Flamed Out: The Underground Adventures and Comix Genius of Willy Murphy

by Willy Murphy, Mark Burstein (Editor), Ted Richards (Editor)

An intimate (and sometimes goofy) portrait of cartoonist Willy Murphy’s life, loves, and struggles ― and a revealing glimpse into the underground comix scene in San Francisco in the early and mid-1970s. One day, Willy Murphy, a rising young star at a prestigious Madison Avenue advertising agency, whipped off his tie, cast away his suit, and said goodbye to a high-pressure, high-profile, high-paying career. All just to draw ― not comics ― but comix . What followed was the flowering of a sharp comedic sensibility paired with a terrific ear for dialogue that delighted his friends, tickled the funny bones of his readers, and earned him the respect and admiration of virtually every other underground cartoonist. Flamed Out traces Willy’s quirky comix career written and edited by those who knew him best. This book is bursting with personal reminiscences, Willy’s playful sketches and drawings, never-before-seen photographs, and a cornucopia of the comix ― most newly scanned from his original art. With such recurring characters as Arnold Peck (the Human Wreck), Henry Henpeck, and the unsavory Beasley Boys, Willy’s clever cartoons regularly punctured pomposity, poked fun at politicians, and promoted peace and love through his peerless, fearless pen. Black-and-white with color

Genres: Comics

232 pages, Hardcover

Published November 7, 2023

Reviews

[Robert Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection because Willy Murphy was a great cartoonist whose hit=to-miss ratio was far higher than his peers/ But he died way to young and didn't leave a huge body of work. This book collects it all, sometime repeating things he did (in a misguided effort to be complete, I suppose) as well as remembrances from everyone who knew Murphy. It's all a bit too much, but I am glad to have all his comics in one place.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat split, man.

Essentially all of Murphy's comic art in an oversize edition. Beautiful book, above average work, and a short biography-cum-oral history that's above average for books of this stripe as well. Have to say, though, his work is underwhelming after the ocean of superlatives bestowed by greater artists than he ever got the chance to be.