Review of Media US entertainment Gilbert Shelton: Freak Brothers Omnibus
Perverted, subverted, but not alerted: tragi-comic loss of USA, 28 Nov 2010 More than 600 pages, about a third of them in colour. The whole enterprise is a bit like a printed version of Frank Zappa, including the early struggles with equipment, and uneasy relation with officialdom. The book's end flaps (helpful as bookmarks) reveal material about Gilbert Shelton, who is shown in a photo aged, I assume, about 70. His career—the account includes a few obligatory hippie-esque misprints—includes the printing/publication aspect, people like R Crumb, and prosecutions, which had a long-term damaging effect including in England. The whole Furry Freaks thing was a group effort—contributors in addition to Shelton's storyboarding were Dave Sheridan (died 1982) who overlapped with the strangely-haired Paul Mavrides (joined 1978). But many others are credited with text and storylines.
Judging by a couple of drawings, Shelton worked at a sloping drawing board, the scale not being very far off 1:1, seated on a swivel high chair, with an angle variable lamp and lots of tins of beer. His caricatures are very skilful, not in the Gerald Scarfe style of extreme stretchings and deformations, but a realistic style which could be a living person (apart from noses). Thus the Colonel Cornbelt character looks extremely arrogant; and the woman librarian outraged by a 'f*ck books' enquiry is tweedily terrifying. All the druggie types look horrible, typically with long bent noses covered in pock marks, and sparse unkempt hair, and eyes pointing in different directions.
Shelton may have been trained as an architectural draughtsman; this is a guess of mine, based on several drawings of non-existent buildings, with loving detail suggesting many hours taking caffeine pills at his drawing-board. There are also what look like technical drawings; and mentions of Victorian houses—it's amazing how a long-lived widow gave her name worldwide. Shelton clearly has an interest in formal art—van Gogh, Leonardo, absurd modern art and absurd art gallery people, all put in appearances. He also has an interest in typefaces—everyone knows about 'fonts' now, but it's obvious Shelton studied and used them carefully, including marijuana-leaf lettering and computer-style mock metallic letters with reflections.
The comic cartoons (single page, and multiple pages, and a few strips at the bottom, usually of Fat Freddy's cat) make up the artist's life work. They're dated from about 1970 to about 2000—the latest I found was 2006. (Some have the date in tiny lettering; there's a slight suggestion they are slightly in sequence). With about forty years to choose from, we can see some social changes: suggestions of the 'Whole Earth Catalog' —Phineas in particular comes up with strange inventions; contraceptive pills; water beds; poppers—amyl nitrite as used widely by 'gays', though Shelton doesn't have much on this aspect of 'social history'; permaculture (the proposed Rip Off Press building is topped by an eco-garden); head shops; Ritalin (for schoolchildren) makes an entrance. Microwave ovens; 'Linda Lovejuice'; a mythical cartoon-drawing computer dated from early home PCs; right through to video cameras, hot air ballooning, and even an IKEA catalogue.
Erich Fromm (I think) said in effect that Mickey Mouse cartoons always have the same plot—a little person outsmarts a big person. There's something of this in Shelton. The three heroes have a Peter Pan quality. Phineas Freakears (black curly hair), Fat Freddy Freekowtski (yellowish hair combined with moustache), and Freewheeling Franklin (Texan hat)—each with easily-identifiable nose—are obviously meant as varied stock figures, as in US TV.
The plots hinge somewhat on drugs—sometimes referred to by trade name, in my view a worrying sign. There are lots of puns on grass. Even heroin is in there. It's disappointing that the subject couldn't have been handled differently; but there it is. Not just drugs—unemployment lines, rent arrears, unpaid utility bills loom large enough as plot pivots. Women are mostly sex objects, or just objects—though depressingly this may just reflect real life. There's a bit on politics—politicians happy to pass laws for money, provided they're exempt. A Kissinger character complete wirh defective English and matching morality appears. Mostly it's evasionist—posters on draft dodging, for example.
There's a surprising lack of affection or interest in the USA. This is shown as urban, mostly traffic-choked and rundown. Plus the country, shown as remote and full of hicks. And also roads—the Freak Bros cars, and vehicles, are one of the stars of these comics—unlikely old vehicles, and newer ones which break down all the time. The officials and police are all of the Governor Richpigge type. Most of the Freak Bros major adventures are set overseas: in Mexico, Colombia, Holland, Arab countries.
Throughout this rather hefty volume there is, at least for my taste, a saturating feeling of sadness, for an entire generation of Americans deliberately misinformed and undereducated, subverted and diverted, but not alerted, as their birthright was secretly eroded by aliens. It's a tragi-comic work, the life's work of people who possibly weren't even aware of the subtext of their work. Read it, laugh, be amused at the marginal detail, and note the signs of decay.