Bobby London
Encyclopedia
Bobby London is an American
underground comix
and mainstream comics
artist.
Merton, in his native New York
in 1969 and the raunchy Dirty Duck
strip in 1971. Dirty Duck had been originally published by the Los Angeles Free Press
and subsequently in books
like Air Pirates
Funnies, and The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
. His non-duck
work also appeared in underground titles such as Merton of the Movement, Left Field Funnies, Douglas Comics, Facts O' Life Funnies and El Perfecto Comics. In 1972 London moved Dirty Duck to the original National Lampoon where it was a regular monthly feature until 1976; it continued to run in Playboy
for over 25 years.
In 1975, a film entitled Down and Dirty Duck was released. While promoted under the abbreviated title Dirty Duck, the film itself is not related to London's character or comics.
In 1978, London won the Jury Yellow Kid Award for Best Artist-Writer, contributed illustrations to The New York Times
Op-Ed page from 1976 to 1981, and wrote and drew the Popeye
syndicated daily comic strip for King Features from 1986 to 1992, at which point he was fired for doing an allegory
about abortion
.
In the summer of 2000, he finally unveiled a family-oriented comic feature for Nickelodeon Magazine entitled Cody, co-wrote and storyboarded episodes of Dexter's Laboratory
and The Powerpuff Girls
for Cartoon Network
in 2004 and contributed character designs for King Neptune and Mindy of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
. He returned to comic books for the first time in 30 years with contributions to the Grammy-nominated box set from Rhino Records, Weird Tales Of The Ramones, in 2005.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
underground comix
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
and mainstream comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
artist.
Biography
London created his underground newspaper comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Merton, in his native New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1969 and the raunchy Dirty Duck
Dirty Duck (comix character)
Dirty Duck is a fictional character created by underground comix artist Bobby London. He first appeared in an unsigned "basement" strip that ran underneath Dan O'Neill's syndicated Odd Bodkins strip in 1970, and later in Air Pirates Funnies #1 .-Publication history:London created the Dirty Duck...
strip in 1971. Dirty Duck had been originally published by the Los Angeles Free Press
Los Angeles Free Press
The Los Angeles Free Press , also called “the Freep”, was among the most widely distributed underground newspapers of the 1960s. It is often cited as the first such newspaper...
and subsequently in books
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
like Air Pirates
Air Pirates
The Air Pirates were a group of cartoonists who created two issues of an underground comic called Air Pirates Funnies in 1971, leading to a famous lawsuit by The Walt Disney Company...
Funnies, and The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are a trio of underground comic strip characters created by the U.S. artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in The Rag, an underground newspaper published in Austin, Texas, beginning in May 1968; and were regularly reprinted in underground papers...
. His non-duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
work also appeared in underground titles such as Merton of the Movement, Left Field Funnies, Douglas Comics, Facts O' Life Funnies and El Perfecto Comics. In 1972 London moved Dirty Duck to the original National Lampoon where it was a regular monthly feature until 1976; it continued to run in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
for over 25 years.
In 1975, a film entitled Down and Dirty Duck was released. While promoted under the abbreviated title Dirty Duck, the film itself is not related to London's character or comics.
In 1978, London won the Jury Yellow Kid Award for Best Artist-Writer, contributed illustrations to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Op-Ed page from 1976 to 1981, and wrote and drew the Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
syndicated daily comic strip for King Features from 1986 to 1992, at which point he was fired for doing an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
about abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
In the summer of 2000, he finally unveiled a family-oriented comic feature for Nickelodeon Magazine entitled Cody, co-wrote and storyboarded episodes of Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
and The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
for Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in 2004 and contributed character designs for King Neptune and Mindy of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the popular Nickelodeon television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The film stars the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Doug Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor, and...
. He returned to comic books for the first time in 30 years with contributions to the Grammy-nominated box set from Rhino Records, Weird Tales Of The Ramones, in 2005.
External links
- Bobby London and the Air Pirates Follies
- Interview
- Bobby London at LambiekLambiekLambiek is a comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded in 1968 by Kees Kousemaker .It has held exhibitions of art by comic creators, including Robert Crumb, Daniel Clowes, Erik Kriek, André Franquin, Tanino Liberatore and Chris Ware...
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