Junkwaffel

Junkwaffel

by Vaughn Bodē

Vaughn Bodé (pronounced "bo-dee") is considered the king in the world of graphitti/aerosol art. His vast imagination gave birth to entire universes and characters, including Cheech Wizard, Junkwaffel, and many more. Although he passed away in 1975, before the graffiti scene even took off, Bodé's legacy was cemented when graffiti greats like Kel 139 and Dondi actively borrowed from and paid tribute to the underground great. More recently, his work has been referenced in song by hip hop legends like the Beastie Boys. As such, Bodé occupies a truly unique niche in the world of underground comics, embraced by both the hippie counterculture of the 1960s as well as the hip hop community of the 1990s.

96 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1992

About the author

Vaughn Bodē was an American underground cartoonist and illustrator known for his character Cheech Wizard and his artwork depicting voluptuous women. A contemporary of Ralph Bakshi, Bodē has been credited as an influence on Bakshi's animated films Wizards and The Lord of the Rings. Bodē has a huge following among graffiti artists, with his characters remaining a popular subject.

Reviews

[Robert Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of very strange underground style comics from the '70s. They are episodic strips amounting to three "stories" which are Sunpot, Machines, and Zooks. The art is interesting and the characters are manic, confused, but proceeding in whatever random task they have determined for themselves till the bitter end. In fact, the stories are less story than a series of situations caused by the random actions of the hyper and incompetent characters against a cluttered unexplained and peculiarly detailed background.

The humor is a little dated in certain places especially in Robots, the best part of the book in my opinion. Not because of the humor but because of the premise of intelligent war machines carrying out their programming to the very end with little capability to do otherwise. Also, two of the sections have curiously sad endings when juxtaposed with the crude humor.

Overall, I like it, I'm glad I read it if for nothing more than the desire for something a little different. I can recommend this to those familiar with 1970s underground comics and those looking for a little injection of something weird in their reading/comix diet.