The Rip Off Review of Western Culture

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The Rip Off Review of Western Culture

The Rip Off Review of Western Culture #1 (June/July 1972). Cover photo by Michael Heinichen.
Editor	J. David Moriaty; Bob Follett; Dave Sheridan; Jane T. Gaynor, and Ramsey Wiggins
Categories	underground comic magazine
Frequency	Bi-monthly
Publisher	Rip Off Press
First issue	June/July 1972
Final issue	Nov./Dec. 1972
Country	United States
Language	English

The Rip Off Review of Western Culture was an underground comics magazine published by Rip Off Press and produced out of San Francisco, California. It published three issues in 1972. The publication was historically significant in that it brought together the work of many noteworthy underground artists and writers.

J. David Moriaty conceived of The Rip Off Review of Western Culture in 1971, desiring to publish a real magazine with writing, photographs, and comics. Moriaty asked Robert Follett to serve as the magazine's editorial director, a job which entailed contributing interviews and editing the magazine. Dave Sheridan, already a well-known cartoonist and underground comic artist, was given the title of art editor.

Follett and a couple of others managed to publish first issue of The Rip Off Review of Western Culture in June 1972. A magazine and comic book mix, the artists, writers, and photographers contributed many different styles and stories to the magazine. The magazine was distributed through various underground outlets, with a limited amount of money.

Ramsey Wiggins stepped in as the managing editor on the second issue and was asked to write a column and a few of the editorials.

• Editor and Publisher: J. David Moriaty
• Editorial Director: Robert Follett^[1]
• Art Editor: Dave Sheridan
• Managing Editor: Janie T. Gaynor
• "Editor at Sea": Billy Lee Brammer

The first issue was 84 pages, and contained very few ads. The editorial staff, along with Bruce Jackson, a photographer from New York, had determined to keep the total production of the magazine in house for absolute control of quality and costs.^[2] The cover for the first issue, features Dave Sheridan, taken by photographer Michael Heinichen. It was the most difficult cover to print, which required large areas of solid black ink. J. David Moriaty had worked hard with the staff to save this difficult run. After many long days, he managed to print the covers without too many defects to the magazine. This saved the first issue, due to the lack of money Rip Off Press had in their budget.

The artist Monjett Graham originally from Nebraska, wrote a regular column on culture for The Sun Reporter, an African-American newspaper, located in San Francisco.^[3] This was about the time he was approached by the Rip Off Review of Western Culture staff and asked if he would contribute to the magazine. Graham contributed two pieces of artwork to the first issue. The first one, called Urban Mood, appears on page 15. This piece was created with woodcuts and pencil. The second piece, Occupation, is woodcuts only, and features a soldier with a helmet.

• Editor and Publisher: J. David Moriaty
• Editorial Director: Robert Follett
• Art Editor: Dave Sheridan
• Managing Editor: Ramsey Wiggins
• Southwestern Corespondent: Bill Dormam

The second issue is a collection of articles, stories, pictures, illustrations, and comics. The cover is an illustration by Victor Moscoso, who contributed many others to the magazine. This issue features several articles, such as a two part interview/story on Dennis Hopper called "Acting Strange: Hopper's Nickbag Medicine Show Comes To Dime Box", written by M.D. Shafter; and "The Loan Arranger", a piece of creative nonfiction by Bob Chorush. In addition, featured in this issue was artist/writer Tullio, who contributed a regular column entitled "Mindstream". Cartoonist Frank Stack provided the comic "Jesus Goes To The Faculty Party".

• Editor and Publisher: J. David Moriaty
• Editorial Director: Robert Follett
• Art Editor: Dave Sheridan
• Managing Editor: Ramsey Wiggins
• Southwestern Correspondent: Bill Dormam

The third issue consists of an editorial written by J. David Moriaty on the Presidential election of 1972 and the United States consumption of gasoline. On page three of this issue the "Liner Notes" describes the main contributors to "The Rip Off Review of Western Culture". Jim Franklin provided the artwork for the cover, which is a parody of the artist Porfirio Salinas work. Also in this issue is a detailed interview by the editorial director Robert Follett, with S. Clay Wilson, known as one of the best American underground cartoonist in the 1970s. Tom Pope contributed a regular column, entitled "The Morning Stage" along with Tullio DeSantis who winds up the magazine with his regular column known for his cosmic note "Mindsteam".

• Bob Follett, ArtandLife
• Bob Follett a personal site
• Bob Chorush's website
• Kerry Fitzgerald bio at Lambiek's Comiclopedia