Zap Comix #12
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThis 1989 collection reprints the twelfth issue of the legendary underground comix series Zap Comix, originally published by Last Gasp. Featuring the iconic work of Robert Crumb and other counterculture artists, this volume continues the series' tradition of satirical, surreal, and boundary-pushing comics that defined the underground comix movement of the 1960s and beyond.
"Arthur" is a standout tale from Robert Crumb’s legendary run in Zap Comix #12, a 1989 release from Last Gasp. In this surreal, hand-drawn story, Crumb imagines the unlikely rise of Cave Wimp, a frail Neolithic outcast whose accidental moment in the spotlight briefly elevates him among the clan’s alpha males. The cover, a striking collaboration by Spain Rodriguez, captures the comic’s offbeat, raw energy.
In a surreal, fast-paced jam sequence, the eccentric cast of Zap Comix #12 converges on New York City for a wild, chaotic show, each character—Culture Vulture Lady, Coochy Cooty, Dainty Dimples, and the Checkered Demon—bringing their own brand of absurd energy. Jimmy Durante makes a brief, dreamlike cameo as the city pulses with underground weirdness and artistic frenzy.
Cave Wimp, a lanky outcast in a Neolithic clan, stumbles into unexpected favor with the alpha males—though his luck may not last long. Amid the grunts, groans, and primal antics of Gub, Mog, and Grek, one timid soul finds himself at the center of a bizarre moment of power.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Epix #10/1989 (66) (1989), Obras Completas Crumb #3 (1990), Pox #8/1990 (1990), The Collected Checkered Demon #1 (1998), Mystic Funnies #1 (1999), Hysteria in Remission: The Comix & Drawings of Robt. Williams #[nn] (2002), The Complete Crumb Comics #17 (2005), Heart and Torch: Rick Griffin's Transcendence #[nn] (2007), The Complete Zap Comix #3 (2014), The Complete Zap Comix #5 (2014), The Complete Zap Comix #6 (2014), Bible of Filth #[nn] (2017), Spain #1 (2017), R. Crumb: Existential Comics, Selected Stories 1979-2014 #[nn] (2025)
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