30 years after the spectacular collapse of Pearl Comics, a celebration of the cause of that collapse - Jeff Lint’s ‘THE CATERER’.

Described by Alan Moore as “the holy barnacle of failure”, The Caterer dragged Pearl into a legal hell when its hero spent the whole of Issue 9 on a killing spree in Disneyland. The smirking Jack Marsden became a cult figure and role model for enigmatic idiots in the mid-70s. His style and catchphrases were such an insider code that hundreds of people got beaten up by baffled or enraged onlookers.

He was a singular character for SF author Jeff Lint who, at a loose end for money in the mid-seventies, was hired by the fledgling comics company Pearl to come up with a launch title. His main contribution to the short-lived Pearl Comics was the baffling action strip The Caterer. Illustrator Brandon Sienkel worked with Lint in those heady days: ‘The Caterer was a strange one - he didn’t have any special powers, he was this blond grinning college kid as far as I could make out. He sometimes pulled a gun …But it was strangely hypnotic, I must say. We had fan mail.’

Floating World Comics has teamed with Lint biographer, Steve Aylett to present a reprint of Issue 3: this stand-out issue includes the beginning of Marsden’s goat obsession, a fierce appearance by the ghostly Hoston Pete, a great example of the Marsden ’stillness’ and no less than four classic Marsden hallucinations. The leaning Chief Bayard’s preoccupation with our hero results in the violent deaths of six people, and Jack delivers his infamous ‘lipstick for dogs’ diatribe.

THE CATERER #3
32 pages, FC, $4.95

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DECEMBER 1ST THURSDAY:
‘THE CATERER’ COMIC BOOK RELEASE PARTY & ERASERHEAD PRESS PRESENTS: BIZARRO

30 years after the spectacular collapse of Pearl Comics, a celebration of the cause of that collapse - Jeff Lint’s ‘THE CATERER’.

Described by Alan Moore as “the holy barnacle of failure”, The Caterer dragged Pearl into a legal hell when its hero spent the whole of Issue 9 on a killing spree in Disneyland. The smirking Jack Marsden became a cult figure and role model for enigmatic idiots in the mid-70s. His style and catchphrases were such an insider code that hundreds of people got beaten up by baffled or enraged onlookers.

Floating World Comics has teamed with Lint biographer, Steve Aylett to present a reprint of Issue 3: this stand-out issue includes the beginning of Marsden’s goat obsession, a fierce appearance by the ghostly Hoston Pete, a great example of the Marsden ’stillness’ and no less than four classic Marsden hallucinations. The leaning Chief Bayard’s preoccupation with our hero results in the violent deaths of six people, and Jack delivers his infamous ‘lipstick for dogs’ diatribe.

This collaboration was made possible by local publisher, Eraserhead Press. Eraserhead editor Rose O’Keefe put me in contact with Steve Aylett (featured in their Bizarro Starter Kit), arguably one of the forerunners of the Bizarro style of weird fiction. Eraserhead will be at the show with many of their best authors who will be reading from their novels.

(more…)

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Just got our latest order from Picturebox. They tell me C.F’s ‘POWR MSTRS’ will be available in a week or so AVAILABLE NOW!  The following is their description of Brian Chippendale’s latest manga, MAGGOTS.

In this follow-up to his acclaimed graphic novel, Ninja–which was reviewed in such diverse sources as The New York Times, Art Review and The Comics Journal–the co-founder of the legendary Providence underground art and music space, Fort Thunder, gives us an immersive, frenetic reading experience.

Originally drawn in 1996 over the pages of a Japanese book catalogue, Brian Chippendale’s monumental 350-page graphic novel, Maggots, is reproduced here in a facsimile edition, with every nick and tear in tact. The line work–incredibly dense because Chippendale needed to cover up the Japanese catalogue–nearly vibrates off every page. As for the story, it concerns a group of characters who live in a place called Fort Thunder and wander around discovering little holes in their universe, battle a capitalist landlord, eat peanut butter sandwiches and embark on adventures somewhere between dirt punk and epic, cosmic science fiction. Chippendale’s drawings are much like his famed drumming for the noise rock band Lightning Bolt: propulsive, soulful and chaotic. But, like his best songs, Maggots opens up into beautiful visual passages, vistas of temples and flowers–all drawn in scorching black marks that tell a story in their own abstractions.

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Fans of Kozyndan and Taiyo Matsumoto’s surreal brilliance should take a look at the artwork of Japanese illustrator, Yoko Kondo.

Recently, he’s done illustrations for Roll Deep’s album ‘The Avenue’. His first major publication, TOO FAT, CAN’T FLY (and other stories), collects his comics and illustrations up until 2004.

A hero who faces death but cannot face a double chin, Romeo and Juliet told through gangs of house-hold pets. A dynasty of supermen halted by obesity awaits you in these pages. (more…)

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This First Thursday, July 5th, Floating World Comics and Top Shelf are proud to present a dual book release party with Jeremy Tinder and Douglas Wolk!

Jeremy Tinder presents dozens of new paintings and debuts his new comic, “BLACK GHOST APPLE FACTORY” from Top Shelf Productions.

Douglas Wolk will be on hand to present and discuss his new book on comic criticism and appreciation, “READING COMICS”. (more…)

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