Art gallery raises money for local underground comix legend

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Electric Works Gallery in SoMa. Photo by John C. Liau/The Public Press.

S. Clay Wilson, a longtime fixture on the San Francisco underground comix scene who sustained a traumatic head injury last year, was honored at the close of “The Cresting Wave: The San Francisco Underground Comix Experience” exhibition in San Francisco Sunday evening.

The exhibit at the Electric Works Gallery at Mission and Eight streets, was a homage to San Francisco as the birthplace of underground comix. The genre emerged in the 1960s as an element of the counterculture and exemplified the movement’s embrace of sex, drugs and political protest. They were dubbed “comix” to differentiate them from normal comics as well as to allude to their X-rated nature.

The exhibit also featured prints by underground pioneers such as Robert Crumb and Randy Vogel, however, event organizers placed the spotlight on Wilson. The local legend was a major contributor to the early issues of Crumb’s groundbreaking ZAP comic series, and his characters — such as “The Checkered Demon” and “Bluebeard the Pirate” — have been mainstays in underground comix for the past 40 years.

Calling Wilson “the bad boy of underground comics,” exhibit curator Dan Fogel credits him with pushing the limits of creativity and artistic expression.

“Wilson challenged censorship by depicting wild characters, making the world a more liberal environment for other artists and cartoonists,” Fogel says.

On Nov. 8, 2008, Wilson fell and hit his head, though the exact circumstances are unclear. Authorities say they believe he stumbled numerous times while walking home drunk from a friend’s apartment.

After two and a half weeks of intensive care, Wilson was sent home suffering with a form of aphasia that impaired his ability to form words. Wilson eventually recovered his speech and has since drawn more cartoons though, Fogel says, “his ability to earn a living is seriously in question.”

To that end, the  benefit bash for the artist featured music, food and a silent auction to raise funds for the S. Clay Wilson Trust. The event raised over $2,000.

Al Kizziah, proprietor of Al’s Comic Shop on Market, has shared a connection with Wilson since Kizziah opened the store in 1989. Wilson not only frequented the shop, but left souvenirs for lucky customers.

“He would come in and sign books for me. And I would put them on the shelf,” Kizziah says. “We like to remind people that there are treasures in their own backyard.”

Despite the controversial nature of underground comics  —  a sign at the front of the exhibit warned that some material is not suitable for children  —  Wilson has said that the main purpose of his work is not to offend or insult.

In an interview with The Comic Journal just three weeks before his accident, Wilson said his art is, first and foremost, for himself.

“I’m just trying to have fun,” he says. “I’m like a 66-year-old kid. I’m trying to maintain my childlike sense of wonderment.”

Watch slideshow of Electric Works gallery by Vivian Morales.

 

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Electric Works Gallery in SoMa. Photo by John C. Liau/The Public Press.

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