Understation Station

The death of Rand Holmes creates an unusual conundrum. The big four in hippy humor in the annals of underground comics are Rand Holmes of Canada, Willy Murphy of the U.S., Gilbert Shelton of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers of the U.S., and Bryan Talbot of England who provided us with the most comprehensive coverage of Holmes death. Willy Murphy died some years ago, Gilbert Shelton has moved to France and does not produce much, and Bryan Talbot’s endeavors no longer include funny druggy material, either. In essence. Randall Holmes was the one remaining North American that did quality drug humor, and now he’s gone. Houston, we have a job opening!

Another interesting publication (that bears no similarity to ours) is Too Much Coffee Man (Adhesive Press Box 14540 Portland, OR 97293 $4.95). This is truly a Northwest publication deriving much of its emphasis on coffee. Thankfully, it’s much more than that. While coffee is its excuse for formation, much of the magazine devotes itself to comics, comics reviews (grrr!), music reviews, and a general pop culture review. Its comics however always feature cutting edge people like Rick Geary, Peter Kuper, and Keith Knight, folks who otherwise get seen nationally and have something to say with a twist.