The title of this post is, as I remember, what I said to my dear friend and classmate Cassidy Aquilino-Berg upon hearing her describe that week's reading for our Literature of Comics class. Naturally, I couldn't not be excited about whatever zany and ridiculous things I was about to read in the impractical realm of "Underground Comix".
So. First off: weird stuff. Or at least... weird as far as the intent of the content was concerned. I was thinking that the blatant sexuality would have a deeper purpose; some ulterior motive along the lines of making a statement about our prudish society or accepting some of the stranger urges we may have. Alas, I found no such thing -- these appear to exist mostly for entertainment alone, possibly with the exception of "First Lover", a love letter to, well, loving yourself!
Monogamy was just constant one-up gag, Bosomic Woman was a parody (albeit a initially funny gag for those of us who believe the male body to be objectified in super hero comics just as much as the female body), and "I Was a Sex Junkie" just... it initially appeared to be a story with some kind of moral to it, but it didn't seem to go anywhere in the end. All in all, these all read to me as "ho ho! Look at us pushing the envelope! Do you like it? What if there's a dildo? NOW what do you think?!"
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this smattering of short stories, though. Some have great art styles, some have legitimately funny gags, and some managed to stir up some vague and strange arousal. I guess that's the point, right? I've got to say, though, there were definitely some creepy bits here and there -- I recall one ad with a nude girl that was maybe ten years old comparing the comics to her mother's vibrator. I... wasn't expecting that.
-Will Avery
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