Before he tripped out and landed in San Francisco, notable underground cartoonist Roger Brand (1943-1985) was a one-time assistant to Wally Wood and Gil Kane. He also did some work for Warren's CREEPY and EERIE, and the indie comic magazine, WEB OF HORROR. Brand was an alcoholic and drug addict and his career was cut short at the age of 42.
This example of his work shows his twisted version of serial movie star, Flash Gordon, in the typical subversive manner of the 60s. The original artwork is signed and dedicated to his fellow artist friend, Al Williamson.
Roger Brand - "Flashlight Gordon" Complete 2-Page Story Original Art (1969). A two-page chapter from an on-going Flash Gordon parody, this has strong sexual themes and overtones. Not surprising as Roger Brand had previously worked as an assistant to Wally Wood. Much of this reminds us of some Wally Wood sci-fi parodies we have seen before. Created in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 14" x 21". The logo paste-up is missing. There are three panels that have original art paste-up art corrections, which are coming un-stuck. The second page is a very large splash page. The boards are lightly toned; otherwise, in Excellent condition. From the Al Williamson Collection.
BONUS: A psychedelic poster by the late, great Rick Griffin (In memory of SURFER magazine's founder, John Severson, who died just two weeks ago). Griffin worked for Severson in the early days of the magazine, and created his character, Murphy, in its pages.
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