Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
SC 003.6
Shea, Joseph M.
Joseph M. Shea Comix and Small Press Collection
1962-2010
4.75 linear feet of shelf space
9 boxes
This collection consists of small press literature and
comic books donated by underground writer and illustrator Joseph M. Shea. The
collection includes holdings of unique and rare comics and homemade zines, along
with popular underground comics spanning four decades in the small press/underground
genre. Much of the subject matter is controversial, and contains violent and/or
sexual themes.
(MASC Staff Use) 1:35
Collection materials are in English.
Born in 1943, Joseph M. Shea graduated from American University in 1966 with a degree
in history. In 1970, after serving in Vietnam, he went to work for the United States
Department of Agriculture and moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington,
DC. Shea began drawing and writing in Vietnam, becoming a prolific short storyteller
whose work has been published in the United States, Canada, Denmark, the United
Kingdom, and Russia (translated into Russian, and Poland (translated into
Polish).
His story "Tribute" was a second prize winner in the 1982 Fandom Directory writers'
contest. In 1985, his story "Fever Dream" won the United Fanzine Organization (UFO)
Award for Best Fiction. In 1986, he was nominated for the SPCE Award for Favorite
Writer. His script "Viet Nam Was A Girl," illustrated by Finnish artist Pekka A.
Manninen, won the UFO Award for Best Single Strip of 1989. His poem "The Maiden and
the Magician" was a 1993 Rhysling Award nominee. In the year 2000, his story "Books
in Hell" won the Blue Plaque Publications (BPP) Quality Award for Best Fiction
Piece. He also received in the year 2000 the BPP Quality Award for Best Fiction
Writer. Examples of Shea's artwork can be seen in publications such as Friends of
American Living, Out Of The Blue, 365 Women, Scavenger's Newsletter, The Vinyl
Elephant, The Catbird Seat, and Lunatic Chameleon.
This collection consists of small press literature and comic books collected by
underground writer and illustrator Joseph M. Shea. It includes holdings of unique
and rare comics and homemade zines, along with popular underground comics spanning
four decades in the small press/underground genre. Much of the subject matter is
controversial, and contains violent and/or sexual themes. The Shea Collection, along
with the much larger Willis Collection (SC 3.4) and similar sized Dissmeyer
Collection (SC 3.5) offers a viewpoint into artistic expressions within the American
underground and counterculture in the 1960s through 2000s, and many of the materials
coincide with the birth of the underground comix scene (referred to by many
cartoonists as "Newave").
The collection consists of several hundred items, including 121 unique titles, with
sequential issues of many comix, newsletters, and zines. Standard and digest size
comix make up about 40 percent of the collection, and many are popular cult
underground comix with professional production, drawn/illustrated by many now-famous
names in the industry. Notably, the standard comix include Blazing Combat, Eerie,
and Vampirella. Minicomix are approximately 10 percent of the collection.
Approximately 50 percent of the collection is non-comix related, consisting of
advertising and promotional materials, catalogs, newsletters, and zines (a term
derived from "magazine," and self-published via photocopier). Of these, zines are
the majority (about 20 percent of the collection), with extensive representation of
the American music underground, counterculture, horror and fantasy writing, and
several works by Joseph M. Shea.
This collection is arranged in eight series. All material in each series is arranged
alphabetically by title.
Series 1: Advertising, Promotional Material, and Bibliographic Correspondence and
Documentation, 1999-2010. This series contains materials related to the advertising
and promoting of comix, zines, comic books, comix-related events, as well as
collection documentation (donation lists by Joseph M. Shea).
Series 2: Books and Catalogs, 1981-2003. This series contains published collections
of comix or comix-related material with ISBN numbers, and catalogs for comix, comic
books, anime, art supplies, and other related materials.
Series 3: Comics/Comix, 1965-2007. This series is consists of comix organized by
format in two subseries: Subseries 3.1: Standard and Digest Comics, and Subseries
3.2: Minicomix.
Series 4: Magazines, 1962-2004. This series contains professional-quality published
material in magazine format.
Series 5: Newsletters, 1998-1999 and undated. This series consists of newsletters of
small press, library, and environmental groups and organizations.
Series 6: Comix Related Materials and Reference Materials, 1997 and undated. This
series contains a variety of materials relating to comix and comix creators.
Series 7: Zines, 1987-2009. This series consists of small press zines written by one
or multiple authors.
