Cocoanut Comix (an imprint of the Air Pirates collective)[1] Cloud Comix
Company & Sons was an early underground comix publisher based in San Francisco, ran by John Bagley.[2] The company operated from 1970 to 1973, publishing a total of 15 titles, all but one of them consisting of a single issue.
Company & Sons burst onto the underground comix scene in 1970 with five titles. First was Rory Hayes' Bogeyman Comics #3 (taking over the title from the San Francisco Comic Book Company),[4] then Wink Boyer's Buzzard,[5] Boyer & Dave Geiser's Honky Tonk, and the anthology Hee Hee Comics (which was produced "in conjunction with The San Francisco Comic Book Co., Gary E. Arlington, prop").[6]
But the company hit pay dirt in October 1970 with Kinney & Griffith's Young Lust, which had been previously turned down by fellow San Francisco-based underground publishers Print Mint, Rip Off Press, and Last Gasp.[7][8] The first printing of 10,000 copies sold out almost immediately, leading to more printings and more sales.[8] Despite the first issue's success, however, Griffith and Kinney were dubious about Company & Son's accounting practices,[8] so they brought issue #2 to Print Mint. The bulk of Young Lust's run was ultimately published by Last Gasp.
In 1971 Company & Sons published three issues of Dan O'Neill's Comics and Stories and Larry Todd's Tales of the Armorkins. In 1972 the company published the All Duck anthology, Vaughn Bodē's The Collected Cheech Wizard, Bobby London's The Dirty Duck Book, editor Bill Surski's Drool Magazine anthology, the anthology Paranoia, and the first issue of Charles Dallas' Psychotic Adventures Illustrated (issues #2 [Oct. 1973] and #3 [June 1974] were picked up by Last Gasp).[9] In 1973 the company published Paul McKenna's Folk Funnies.
The company went out of business in 1973; reportedly, publisher Bagley claimed he had a fatal disease.[10] The reality is that the company suffered from poor sales due to mediocre products.[citation needed] After the demise of Company & Sons, Bagley's partner Michael R. Levy moved to Texas and founded Texas Monthly.[11]
Very little is documented about Bagley other than he was an avid collector of Classics Illustrated.[11] He was seen in 2001 by Last Gasp publisher Ron Turner, where Bagley was making jewelry while based on a farm in Northern California.[11]
Titles
all one issue unless indicated otherwise
All Duck (1972) — contributors include Tom Hatchman ("Mickey Pickles"), Peter Bramley, Joey Epstein ("Noah Escarole"), Jay Kinney, Ned Sonntag, Denny Hermanson, and Bill Skurks[12]
Drool Magazine (1972) — contributors include Bill Surski, Tom Hatchman ("Mary Pickles"), Gail Burden, Ralph T. Reese & Larry Hama, Jay Kinney, Peter Bramley, Stephen Barnett, Ned Sonntag, Joey Epstein, Larry Todd, and Chris Rush[15]
Folk Funnies (1973)
Hee Hee Comics (1970) — contributors include Larry Rippee, Hector Tellez, D. Angstead, Tom Veitch & Rick Veitch, Leonard Rifas, Roger Wade Boyce, Casey, Al Devoren, and Ric Sloane[16]
Honky Tonk (1970) — contributors include Dave Geiser, Wink Boyer, and Diana[17]
Psychotic Adventures Illustrated #1 (1972) — 10,000 copies; contributors include Charles Dallas and Sharon Goodyear; title later continued by Last Gasp[19]
Tales of the Armorkins (Dec. 1971) — 20,000 copies[20]
