Dirty Little Comics: Volume 3: A Pictorial History of Tijuana Bibles and Underground Adult Comics of the 1920s through the 1950s
By Jack Norton and Kitty Norton
4/5
()
About this ebook
Tijuana Bibles were palm-sized, underground, explicit comic books. Produced in the United States, they were extremely popular in the 1920s and 30s. Most artists were unknown, as the publication of this explicit work was illegal at the time. For the first time in recent history, these obscure works are now brought back to light. Included within this collection are over thirty original comics and a short essay about the history of this uniquely American medium.
During the Great Depression era of the 1930s, “Tijuana Bibles” were called eight-pagers, Tillie And Mac books, Jiggs and Maggie books, Jo-Jo books, bluesies, blue bibles, gray backs and two by fours. In the 1940s they were simply called “Dirty Little Comics”, and by the early 1950s these glorious works of dirty art would finally be known as “Tijuana Bibles” - a term still in use today. The term “Tijuana Bible” originated in southern California, playing on the untrue belief that these cheap little comics were manufactured and smuggled across the border from Tijuana, Mexico.
This seedy backstory only added to the smutty appeal of these comics. They were sold under the counter for a quarter anywhere men hung out: bars, bowling alleys, auto-shops, tobacco stores, barbers, burlesque halls and tattoo parlors. If a gentlemen knew the right second hand bookstore or magazine stand, he could ask for the latest blue bible.
The artistry of these images is simply amazing. It’s clear where groundbreaking artists of the 1960s such as R. Crumb drew inspiration from: Tijuana Bibles!
With pen names such as “Mr. Prolific”, “Mr. Dyslexic” and “Blackjack” the artists in this pictorial history of Tijuana Bibles and the underground adult comics of the 1920s through the 1950s worked under great legal risk to bring their work to the public. Today we should celebrate with a smile the brilliant artistry and bold bravery for creating art during such a repressed time. We look to these early artists for inspiration and amusement.
Jack Norton
Hi, I’m Jack Norton. I am an Emmy Award winning American writer currently wandering around Europe. I love travel, reading, smoking lots of weed, collecting old records, eating raw vegan food, practicing yoga and obsessing over other people’s dogs and cats. I am married to my high school sweetheart Kitty.I am fiercely independent and always have been. I self-released my first album when I was just a kid back in 1997 and I self-published my first book way back in 2001. That was long before the days of indie authors and ebooks! Over the years, Kitty and I have created record labels, booking agencies, film and television production companies, publishing houses and more.Currently my focus is as a writer and publisher - authoring books across many genres from nonfiction (music business, motivation, musicology) to fiction (thrillers, steamy romance and pulps), poetry and memoirs. I also have a daily blog and host several podcasts.When I was a kid, Tiny Tim (the guy that sang “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips”) was my babysitter and neighbor. He taught me how to play the ukulele! When I was in elementary school I was a totally weirdo (I guess things never really change). I was obsessed with writing and music history. I started trading correspondence with authors Hubert Selby, Jr. and Nick Tosches. I also befriended musicians Tom Waits and Leon Redbone while I was still in middle school. I attended an Arts High School which is where I met my soulmate Kitty. Together we failed our way through high school and I graduated earning the lowest possible grade...while still being allowed to get a diploma. I remember the principal telling us that we would never have a career in the arts and that I specifically was a total failure as a creative artist and as a human being.Two decades have since passed and I have made my living solely as a professional working artist. In fact, I have no resume or job history - other than pursuing my own schemes and dreams over the years!Along the way, I taught myself how to be a filmmaker and ended up getting into the world of corporate video production. My clients included: the Pentagon (US Department of Defense), MTV, Disney Channel, Interscope, Island-Def Jam, KidzBop, Sony, Whole Foods and even Justin Bieber. I also directed dozens of music videos, short films and a few features as well. My 2015 feature length documentary film Jug Band Hokum included appearances by humorist Garrison Keillor, bluesman Charlie Parr and Grammy winning rap legends Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The film had a successful run at major film festivals and independent cinemas around the world. And our entire production budget was $600.I love working through limitations and finding creative ways of self-producing creative content!Kitty and I co-created and self-financed a kids television show that ended up earning six regional Emmy Award nominations and was broadcast on over 150 PBS member stations nationwide and in 175 countries on the AFN Family Channel on Trinity Broadcasting Network. We spent just under ten thousand dollars to make the entire series. At the time, one reviewer called it “Barney meets the Black Eyed Peas”, because we were doing electro hip-hop music for preschoolers. LOL.Speaking of film stuff, I am a horrible actor but somehow I have appeared in a few films, including roles opposite Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern in Wilson (2016) and an unfortunate stint as a prisoner in the Tom Six cult horror film The Human Centipede III: Final Sequence (2015). In 2017, we wrote and performed four original songs for the Oscar nominated Willem Dafoe film The Florida Project (A24) which was made by director Sean Baker (Tangerine). The Florida Project premiered at the 49th edition of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight as part of the Cannes Film Festival. Pretty wild stuff.I no longer performing live, however over the years I have opened for: Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Dave Van Ronk, Leon Redbone and the Squirrel Nut Zippers (to name a few). A few years ago, Kitty and I were given the incredible opportunity to perform in 19 countries for the US Pentagon, where we entertained military families in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. We’ve also performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC and at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee. We actually lived in Nashville for a while and really loved our time in Music City!In late 2019, we released Two Stalkers One Goal, a memoir co-written with Kitty. It is an inspiring book offering hope and healing for victims of stalking, cyberstalking, narcissistic abuse, gossip and bullying. We are survivors of a story so crazy that, well, you just have to read the book! ;)This is a great time to be a creative artist and independent creator. The makers movement has only just begun and I couldn’t be more grateful to be along for the wild ride through the golden age of creative content.Connect with me at:http://www.jackandkitty.comhttp://www.instagram.com/mrjacknortonhttp://www.twitter.com/mrjacknorton
