Dori Seda
Encyclopedia
Dorthea Antonette "Dori" Seda (1951–February 25, 1988) was an artist best known for her underground comix
work of the 1980s. Her comics combined exaggerated fantasy and ribald humor with documentation of her life in the Mission District of San Francisco, California
.
and ceramics
artist, graduating from in Illinois State University
with a B.A. in art. To pursue her interest in comics, she took a job as a bookkeeper at the San Francisco publisher Last Gasp
. Her first published comics work appeared in Robert Crumb
's anthology magazine Weirdo
in 1981. She was subsequently published in Wimmen's Comix
, San Francisco Comic Book, Viper, Yellow Silk, Prime Cuts, Cannibal Romance, Weird Smut Comix, Tits & Clits
, and her solo book Lonely Nights Comics (which was banned in England upon its release).
A heavy smoker who suffered from emphysema
, she may also have contracted silicosis
from her ceramics materials. Seda died at age 37 from respiratory failure after catching the flu. (Ironically, Seda occasionally used the pen name Sylvia Silicosis.)
Her work has been collected in the book Dori Stories (ISBN 0-86719-375-1), which also includes memorial tributes, including the story "Dori Bangs" by Bruce Sterling
, which imagines a future marriage between her and music critic Lester Bangs
(whom she never met).
.
full ownership of her work if she died. The will was witnessed and signed by Seda, Krystine Kryttre, and Donohue. Seda's friends were able to successfully file the will in 1991, leaving Donohue full ownership of her work.
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...
work of the 1980s. Her comics combined exaggerated fantasy and ribald humor with documentation of her life in the Mission District of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Biography
Seda was originally a painterPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and ceramics
Ceramics (art)
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
artist, graduating from in Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
with a B.A. in art. To pursue her interest in comics, she took a job as a bookkeeper at the San Francisco publisher Last Gasp
Last Gasp
Last Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
. Her first published comics work appeared in Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
's anthology magazine Weirdo
Weirdo
Weirdo was a magazine-sized comics anthology created by Robert Crumb and published by Last Gasp from 1981 to 1993.Weirdo served as a "low art" counterpoint to its contemporary highbrow RAW...
in 1981. She was subsequently published in Wimmen's Comix
Wimmen's Comix
Wimmen's Comix, later titled Wimmin's Comix, was an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genre and subject matter, Wimmen's Comix focused more than other anthologies of the time on feminist concerns, homosexuality, sex...
, San Francisco Comic Book, Viper, Yellow Silk, Prime Cuts, Cannibal Romance, Weird Smut Comix, Tits & Clits
Tits & Clits Comix
Tits & Clits Comix was an all-female underground comics anthology put together by Joyce Farmer and Lyn Chevely, published from 1972 to 1987...
, and her solo book Lonely Nights Comics (which was banned in England upon its release).
A heavy smoker who suffered from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
, she may also have contracted silicosis
Silicosis
Silicosis, also known as Potter's rot, is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in forms of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs...
from her ceramics materials. Seda died at age 37 from respiratory failure after catching the flu. (Ironically, Seda occasionally used the pen name Sylvia Silicosis.)
Her work has been collected in the book Dori Stories (ISBN 0-86719-375-1), which also includes memorial tributes, including the story "Dori Bangs" by Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
, which imagines a future marriage between her and music critic Lester Bangs
Lester Bangs
Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock 'n' roll criticism....
(whom she never met).
Dori Seda Memorial Award for Women
In 1988, Last Gasp established the Dori Seda Memorial Award for Women; the first recipient was Carol TylerCarol Tyler
Carol Tyler aka C. Tyler is an award-winning American painter, educator, comedian, and Eisner nominated cartoonist known for her autobiographical stories.-Background:...
.
Legal issues concerning reproduction of work
After Seda's death, conflict arose over who owned the rights to reproduce her work. Friends of Seda's wanted to collect and publish her work (the collection that became Dori Stories), but at her death Seda's estate passed to the next of kin, her mother. Due to the sexual nature of Seda's work, her mother did not wish to see Seda's writing in print again, and refused the right to publish it. However, a year prior to her death, Seda had written a will which gave partner Don DonahueDon Donahue
Don Donahue was a comic book publisher, operating under the name Apex Novelties, one of the instigators of the underground comix movement in the 1960s....
full ownership of her work if she died. The will was witnessed and signed by Seda, Krystine Kryttre, and Donohue. Seda's friends were able to successfully file the will in 1991, leaving Donohue full ownership of her work.