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LENNY of LAREDO
by Joel Beck. Third Printing
(white cover) © 1965 but published by The
Print Mint in April 1966.
There were only three printings of this
important underground comic book, and the first two printings
are so scarce as to be almost never seen. And this is
the only edition of the three in a standard comic book format
(7" x 10 1/16"), although the covers and content are
black & white.
Lenny of Laredo was the second underground comic book ever
(preceded only by Jaxon's God Nose). To put this
timeline in perspective, Joel Beck created Lenny
of Laredo a full two years before R.
Crumb's first Zap hit the scene! The potty-mouthed
"Lenny" in Lenny of Laredo is inspired
by '50s stand-up comic Lenny Bruce, whose monologues sprinkled
with four-letter words shocked middle America. Beck, living
in the San Francisco Bay area, was also inspired by Mario
Savio's Free Speech Movement at the University of California--Berkeley
in the mid-sixties. Lenny is a cornerstone item
in any serious underground comix collection.
Condition: Very
Good/Fine. There is a very light vertical crease down the middle,
suggesting that the original owner briefly put it is his back
pocket when leaving a head shop in 1966. It is now barely noticeable.
There is a spot of light beige discoloration at the top left
edge of the cover with a mirror discoloration in the same spot
on the back cover, There is a 3/8" surface abrasion next
to the front cover beige spot. In the oval art border to the
right of Lenny's turban there is another small 1/2" abrasion
and what looks to be a very sight repair of a barely visible
surface tear. There are two tiny beige spots on the inside front
cover. The pages are bright white and the book is otherwise fuully
intact and tight. It is virtually impossible to find this early
underground in mint condition.
Provenance: Certified
to be from the collection of a childhood friend of
cartoonist Joel Beck.
Price: $250.00
One copy in stock. Adults
only.
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