Week 6: Underground Comics - Air Pirates Funnies


Underground comics originated in the 1960s and could be found in small press newspapers as well as in self-published comic books. They depicted content that was forbidden to mainstream publications, such as drugs, sex, racism, and politics. These comics were very satirical, twisted, and broke limitations. Many people saw these comics as offensive, while others just thought it was a way of “pushing the boundaries.” Underground comics became an art movement that was attempting to be honest. These artists had a willingness to risk and didn’t try to glamorize the concepts told in their stories; they simply told it like it is. This movement gave an answer to the question, “Should it be drawn just because it can?”, and to these artists, the answer was, yes. It also showed that anybody can make comics if they wanted to. One underground comic book I read was Air Pirates Funnies, a collection of stories focused on Walt Disney characters engaging in adult behaviors that were not child friendly. They were intentionally not to be mistaken for Disney Comics, however, Walt Disney Productions were not a fan of the comics and a lawsuit took action. Even with a totally different drawing style of both the characters and their surroundings, Disney did not want these comics destroying their image. This event really showed how people had very different opinions about underground comics and why they were so controversial.

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