Comic Book “Home Editing”
for Fun and… Part 2
by Chris Budel
As mentioned previously, in Home Editing Comics 1, the Home Editor has many
arrows in his quiver to deliver the bullseye hidden in
the otherwise innocuous cover. With mixed media the
Home Editor can supply a 'take no prisoners'
punch line to a degree that the original marketing and
circulation departments could only fantasize about.
The kernel of an idea can sprout into a mighty Oak
with the contents of a utility drawer, some time to
kill, and a "bite the hand that feeds me" attitude.
The hidden message is brought to the forefront by
the novice who wears the hat of the skilled
craftsman, with a careful placement of a
masking device, a few deft cuts of the scissors, and a
couple of strokes of the pen an otherwise blase cover
is a ringing condemnation of modern life in these
United States.
Falling in Love 94 Edited
More Love Comics for sale
Never mind that
it'll take half a lifetime to pay off all that glitz,
just remember that you're fueling the economy, keeping
that great sisyphuss-ball rolling.
And while we're spending money on essential items
that we simply cannot live without, let's shamelessly
drop in a plug to buy a few weighty tomes from the
Nostalgia Zone
Comic Shop,
purveyors of fine funny-books that the
Home Editor would be proud to ferret out the true
meaning of locked within. Watch for the Nostalgia Zone
Home Editor Kit, perfect for stimulating that latent
creative guerilla that lurks in all of us, coming soon
to instigate a little hand holding as we dig deep to
spelunk that repressed Vincent Van Grab-the
World-by-the-Horns attitude that lies repressed in all
who truly label themselves Americans. Now let's return
to some fascinating examples of Home Editorship,
culled from the collection of Hugh Morris.
With a World Economy suddenly based almost
entirely on the burning of decayed fossilized remains
long concealed in the bosom of mother earth, the wise
consumer is ever vigilant in his quest for the perfect
melding of comfort, performance and economy. And leave
it to the crafty Home Editor to crystalize these
thoughts into a biting social commentary that subtly
and subliminally hits you simultaneously in the
pocketbook and the funnybone. The car could represent
our Economy, driving off a cliff; the skeletal wraith
behind the steering wheel could represent Big Oil,
charging headlong devil may care into an uncertain
future (right off a cliff); and the passenger could
represent the hapless consumer concerned to the bitter
end with minutiae as their pitiful lives are forfeit in
the winner take all chess game of Energy played out in
the Oil based Economy of today's rough and tumble
world. Or it could be "just a funny pitcher".
Beware 2 Edited
and
More Beware Comics for sale
Interesting that this cover was Home Editorized in
1981, on the heels of the first big awakening to the
rules of the Energy Game.
Who could deny the glaring examples of what
REALLY sells funny-books to a certain segment of the
comic 'reading' public, figuratively being rubbed in
our faces by the clever Home Editor in the reworking
of this particular issue of Showcase. That the
ever shrinking page count is somehow offset by an ever
expanding part of Human Anatomy smacks of what it
truly means to be a red-blooded American. (Showcase)
Showcase 97 Edited
and
More Showcase Comics for sale
What follows are examples of the Modern Day Home Editor
that have been graciously provided to us by Readers of this
series. They appear here, largely without comment, both as
an indictment of the Comic Book industry and what they have
so obviously left out of the covers reproduced here, and as a
testament to the artistic and creative talent of the Home
Editor, an avocation that is apparently still alive and well in
these United States. (Submissions will always be welcome, and
indeed encouraged to this section. Please see our Contact
Information at your
Friendly Comic Shop.
From Guest Artists
Our Dear Readers Reply:
Hi Chris,
I enjoyed your online article about "Comic Book Home Editing".
Funny stuff !
My favorite of the images you linked is the "CREEPY THINGS", edited by the
reader to say CRAPPY THINGS. They did a damn good job on the logo, it looks
like it was published that way ! Less a few telltale home-grown
markings, of
course.
I've seen a few of these babies over the years too, but didn't have the good
sense to hold on to them for posterity.
One I recall was an Archie comic from the early 70's, where the sexual
tension that is always portrayed innocently in the published version
was brought
to
the fore by a reader who doodled in the book, with genitalia drawn
on Archie,
Betty, Veronica, Reggie and the rest.
Letting it all hang out, if you will.
Anyway, good work on the article.
An alternate title I thought of for this piece:
"COMIC BOOK READER IMPRESSIONISM: Vandalism as an Art Form".
Anyway, Thanks.
Dave Berkebile
Boca Raton, FL
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