Going underground
Going underground |
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Page 18 of 36  Cyclops (Innocence and Experience, 1970) It was not long before an indigenous underground began to take shape, and although the comix were highly influenced by the American example, both in terms of content and format, they did exhibit a local flavour. It should be remembered that the British counterculture had developed in subtly different ways to its American counterpart, and that the concerns were not always the same. Edward Heath, for instance, was almost as much of a hate figure as Richard Nixon. Similarly, the mainstream comics tradition was unique, and instead of looking back to Mad and the ECs, British creators also referred to titles such as Film Fun, The Eagle and The Beano. Although there was no equivalent to the Zap crowd in Britain, there was a London scene based around the hippie publications IT (The International Times), a news-based tabloid, and Oz, a glossy magazine famed for its psychedelic design. These were essentially the voice of the British counterculture, and were closely linked, sharing journalists and cartoonists. They also both reprinted strips from America. By the early 1970s, however, they were past their peak, and their publishers decided to experiment with launching comix offshoots in the hope that they would make enough money to keep them afloat.  Cyclops (Innocence and Experience, 1970)  |