Read more from Jack Norton
Dirty Little Comics: Volume 1: A Pictorial History of Tijuana Bibles and Underground Adult Comics of the 1920s through the 1950s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirty Little Comics: Volume 2: A Pictorial History of Tijuana Bibles and Underground Adult Comics of the 1920s through the 1950s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirty Little Comics: Volume 4: A Pictorial History of Tijuana Bibles and Underground Adult Comics of the 1920s through the 1950s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirty Little Comics: Volume 5: A Pictorial History of Tijuana Bibles and Underground Adult Comics of the 1920s through the 1950s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Successful Musician Mindset: Proven Music Business Hacks and Tricks to Book More Gigs and Earn a Six-Figure Income...Guaranteed! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreen Room Haiku Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJack and Kitty's Feel-Good Stories: Love Grows In Crooked Places and Other Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJack and Kitty's Feel-Good Stories: A Stitch of Serenity and Other Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJack and Kitty's Feel-Good Stories: The House That Built A Man and Other Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIowa's Best: 365 Unique Adventures - The Essential Guide to Unforgettable Experiences in the Hawkeye State (2024-2025 Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Time Girl And Her Sweet Forever: A Collection Of New Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWisconsin's Best: 365 Unique Adventures - The Essential Guide to Unforgettable Experiences in the Badger State (2024-2025 Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmmett Miller: An Obscure Minstrel Yodeler Who Changed Music Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Dirty Little Comics
Related ebooks
WARNING! Graphic Content: Political Cartoons, Comix and the Uncensored Artistic Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flicker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSatellite Sam Vol. 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSkywald Comics: Nightmare Issue 18 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5'85 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Horny Stories And Comix # 3 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Grace Randolph's Supurbia Vol. 2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breast Man: A Conversation with Russ Meyer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Comics of R. Crumb: Underground in the Art Museum Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Satellite Sam Vol. 2 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Casanova: Acedia Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Days Of American Crime Vol. 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Discipline Vol. 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Skywald Comics: Psycho Issue 08 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grace Randolph's Supurbia Vol. 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bomb Queen Vol. V: Bombastic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Satellite Sam Vol. 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Skywald Comics: Nightmare Issue 02 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Casanova Acedia Vol. 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10th Muse Gallery: Rena Mero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Kiss: Casual Fridays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Kiss: Sex Day Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sugar Vol. 1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hustler's Dirtiest Jokes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hip Pocket Sleaze: The Lurid World of Vintage Adult Paperbacks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Apes & Babes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sexual Bloopers: An Outrageous, Uncensored Collection of People's Most Embarrassing X-Rated Fumbles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SFSX (Safe Sex) Vol. 1: Protection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lesbian Zombies From Outer Space: Issue 2 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Grace Randolph's Supurbia Vol. 4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Art For You
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Designer's Dictionary of Color Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Art Models 10: Photos for Figure Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Draw and Paint Anatomy, All New 2nd Edition: Creating Lifelike Humans and Realistic Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art 101: From Vincent van Gogh to Andy Warhol, Key People, Ideas, and Moments in the History of Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Essential Guide to Creating Action Figures & Fantastical Forms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lust Unearthed: Vintage Gay Graphics From the DuBek Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drawing and Sketching Portraits: How to Draw Realistic Faces for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Drawing School: Fundamentals for the Beginner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Electric State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Dirty Little Comics
1 rating0 reviews