Bhob Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Marion Stewart (1937-11-12)November 12, 1937 |
| Died | February 24, 2014(2014-02-24) (aged 76) |
| Other names | Bobby Stewart |
| Occupation(s) | Editor, artist, fan |
Robert Marion Stewart, known asBhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles and reviews appeared inTV Guide,Publishers Weekly, and other publications, along with online contributions to Allmovie, the Collecting Channel, and other sites. In 1980, he became the regular film columnist forHeavy Metal.
Stewart got his start inscience fiction fandom, publishing one of the earliest comicsfanzines. He publishedThe EC Fan Bulletin, the firstEC fanzine, in 1953, and co-edited theHugo Award-winningscience fiction fanzineXero (1960–1963). He is credited with predicting the arrival of "underground comics" (as a counterpart tounderground films) during a panel discussion withArchie Goodwin andTed White at theNew York Comic Con in July 1966.[citation needed]
As there were other science fiction fans at the time also named Bob Stewart, he adopted the spelling "Bhob" for distinctiveness.[1]
In 1968, Stewart teamed with EC Comics publisherBill Gaines to choose stories forThe EC Horror Library of the 1950s (Nostalgia Press, 1971).
Stewart scripted for animation (Kissyfur) and created the short film,The Year the Universe Lost the Pennant (1961). He edited and designed magazines (Castle of Frankenstein,Flashback), wrote comics for several publishers (Byron Preiss, Marvel, Warren, Charlton,Heavy Metal) and contributed toJay Lynch'sRoxy Funnies (1972). He collaborated withLarry Hama on pages forGothic Blimp Works, theunderground comix tabloid published by theEast Village Other, and succeededVaughn Bodé as editor, later teaming withKim Deitch as co-editor of the tabloid.
Stewart devisedWacky Packages and other humor products forTopps, and was the editor ofDC Comics' firsttrading cards series,Cosmic Cards andCosmic Teams.
His readings of fantasy stories aired on Pacifica Radio'sMidnight Chimes, and he contributed to numerous newspapers (The Real Paper), magazines (The Realist,[2]Galaxy Science Fiction) and books (Bare Bones).
His work as an illustrator appeared inCavalier,The Village Voice, andVenture Science Fiction. In 2010–11, he was a contributor to the Wacky Packages Sketch Cards.
In May 1969, Stewart curated the first exhibition of comic book art by a major American museum. This was the "Phonus Balonus Show" at theCorcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., supervised by museum directorWalter Hopps.[3] From 1970 to 1984, he taught at theNew England School of Art and Design atSuffolk University.[4]
With Calvin Beck, he co-authoredScream Queens (Macmillan, 1978).
He worked closely withMad's cartoonists while editing theMad Style Guide (1994) and Gibson's line ofMad greeting cards (1995).
Time columnistRichard Corliss noted that "Bhob Stewart's handsome, comprehensiveAgainst the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood" (TwoMorrows, 2003) is a "gorgeous book onWally Wood's art."[5] Stewart worked with Wood for a period starting in the late 1960s. In addition to the many illustrations, this biographical anthology features a selection of articles by artists once associated with Wood's studio. Stewart's biography of Wood can also be read at his blog,Potrzebie, where it is formatted with a different selection of Wood's artwork.
In 2017 and 2018,Fantagraphics Books publishedThe Life and Legend of Wallace WoodISBN 978-1-60699-815-1,ISBN 978-1-68396-068-3), a revised, expanded, and uncensored version ofAgainst the Grain as a two-volume set of hardcover books: physically larger, in full color, and more in line with Stewart's original concept. It was Stewart's last publishing project, a project he spent more than 30 years on, but he did not live to see it in print.[6]
In 1961, Stewart made a 7-minute experimental film entitledThe Year the Universe Lost the Pennant. Combining original material withfound footage, both in color and black and white, the film was first screened in 1962.
Originally distributed by the Film-Makers' Cooperative as a "Do-It-Yourself Happening Kit", the work was intended to be screened with an actor responding to the film. As one reviewer noted in his survey of experimental techniques in underground cinema: "Another unconventional device is the dialog between sound track and director in Bhob's Stewart's THE YEAR THE UNIVERSE LOST THE PENNANT which necessitates Mr. Stewart's presence at each showing of the film. So when you rent the film you get Mr. Stewart (live) with it. Even Hollywood cannot beat this one!"[7]
Stewart described the genesis of the film in his notes in the 1967 catalogue from the Film-Makers' Cooperative:
"When I was working on TYTULTPennant in 1961, I was just about to lose faith in my theory of random sometimes-free-associative images and junk the whole project. Then I took mescaline and knew instantly that I was right."[8]
Jonas Mekas rhapsodized about the film in theVillage Voice:
"It is a breeze, an antidote. It loosens, it opens things up, it clears the air. You can breathe again. It is a sort of Dada poem, but it is also more than that. Maybe it is, as Ron Rice says, dazendada."[9]
In addition to his own film, Stewart also appeared in a short film byAndy Warhol, and acted in three features by the independent filmmakerJoseph Marzano, includingMan Outside, in which he played the starring role.[10]
After 35 years of living withemphysema, Stewart died on February 24, 2014, inPlymouth, Massachusetts.[11] In October of that year, it was announced that ascholarship fund was to be established in his memory.[12]
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