Series 8: Oversize Materials, 1982-1999. This series consists of large items stored
separately. Separation sheets are filed for these materials in their respective
series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
Joseph M. Shea Comix and Small Press Collection, 1962-2010 (SC 003.6)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections,
Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Joseph M. Shea donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries in 2009 and 2010 (MS.2009.19, MS.2010.01).
Robert Franklin processed this collection in 2014 and 2015.
Steve Willis Underground Comics Collection, 1966-1997 (SC 003.1)
Lynn R. Hansen Underground Comics Collection, 1899-1994 (SC 003.2)
Paul Brians Comics Collection, 1950-2004 (SC 003.3)
Steve Willis Comix and Small Press Collection, 1968-2004 (SC 003.4)
Clark Dissmeyer Comix and Small Press Collection, 1977-2002 (SC 003.5)
Jeff Zenick Comix and Small Press Collection, 1984-2003 (SC 003.7)
Comic Art and Culture Collection 1969-2009 (SC 003.8)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Comic books, strips, etc.
Graphic novels
Underground press publications
Underground comic books, strips, etc.
New wave comics
Erotic comic books, strips, etc.
Publishers and Publishing.
1999-2010
Series 1: Advertisements, Promotional
Material, and Bibliographic Correspondence and Documentation
1
1
1999
Brave New Fringe
1
2
1999
Corky's Ads
1
3
2010
Comic Society: Reflections
1
4
2009-2010
Shea Transmittal
Correspondence
1981-2003
Series 2: Books and Catalogs
1
5
1981
The Apex Treasury of Underground
Comics
1
6
1998
The Great Challenge
1
7
1987
Ikinokoru
1
8
1996
Ultra Klutz
1
9
2003
Unshelved Volume 1
1
10
1986
Work Is Hell
1
11
2002
Squid Works Quarterly
1965-2007
Series 3: Comics/Comix
Subseries 3.1: Standard and Digest
Comics
1
12
1999
[Untitled]
1
13
1999-2000
365 Women issues 5, 7, 8
1
14
2001
The 2001 BPP Quality Awards
Strip!
1
15
1974
Billy the Kid number 109
2
1
1965-1966
Blazing Combat numbers 1-4
2
2
1967
Blue Beetle number 3
2
3
2000
The Bruno Cult
2
4
2002
Buzzizyk numbers 20, 22, and
unknown
2
5
1966
Captain Atom number 83
2
6
2003
Charlie Chong
2
7
2001
Classical Punks versus Superiorman and
Environmental Man
2
8
1999
Colonia issue 2
2
9
1982-1984
Comico Primer numbers 1 and
6
2
10
1981
Condorman numbers 1 and 2
2
11
1966
Creepy number 9
2
12
1971-1972
Eerie numbers 38, 42-46
2
13
1973
Eerie numbers 47-51
2
14
2000
Flaming Couch number 10
2
15
1967
Flash Gordon number 8
2
16
undated
Flooby Comics number 16
2
17
1998
Flying Colors
2
18
2005
The Guard number 2
2
19
1987
Heroic number 2
2
20
1986-1987
Jonny Quest numbers 7-18
3
1
1997
Legion of Stupid Heroes number
1
3
2
1975
Midnight Tales number 17
3
3
2005
Nut number 2
3
4
1969
Outlaws of the West number
64
3
5
1987
Patriot number 1
3
6
1987-1988
Pizzazz and Frog Boy numbers 1 and
2
3
7
2007
Six-Guns and Saddles number
2
3
8
1998
Skinned Alive Boy Comix number
13
3
9
1974-1975
The Spirit numbers 1-7
3
10
1979
The Spirit number 20
3
11
1976
Startstream numbers 1-4
3
12
1997
Supermonster issues 4 and
7
3
13
2002
Tales from the Seventh
Galaxy
3
14
1969
Texas Rangers in Action number
76
3
15
2008
Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories
number 2
3
16
undated
The Tree and the Fortress
(Shea)
3
17
2006-2007
Twilight Samurais numbers 2 and
3
3
18
1975
Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction
numbers 4 and 6
3
19
1969-1970
Vampirella numbers 1-7
4
1
1970-1971
Vampirella numbers 8-14
4
2
1972
Vampirella numbers 15-21
4
3
1973-1974
Vampirella numbers 27-33
4
4
1974
Vampirella numbers 34-38
4
5
1975
Vengeance Squad number 5
4
6
1999
Zoomkranx number 16
Subseries 3.2: Minicomix
5
1
undated
[untitled]
5
2
1999
As I Recall the Sixties
5
3
1999
Dante's Coat
5
4
1997
The Girl Who Trod on an
Oaf
5
5
1999
Morty Comix number 2173
5
6
1999
Musical Chairs
5
7
undated
Naugacomics number 57
5
8
2000
Sketchbook Drawings From June and July
2000
5
9
undated
The Women Without a Moth
5
10
undated
Write-in Morty the Dog for McCleary
Mayor!
