| Slow Death | |
|---|---|
 Slow Death Funnies #1, 1970. Artwork byGreg Irons. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Last Gasp |
| Schedule | annual |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | 1970 - 1992 |
| No. of issues | 11 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Ron Turner,Tom Veitch,George DiCaprio,Alan Moore |
| Artist(s) | Gary Grimshaw,Dave Sheridan,Jim Evans,Greg Irons,Gilbert Shelton,Fred Schrier,Rory Hayes,Jaxon,Kim Deitch,Robert Crumb,Tony Auth,Richard Corben,Larry Welz,George Metzger,Rand Holmes,William Stout,William York Wray,Melinda Gebbie,Michael T. Gilbert,Roger Brand,Guy Colwell,Bryan Talbot,Graham Manley,Wally Wood |
| Editor(s) | Ron Turner |
Slow Death is anunderground comix anthology published byLast Gasp, the first title published by theSan Francisco Bay Area-based press. Conceived as an ecologically themed comics magazine (in conjunction with the firstEarth Day), the title's "underlying theme was always about what the human race was doing to damage the native planet."[1] Frequent contributors toSlow Death includedGreg Irons,Jaxon,Dave Sheridan,Richard Corben, Jim Osborne,Tom Veitch, and Dennis Ellefson.[2] Released sporadically from 1970 to 1992, 11 issues were published in all.
The first issue, titledSlow Death Funnies, was produced bySan Francisco State University graduate student[3]Ron Turner as a benefit for a local ecology center. Turner borrowed $2,500, and with the help ofSan Francisco Comic Book Company'sGary Arlington,[4] printed 20,000 copies, which were published on April 15, 1970.[1] The first issue was copyrighted by the "Visual Yoyo Tribe," a Berkeley-basedcollective of which Turner was a member.[5]
New issues, now simply titledSlow Death, were published annually through 1974, when the title went on hiatus until 1976. Two issues were published in 1977 and then the title went annual again through 1979. After a 13-year gap, the final issue in the series,Slow Death #11, was published in 1992.
Slow Death Funnies #1 featured underground comix stars such asRobert Crumb,Kim Deitch,Jaxon,Rory Hayes,Fred Schrier,Dave Sheridan,Gilbert Shelton,Gary Grimshaw,Greg Irons, andJim Evans taking on such targets as the auto industry, corporate polluters, litterers, and other perceived abusers of the planet.[1] The second issue took on apost-apocalyptic science fiction theme, with dark stories byJaxon,Dave Sheridan, Jim Osborne, andRichard Corben.
Science fiction stories continued throughout the series, but with issue #5, each issue's theme became connected to real-world issues:Richard Nixon, true war stories,Greenpeace,nuclear power, cancer, and other topics.[1]
The final issue, published 13 years after issue #10, and focused onenergy conservation, featuring stories by (among others)Alan Moore &Bryan Talbot,Graham Manley, andWally Wood.Greg Irons contributed to 8 of the 11 issues, whileJaxon had stories in 6 issue overall.