fossati at almost reasonable prices.
And for our lovely proletarian readers, you may be immortalized in the glorious list of the Fallen with only 1 euro … and your name will be forged for Eternity!
APUCKALYPSE will also be the last issue of Puck, so get to it to give it the coup de grace!
You will find us on the website of verkami at http://vkm.is/apuckalipse
And for any information at apucalypse@gmail.com
Greetings to all
hurricane, falatti, fosfatis and the gang
https://www.facebook.com/puckmagazine#
APUCKALYPSE! THE COMPLETE CAST!
Aaron $hunga/Usa (Hawaai) – Aaron Johnson/Usa – Abraham Diaz/Mexico – Adriano Carnevali/Italy – Akab/Italy – Aldo Monticelli/Outer Space – Aleksandar Zograf/Serbia – Alessandro Baronciani/Italy – Alex Chiu/Usa – Alkbazz/France – Ariel Lopez/Argentina – Avi Spivak/Usa – Bergamelli/Italy – Bicio Fabbri/Italy – Boris Pramatarov/Bulgaria – Boris Stanic/Serbia – Brendan Daniellson/Usa – Brent Engstrom/Usa – Bruno Bozzetto/Italy – Bruno Nadalin/Usa – Charles Guthrie/The Netherlands – Christopher Cudby/New Zealand – Christopher Ulrich/Usa – Dan Hillier/Uk – Dast/Italy – Dav Guedin/France – David Degrand/Usa -Davide Aprea/Italy – Davide Boldrini/Italy – David Paleo/Argentina – Dawn Frasch/Usa – Dewey Guyen/Indonesia – Diego Miedo/Italy – Dieter Van der Ougstraete/Belgium – Dr Pira/Italy – Dustin Myers/Usa – Elena Rapa/Italy – Eli Valley/Usa – Eric Ferrier “Xenoide”/France – Fabio Tonetto/Italy – Faruken Bayraktare/Turkey – Franzaroli/Italy – Fufu Frauenwahl/Germany – Furillo/Spain – Gary Hallgren/Usa – Gerry Bruno & i Brutos/Italy – Ghadi Ghosn/Lebanon – Giorgio Rebuffi/Italy – Giuliano Rossetti/Italy – Giuseppe Festino/Italy – Gomè/France – Gregory Jacobsen/Usa – Guitar Boy/Italy – Gustavo Sala/Argentina – Hunt Emerson/Uk – Hurricane/Italy – Iakovos Vais/Greece – Jack Davis/Usa – Jannuzzi/Italy – Jay Kinney/Usa – Jean Bescos/France – Joan Cornellà/Spain – John Broadley/Uk – Johnny Grieco/Italy – King Merinuk /Canada – Kostis Tzortzakakis/Greece – Krystine Kryttre/Usa – Laca/Italy – Laura Giardino/Italy – Laura Nomisake/Italy -Leo Quievreux/France – Lido Contemori/Italy – Lluis Fuzzhound/Australia – Lord Hurk/Uk – Luiz Berger/Brazil – Mack White/Usa – Marcatti/Brazil – Marcos Carrasquer/Spain – Martin Lopez Lam/Peru – Massimo Giacon/Italy – Massimo Semerano/Italy – Mats!?/Usa – Maurizio Ercole/Italy – Maurizio Rosenzweig/Italy – Max Capa/Italy/France – Max Clotfelter /Usa – Memo Tembelcizer/Turkey – Milton Knight/Usa – N.D.Mazin/South Africa – Nik Guerra/Italy – Norihiro Sekintani/Japan – Officina Infernale/Italy – Ojimbo/Usa – Olive Booger/France – Onsmith/Usa – Paco Alcazar/Spain – Pat Moriarity/Usa – Paul Rumsey/Uk – Piero Tonin/Italy – Piñata/Spain – Raphael Sica/Brazil – Roberto Mangosi/Italy – Sandro Dossi/Italy – Sarah Mazzetti/Italy – Sean Starwars/Usa – Sergey Tyukanov/Russia – Sergio Ponchione/Italy – Shawn Dickinson/Usa – Simone Lucciola & Rocco Lombardi/Italy – Sommacal & Rasori/Italy – Squaz/Italy – SS Sunda/Italy – Stefano Alghisi/Italy – Stefano Zattera/Italy – Stephen Blickenstaff/Usa – Steve Gibson/Uk – Ted Richards/Usa – Timothy Georgarakis/France – Tobias Tak/Uk – Tomahawk/France – Tom Bunk/Usa – Tom Johnston/Uk – Veci/Italy – Ville Pirinen/Finland – Vincino/Italy – Vito Manolo Roma & Andrea Coccia/Italy – Winston Smith