1962-2004
Series 4: Magazines
5
11
1981
Amazing Heroes numbers 1-4,
6-8
5
12
1997-1999
The Comics Journal numbers 200 and
210
5
13
1962
Jack and Jill volume 24, number
9
5
14
2003
Morbid Curiosity number 7
5
15
2004
Riverwurst number 4
1998-1999 and undated
Series 5: Newsletters
5
16
1998-1999
Busted! Numbers 3 and 4
5
17
1999
ForEvergreen
5
18
1999
Penstuff
5
19
undated
Quicklist number 8
5
20
undated
Small Press Creative Explosion numbers 14,
17, 19
1997 and undated
Series 6: Comix Related Materials and
Reference Materials
5
21
undated
The Love Joys (sticker)
5
22
1997
Comic Book Index Update
1987-2009
Series 7: Zines
5
23
2001-2002
Alien Worlds numbers 21 and 22
5
24
2004
An Experience of War by Joseph M.
Shea
6
1
undated
Bad Year Zeppelin volumes 6-9
6
2
2001
Black Petals
6
3
undated
Capitol Hill, the Neighborhood, Not the
Congress
6
4
1998-1999
The Catbird Seat numbers 4 and
7
6
5
2001-2002
Classic Pulp Fiction Stories numbers 77,
78, 80
6
6
2001
Coffeeroom numbers 3 and 4
6
7
2001
Cyrano De Bergerac Was A Real Person and
He Wrote Science Fiction
6
8
2007
Dark Corridor number 1
6
9
undated
Dark Corridors issue 4
6
10
undated
Dark Eyes 2
6
11
undated
Facsimile of the Published Works of Joseph
M. Shea volumes 6-9
6
12
undated
Fandom Gazette
6
13
1995
Freezerburn Magazine issue 1
6
14
2001-2009
JOMP Jr. (Journal of Mind Pollution)
numbers 20, 23, 26, 31, 34
6
15
2002-2003
Lunatic Chameleon numbers 1 and
2
6
16
2006
Mantra number 10
6
17
1987
The Monthly Independent Tribune Times
Journal Post Gazette News Chronicle Bulletin number 55
6
18
undated
N.O.T.A. Issue 3
7
1
undated
Nomadic Underground issue 5
7
2
2001-2002
Out of the Blue numbers 1,2,5-8, 10 and
11
7
3
undated
Out of the Blue numbers 12-16
7
4
2004
Palm's Red
7
5
1987
The Plague Doctor
7
6
2000
Ppfszt! number 24
7
7
2000-2003
Scavenger's numbers 201, 208, 210, 213,
217, 219, 221, 223, 225, 227
7
8
2005
The Shadow of Dracula number 2
7
9
1996
Story Rules issue 3
7
10
undated
Sunwing number 3
7
11
undated
Supplement Containing English Language
Approximations of Russian Language Material Found in Volume 6 of
Facsimile of the Published Works of Joseph M. Shea
7
12
1994-1996
Topical Studies numbers 11 and
13
7
13
undated
Twenty-eight Pages Lovingly Bound with
Twine numbers 10 and 11
7
14
2002-2004
Typical Studies numbers 2 and
4
7
15
1998
Up Dare? Autumn 1998
7
16
1999-2002
White Buffalo Gazette
8
1-3
1999-2001
White Buffalo Gazette
(continued)
1982-
Series 8: Oversize Materials
9
1
1997
The Comic Co-op Classifieds volume 1,
number 7
9
2
1967
December 1967 Vietnam Calendar
9
3
1998
Pulp Fandom number 2
9
4
undated
The Evergrateful
9
5
1998-1999
The Bear Delux numbers 11 and
12
9
6
undated
Too Busy Fighting To Do PM?
9
7
1982-1987
Twisted Image