The Freak Brothers

Bueno, un ejemplo de cómo mantenerse actual pese al paso del tiempo: los Freak Brothers. Llevan desde los años 60, la "época de las 11.000 vírgenes" -para parte de nuestra generación-, dando guerra con su humor alternativo y su posición antisistema. A pesar de que han sido engullidos por la sociedad de la que renegaban, siguen manteniendo el aura de rebeldes simpáticos, perdedores en cadena: mismos slogans contra una guerra, mismo consumo de estupefacientes, misma beatería y conservadurismo. Nada nuevo bajo el sol. En algunas historietas del gran Azagra puede verse la influencia de estos "hippies", aunque Pedro Pico y Pico Vena renieguen de esta tribu urbana de niños de papá con pantalones rotos, su huella es palpable. 

En cuanto al estilo de Shelton, me remitiré a las abundantes referencias sobre comic" underground" existentes en internet. Estos son comics de antes de la internacionalización del "manga" y el reconocimiento de la historieta como un arte más, por lo que no se trata de desarrollar unas viñetas mega-post-modernas y de trama circular, poniendo a los personajes como adornos cuya misión es mostrar el dominio del dibujo anatómico que tiene el "artista" (antes conocido como dibujante, pintamonas, pintor de tebeos, etc.), dentro de un universo de imaginación y kitch superbarroquizante. Es arte por el arte. Un lápiz, una goma, una plumilla y tinta china, inmortalizando un momento en mil formas.

 

Y ahora la parte cultural de este post.

 

Los Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers son unos personajes de una historieta creada por el estadounidense Gilbert Shelton en los sesenta. Aparecieron en los sesenta y los setenta en publicaciones como Playboy, High Times, y Rip Off Comix. Los Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers son tres hippies que en sus historietas andan siempre en busca de fiesta y de drogas callejeras, especialmente la marihuana. Ninguno de ellos tienen el mas mínimo interes en conseguir empleo permanente y suelen andar en busca de dinero para comida y drogas siempre tratando de evitar a la policia o a vendedores de drogas inescrupulosos. Sus historias suelen satirizar a la politica de derecha y las personas conservadoras.

Sus personajes principales son Freewheelin' Franklin quien se caracteriza por su inteligencia y experiencia callejera; Phineas T. Freakears, el mas orientado del trio hacia el activismo izquierdista; Fat Freddy Freekowtski, el gloton y mas torpe del trio; y por ultimo el gato de Fat Freddy quien suele tener aventuras por su lado.

(Fuente: Wikipedia)

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers — a bunch of establishment-hating, drug-using, draft-dodging hippies — are definitely a product of their time, the late 1960s and early '70s. But somehow, they've managed to survive beyond that time, and remain in print even today.

Gilbert Shelton, already known for Wonder Warthog, created the Freak Brothers (Fat Freddy, Freewheelin' Franklin, and Phineas Phreak) in 1968, when he was living in Austin, Texas. Their first adventure appeared in Feds 'n' Heads, a counter-culture publication that is still reprinted from time to time. Later, the trio turned up in Yellow Dog, Radical America Komiks, Zap Comix, and other undergroundcomix, as well as in the Los Angeles Free Press, the East Village Other, and various other underground newspapers.

In 1969, Shelton and three college buddies, Jack Jackson, Dave Moriarty and Fred Todd, moved to San Francisco and founded Rip Off Press, which became one of the major comix publishers — and which is today one of the few still producing new comic books. Most of Shelton's subsequent work has been published by Rip Off Press.

In 1971, Rip Off Press brought out the first collection of Freak Brothers adventures, gathering together stories and pages from over a dozen different sources and putting them between two covers for the first time. Another collection appeared a year later, and a third in 1973. That took care of most of the reprintable material, so the fourth issue, which came out in 1975, contained new stories. That's when the series started to evolve from what has been called a "hippie sitcom" into fabulous, world-spanning, epic adventures.

By then, Shelton had begun collaborating with other underground cartoonists, Paul Mavrides (Anarchy Comix, Young Lust) and the late Dave Sheridan (Dopin' Dan, Dealer McDope). With them on board, the series continued, a new issue coming out every two or three years, then every three or four — but still coming out. The 12th issue appeared in 1992 and the 13th in '97. Early issues are now available in album form, and later ones are still in print.

In 1977, Rip Off Press started an anthology series, Rip Off Comix, where the Freak Brothers were a regular feature. That same year, Fat Freddy's Cat, one of the comics medium's more obnoxious felines, was spun off into a title of his own.

In 1979, Universal Studios bought an option on producing a Freak Brothers movie. That option — as well as several subsequent movie options — was allowed to lapse. To date, no film version has ever been produced.

The secret of the Freak Brothers' longevity is simple. Perhaps not everyone likes their lifestyle; in fact, some may actively abhor everything they stand for — and for that matter, probably nobody at all would consider them role models. But there is one thing on which most people who have read them agree: Gilbert Shelton tells a story very well, and his stories are very, very funny.

(Fuente: Don Markstein's ToonopediaTM)