Dirty Duck (comix character)
Encyclopedia
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 (July 1971).
in 1971. Shortly afterwards, London was contacted by the publishers of National Lampoon, where the strip ran monthly for several years alongside the work of London's wife Shary Flenniken
, who was drawing Trots and Bonnie for them. London moved the strip to Playboy
magazine around 1976, where it ran until 1987. "Dirty Duck" later returned to Playboy and continues to run there as of 2011.
(usually referred to as "Mr. Duck") and his assistant, Weevil
. They live in human society and are often seen in the company of naked human women. In the comic strip running in Playboy, Mr. Duck is a wealthy and elderly gentleman with a lecherous streak and a sharp (if sardonic) wit. Weevil is his long-suffering butler.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by 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...
artist Bobby London
Bobby London
Bobby London is an American underground comix and mainstream comics artist.-Biography:London created his underground newspaper comic strip Merton, in his native New York in 1969 and the raunchy Dirty Duck strip in 1971...
. He first appeared in an unsigned "basement" strip that ran underneath Dan O'Neill
Dan O'Neill
Dan O'Neill is an American underground cartoonist, creator of the syndicated comic strip Odd Bodkins and founder of the underground comics collective the Air Pirates.-Odd Bodkins:...
's syndicated Odd Bodkins strip in 1970, and later in 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 #1 (July 1971).
Publication history
London created the Dirty Duck character when he apprenticed with syndicated cartoonist Dan O'Neill in late 1970, drawing a small gag strip featuring the character which was printed underneath the Odd Bodkins story, and leaving the strip unsigned to conceal the fact that it was not the work of O'Neill. Dirty Duck appeared in his first full length story in the infamous first issue of Air Pirates Funnies. The strip also ran in the Los Angeles Free PressLos 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...
in 1971. Shortly afterwards, London was contacted by the publishers of National Lampoon, where the strip ran monthly for several years alongside the work of London's wife Shary Flenniken
Shary Flenniken
Shary Flenniken is an American editor-writer-illustrator and underground cartoonist. After joining the burgeoning underground comics movement in the early 1970s, she became a prominent contributor to National Lampoon and was one of the editors of the magazine for two years...
, who was drawing Trots and Bonnie for them. London moved the strip to 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...
magazine around 1976, where it ran until 1987. "Dirty Duck" later returned to Playboy and continues to run there as of 2011.
Characters
The main characters are two anthropomorphic animals, a cigar-smoking duckDuck
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...
(usually referred to as "Mr. Duck") and his assistant, Weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
. They live in human society and are often seen in the company of naked human women. In the comic strip running in Playboy, Mr. Duck is a wealthy and elderly gentleman with a lecherous streak and a sharp (if sardonic) wit. Weevil is his long-suffering butler.