Jaxon
Encyclopedia
Jaxon was the pen name of Jack Jackson (May 15, 1941–June 8, 2006), an American
cartoonist
. Many consider him the first underground comix
artist. He co-founded the seminal Rip Off Press
.
, Texas
. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship
violation." Soon afterwards, he self-published the one-shot God Nose (1964), which is considered by many to be the first underground comic.
Jackson moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog
. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press
, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix
, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton
, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work, heavily influenced by EC Comics
, was published by Last Gasp
.
Jackson is best known for his historical work documenting the history of Native America and Texas, such as Comanche Moon (1979); El Alamo (2002); Los Tejanos; The Secret of San Saba (1989); Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999); and Lost Cause (1998).
Jackson died June 8, 2006, in Stockdale, Texas
, in an apparent suicide after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
. Many consider him the first 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. He co-founded the seminal Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press, Inc. is a seminal publishing company that specializes in adult-themed literature and graphic novels, mostly in a specific comic book format known as underground comix.-Overview:...
.
Career
Jack Jackson was born in 1941 in PandoraWilson County, Texas
Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 32,408. Its county seat is Floresville. The county is named after James Charles Wilson....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
violation." Soon afterwards, he self-published the one-shot God Nose (1964), which is considered by many to be the first underground comic.
Jackson moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog
Family Dog
Family Dog is an American animated television series that only aired 10 episodes for one year on CBS, due to negative reviews. The plot of the story was about an average suburban family, the Binsfords, as told through the eyes of their dog, It first appeared as an episode of the TV show Amazing...
. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press
Rip Off Press, Inc. is a seminal publishing company that specializes in adult-themed literature and graphic novels, mostly in a specific comic book format known as underground comix.-Overview:...
, one of the first independent publishers of 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...
, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton is an American cartoonist and underground comix artist. He is the creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, Wonder Wart-Hog, Philbert Desanex, Not Quite Dead, and the cover art to The Grateful Dead's 1978 album Shakedown Street.He graduated from Lamar High...
, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work, heavily influenced by EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
, was published by 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...
.
Jackson is best known for his historical work documenting the history of Native America and Texas, such as Comanche Moon (1979); El Alamo (2002); Los Tejanos; The Secret of San Saba (1989); Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999); and Lost Cause (1998).
Jackson died June 8, 2006, in Stockdale, Texas
Stockdale, Texas
Stockdale is a city in Wilson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Stockdale is located at ....
, in an apparent suicide after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Legacy and honors
- Lifetime fellowship to Texas Historical Association
- In 2011, Jack Jackson was listed as a Judges' Choice for The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
Publications
- Long Shadows: Indian Leaders Standing in the Path of Manifest Destiny, 1600-1900. Amarillo, TX: Paramount Publishing, 1985.
- Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas, 1721-1821. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1986.
- (with Maurine T. Wilson) Philip NolanPhilip NolanPhilip Nolan was a horse-trader and freebooter in Natchez, on the Mississippi River, and the Spanish province of Texas....
and Texas Expeditions to the Unknown Land, 1791-1801. Waco, TX: Texian Press, 1987. - Secret of San Saba: A Tale of Phantoms and Greed in the Spanish Southwest. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1989.
- Mapping Texas & the Gulf Coast: The Contributions of Saint-Denis, Oliván, & Le Maire. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1990.
- Optimism of Youth: The Underground Work of Jack Jackson. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, 1991.
- (with Neal Barrett, Jr.Neal Barrett, Jr.Neal Barrett, Jr. is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, mystery/suspense, and historical fiction. His story "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" was nominated for both the 1988 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Novelette...
, adapted from the novel by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
) Dead in the West. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, 1993. - God’s Bosom and Other Stories: The Historical Strips of Jack Jackson. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, 1995.
- Imaginary Kingdom: Texas As Seen by the Rivera & Rubi Military Expeditions, 1727 & 1767. Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
: Texas State Historical AssociationTexas State Historical AssociationThe Texas State Historical Association or abbreviated TSHA, is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the rich and unique history of Texas. It was founded on March 2, 1897. As of November 2008, TSHA moved from Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton.The executive...
, 1995. - Flags Along the Coast: Charting the Gulf of MexicoGulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, 1519-1759. Austin, TX: Book Club of Texas/Wind River Press, 1995. - "Threadgill’s: The Comic Book," in Threadgill’s: The Cookbook. Atlanta, GA: Longstreet Press, 1996.
- Lost Cause: John Wesley HardinJohn Wesley HardinJohn Wesley Hardin was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas. Hardin found himself in trouble with the law at an early age, and spent the majority of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops of the...
, the Taylor-Sutton Feud, and Reconstruction Texas. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1998. - Shooting the Sun: Cartographic Results of Military Activities in Texas, 1689-1892. Austin, TX: Book Club of Texas/Wind River Press, 1998.
- Indian Lover: Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
& the CherokeeCherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
s. Austin, TX: Mojo Press, 1999. - (ed., with trans. John Wheat) Texas by Terán: The Diary Kept by General Manuel de Mier y TeránManuel de Mier y TeránJosé Manuel Rafael Simeón de Mier y Terán , commonly called Manuel de Mier y Terán or General Teran, was a Mexican general involved in the Mexican and Texan revolutions.-Early career:...
on His 1828 Inspection of Texas. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2000. - The AlamoAlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
: An Epic Told from Both Sides. Austin, TX: Paisano Graphics, 2002. - Indian Agent: Peter Ellis BeanPeter Ellis BeanPeter Ellis Bean was a United States filibuster in Texas and Mexico, and a Mexican revolutionary....
In Mexican Texas. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2005. - Almonte’s Texas: Juan N. Almonte’s 1834 Inspection, Secret Report, and Role in the 1836 Campaign. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical AssociationTexas State Historical AssociationThe Texas State Historical Association or abbreviated TSHA, is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the rich and unique history of Texas. It was founded on March 2, 1897. As of November 2008, TSHA moved from Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton.The executive...
, 2005.
External links
- Jack Jackson profile 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...
- Jack Jackson interview, The Comics JournalThe Comics JournalThe Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
#213 - Art and Artifice
- Jack Jackson on the Rag Authors' Page
- YouTube Jaxon's Last Ride documentary short interview
- Vimeo Jaxon: Drawn to the Task interview
- UT Texas Ranger Magazine archive