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| Paul Mavrides | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 (age 72–73) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Posters, Comics |
Notable works | The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers |
| Collaborators | Jay Kinney,Gilbert Shelton,Harvey Pekar |
Paul Mavrides (born 1952) is an Americanartist, best known for his critique-ladencomics,cartoons,paintings,graphics, performances and writings that encompass a disturbing yethumorous catalog of the social ills and shortcomings of human civilization. Mavrides worked withunderground comix pioneerGilbert Shelton onThe Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers from 1978 to 1992. Mavrides has been noted for "adding new dimensions to the political comic" in theunderground comix press of the 1970s and '80s.[1]
Mavrides is a founding member of theChurch of the SubGenius, having been a member of the organization since its earliest days. He is a co-author ofRevelation X: The "Bob" Apocryphon: Hidden Teachings and Deuterocanonical Texts ofJ.R. "Bob" Dobbs (Fireside Books, 1994).
Mavrides came to theSan Francisco Bay Area in 1975, and was soon working with San Francisco-based comics creatorJay Kinney on "Cover-Up Lowdown", originally a weeklypanel cartoon which was collected and published byRip Off Press in November 1977. This strip satirized political cover-ups of the day, as well as those of recent history, such as theassassination of John F. Kennedy. Kinney and Mavrides then collaborated on the politicalanthologyAnarchy Comics, which was published sporadically byLast Gasp between 1978 and 1987. Mavrides contributed comics to all four issues ofAnarchy Comics as well as editing the final issue.
Mavrides illustrated several stories forHarvey Pekar inAmerican Splendor. He also had work in such alternative comics titles asYoung Lust (Last Gasp),Real War Stories (Eclipse Comics), and theBrought to Light trade paperback (Eclipse).
Mavrides was credited as art director forGrass, a 1999 documentary onmarijuana. He designed the record jacket forThe Nuclear Beauty Parlor. Mavrides is also a collagist, photographer and painter.[2]
In 1978, Mavrides joined Gilbert Shelton andDave Sheridan to co-produceFabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics stories. Together, with Shelton and Mavrides writing, and Mavrides, Sheridan, and Shelton producing the artwork, the three of them produced the comix that were later collected intoFreak Brothers issues #6 & 7.
Following Sheridan's death from complications of cancer in 1982,[3] Mavrides became Shelton's steady partner in all furtherFreak Brothers material. The two of them embarked on an ambitious project (begun in 1982 and serialized in issues #11 and 12 of theRip Off Comix series, but not published in the comics seriesThe Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers until 1984): a full color, three-volume story arc entitled "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in The Idiots Abroad". In 1984,[4] Shelton, who had spent parts of 1980 and 1981 in Europe, moved back toEurope for good and theFreak Brothers collaboration became a trans-Atlantic affair. The last full issue of new Freak Brothers material came out in 1992.
In 1991, Mavrides protested against a resolution by the State ofCalifornia to levy asales tax on comic strips and comic books. He challenged the law in court, with assistance from theComic Book Legal Defense Fund, arguing that the comic strip is a communications medium that should be classed with books, magazines, and newspapers (which are not subject to sales taxes due toFirst Amendment provisions).[5] In 1997, a ruling in Mavrides' favor was handed down by theCalifornia State Board of Equalization.
Science fiction author and mathematicianRudy Rucker created the character Corey Rhizome based on Mavrides.[6] Rhizome features in the novelFreeware as a creator of semi-sentient toys, many of which have deviant or anti-social personality traits based on Rhizome's personality. Rhizome, whom Rucker described as "Mavrides as evil toymaker", is a profligate user of moon grown hybridmarijuana that he smokes via complexvaping hardware.
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