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MickeyRat Comic #3, 1980, 2nd Printing, 36 pages,Last Gasp, Robert Armstrong, Underground Comic Near Mint Condition
1972-1982 / Los AngelesComic Book - Kitchen Sink - Last Gasp Hestarted as a t-shirt design. Nothing but a crude rip-off of Mickey Mouse, notso close in design to Disney's character that he'd get in trouble, but closeenough to be obvious. His name was Mickey Rat.The Mickey Rat t-shirt sold a lot of cotton at the dawn of the '70s. Sales wereso good that when Chester Crill, member of the psychedelic rock bandKaleidoscope, suggested to rat creator Robert Armstrong that Mickey Rat wouldbe great in a comic strip, the idea was instantly embraced. And so in 1971,Mickey Rat appeared in L.A. Comix #1, in a seven-page storyappropriately titled "The King of Rotten Stuff."
The persona of Mickey Ratfit perfectly with his appearance: rough at the edges and leering at objects ofhis desire through a stubborn hangover. In 1972, L.A. Comic Book Companyfeatured Mickey in his own comic book, which apparently failed to sell out. ButDenis Kitchen at Kitchen Sink believed in the uncouth rat and published thesecond issue in the series. Both issues featured stories written by Crill, buthe was not impressed by the financial rewards of comic book publishing and soonstopped writing for them. After the second issue there was an eight-year gapbetween issues before Armstrong ended up with Last Gasp, which published thefinal two issues of the series in 1980 and 1982.
By those last two issuesMickey Rat's exploits were even more reprehensible than before, as he addedpedophilia to his arsenal of lewdness. Mickey is usually hung-over, on drugs orotherwise incapacitated and lost in his own world. For someone who never seemsto get much done he manages to sustain quite a superiority complex, alwaysconveyed with a wickedly rude sense of humor. He is crass, raunchy, and tacky;capable of performing any act of filth. His mind is seemingly always on onetrack and incapable of growth or sustained contemplation. Mickey Rat seemsentirely unmotivated to accomplish anything but chase down his next piece ofass or a decent-size roach.Mickey Rat's appeal still endures some 40 years after his inception and hisbook remain popular among underground enthusiasts, though he has now come fullcircle and appears mostly on t-shirts. Of course, today he has more of anexcuse to exist than just ripping off Mickey Mouse. He's a nostalgia item inhis own right, who once had his own comic book.
Mickey Rat was Robert Armstrong’s amoral, beer-swillingantihero whose adventures comprised the bulk of the issues. The first two areentertaining enough, though lacking in focus, but by #3 Armstrong had maturedinto a fine satirist and the writing is much sharper. Mickey Rat’s exploits areutterly reprehensible, but thoroughly compelling at the same time, never moreso than when shared with the Couch Potatoes. This TV-addicted group of losersproved popular enough for their own feature in #4, and The Official CouchPotato Handbook was published in 1983. Another backup strip, the jazz-basedDizzy Ratstein, never quite comes to life, but overall the last two issues makefine reading.
Mickey Rat is usuallyhung-over, on drugs or otherwise incapacitated and lost in his own world. Forsomeone who never seems to get much done he manages to sustain quite asuperiority complex, always conveyed with a wickedly rude sense of humor. He iscrass, raunchy, and tacky; capable of performing any act of filth. His mind isseemingly always on one track and incapable of growth or sustainedcontemplation. Mickey Rat seems entirely unmotivated to accomplish anything butchase down his next piece of ass or a decent-size roach.
Mickey Rat #3features a couple of solid Dizzy Ratstein stories and the classic "It'sParty Time."
The misanthropic rodent returnsafter eight years, now published by Last Gasp. The Rat visits a psych ward andChinatown, while Dizzy Ratstein has his own misadventures. Mature readers.Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Armstrong. Cover price $2.50.
Disclaimer: Wemay have chosen to alter and block a portion of the cover of this particularcomic, because it contains simple drawings, sketches, cartoon funniesand caricatures, showing the features of its subjects in a humorouslyexaggerated and satirical way. ForAdults Only is printed on the cover because it’s not a children’s comic book.We have listed this issue in the Viewer Discretion Advised category to complyto ’s policies and rules concerning restricted items that may be consideredfor Mature Audiences only. However, it is at ’s discretion to prohibititems that they deem to be inappropriate and we agree with all of ’sdecisions to maintain a marketplace that all of members can enjoy. We willvoluntarily remove any cartoon comic book that may find unacceptable nowor any time in the future.
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Check out ourother Underground Comics inour sister store for an even biggerselection of comics.Minowtcomic class="MsoNormal" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify">OUR STORY - While living inGreenwichVillage in the sixties. There was alittle store off Bleecker that specialized in underground comics. EveryFriday afternoon after work, I’d go there to see what was the latest versionjust hitting the shelves. With several of my hippy friends grooving, andlaughing over Comics, we’d sit around that smoke-filled room, sometimes lateinto the night.Fast forward, some fifty years later–my wife and I discovered some old cardboard boxes hidden behind junk in theback of our storage locker. It was a dry, cool place and the hundreds ofunderground comics that had only been read once, were in beautifulcondition. It felt like we discovered a pot of gold. We wrote todozens of book and comic stores with a list of our inventory. They said,there was no interest, no market and offered us little to nothing for thecollection. We explained to them that these were complete sets, first editions.To the retail outlets they were worthless, but to us they were priceless.Now we offer them on E-Bay and the collectors are grabbing them up, at our morethan fair and reasonable prices. Many we had universally certified withCGC, so you’ll know we’re trustworthy, reliable and have the best ofservice. Just check the response and reviews to know we’re honest andresponsible. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and hopeyou buy them now while they still are available. First come, firstserve. Thank you again for your time and interest.
