Artistic Memoirees © 2008 stevens

Artistic Memoirees ©2008

As we leave the decade called the  60's, there was so much creativity  unfolding ,

and   people,  who I have had the pleasure to meet during  there own artistic beginnings.

Some had success, and , are icons, and some simply  faded away, and some passed on too soon.

 ,The 60's created an evolutionary beginning of new comic book concept.

, Haight Ashbury,  Zap Comics...Bob Crumb, 

 The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ,by Gilbert Shelton,

 JunkWaffel, by Vaughn Bode, and  so many more.

 Aside from the West Coast there were entreprenoirs, on the East Coast, also.  

  Small publications popping up all over the place, 

 for example, as shown below, Moonchild Comics. 

created by, Nicola Cuti, from Valley Stream, NY. 

 I met Nicola Cuti, I believe in 1968. How we came to meet,

 I don't recall.

We lived one town from each other in Long Island, NY.

He was a talented writer, and an established magician.  A gentleman.

He was a good friend, as the years passed, I would say sadly,  that he was a 

better friend to me, than I was to him.  For that, I am truly sorry.

Nick, or as he would prefer, Nicola, was amazingly prolific. He wrote for

Warren Publications, Creepy, and Eerie. Wrote for Wallace Wood on Cannon,

and Sally Forth, for the Overseas Weekly. 

Created E-Man, illustrated beautifully, by his good friend Joe Staton.

 He  created his own  cartoon character  "Moonchild"

and amongst other things developed an East Coast Underground Comic Book

Showcase, for talented unknown artists, to as he has said, " keep his Volkswagen in Gas."

Prolific, Hungry and Talented, would best describe a young Nicola Cuti, that plus an honest

friendly,and he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed one. 

Heck, He gave me his Volkswagen when I was down and out. That is a good friend

In his third issue, of Moonchild, Nick  offered me several pages to showcase my comic strip'

Below is a copy of that strip printed in Moonchild, 1970. 

 Nicola introduced me to many cartoonist, and helped me along the way.

I worked in Wallace Wood's studio, in Valley Stream, Long Island, because

Woody needed an an assistant, and Nick mentioned me.

 Nick knew everyone, and everyone, knew, and liked Nick.

I remember going to the first National Comic Book Convention in 

the Hotel Commodore on July 4th through 8th in NYC.

The cost was $7. for 5 days, I believe it was 1968.

Phil Seuling , was the convention chairman.

The place was packed, The dealer room overflowed into the hallways.

It was surreal, almost uncomfortable. My first taste of what fans were about. It seemed as if anyone who was involved with comics, including some of the underground cartoonist, were all in this one hotel. .

To be continued...