Barefootz

Barefootz compiles Howard Cruse's underground comix series from the 1970s-80s featuring the title character, a bald protagonist who navigates surreal adventures with his eclectic group of friends. The black and white comics follow Barefootz through encounters with cockroaches, demons, and social situations in stories that blend counterculture sensibilities with whimsical humor. The collection includes strips from publications like Barefootz Funnies and various underground anthologies. The series incorporates elements of satire, absurdism, and social commentary while maintaining a playful core throughout its experimental narrative structure. Through its mix of everyday scenarios and fantastical elements, Barefootz reflects both the creative freedom and progressive attitudes of the underground comix movement.

Limited reader reviews exist online for this underground comics collection. The few available reviews focus on Cruse's distinctive art style and the countercultural elements of the strip. Readers appreciated: - The evolution of Cruse's early artwork and storytelling - The surreal, psychedelic elements - Historical importance as an early work before Cruse's later LGBTQ-focused comics Common criticisms: - Uneven quality between strips - Some jokes and cultural references feel dated - Less polished than Cruse's later work like Wendel and Stuck Rubber Baby Available Ratings: Goodreads: No rating (too few reviews) Amazon: No rating (too few reviews) Due to the book's limited printing and niche status as an underground comics collection, comprehensive reader reviews are scarce. Most discussion appears in brief mentions within broader articles about Howard Cruse's career and legacy in alternative comics.

Fritz the Cat by R. Crumb This underground comic follows a feline protagonist through countercultural adventures with themes of sex, drugs, and social rebellion.

Life in Hell by Matt Groening The comic strip presents alienation and existential struggles through anthropomorphic rabbits in a pre-Simpsons exploration of modern life.

Gay Comix by Various Artists This anthology series presents LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives through alternative comics in the underground comix tradition.

Wendel by Howard Cruse The comic strip chronicles the life of a gay man and his friends during the emergence of LGBTQ+ activism in the 1980s.

Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse This graphic novel interweaves Civil Rights era struggles with a young man's journey of sexual identity in the American South.

🦶 Barefootz originated as an underground comic series in the 1970s, featuring a cheerfully oddball protagonist who shared his apartment with a talking cockroach named Maxwell. 🎨 Howard Cruse, the creator of Barefootz, later became known as the "Godfather of Queer Comics" and went on to create the groundbreaking graphic novel "Stuck Rubber Baby." 📚 The Barefootz comics tackled controversial subjects like homosexuality and environmental issues while maintaining a whimsical, surreal tone that set it apart from other underground comics of its era. 🗯️ The character of Barefootz was originally created for Cruse's college newspaper at Birmingham-Southern College in the late 1960s. 🌈 The series gained particular significance when Cruse came out as gay in 1976 and began incorporating more LGBTQ+ themes into his work, making him one of the first openly gay cartoonists in underground comics.