The Collective Unconscience of Odd Bodkins

When the world was young I went with my high school buddies up to San Francisco to see the elephant. We went into a long defunct Comic Book store called Comics and Comix (this was in 1972) and I bought a copy of AIR PIRATES comics and stories, volume 1. It was subversive, seditious and seriously up to no good but god damn it was brilliant! I went on to read every single scrap of these guys (Dan O'Neill, Shary Flaniken, Bobby London, Gary Hallgren and Ted Richards etc.) that I could get my hands on. O'Neill especially, seemed determined to destroy himself utterly, just to make a point. Along the line I got a hold of this book. This is not a book of cartoons, it is a magic spell to free your mind. If you read this you will discover sam the 100% american dog, five dollar bill o'brady ("Is he wanted?" asks Fred, "Kid, he is NEEDED" replies Hugh) The batwing hamburger snatcher, mister spanky, lulu the snake, Pluto, lord of the underworld and so much more. Odds Bodkins ran in the San Francisco Chronicle, and on the King Features Syndicate for years. O'Neill, to the best of my knowledge, still lives in Nevada City. He drew the murderous intention of Mickey Mouse and literally faced down the US Supreme Court. Forget about pornographers, this was THE first amendment battle of the 20th century, and the bad guys won. Find a copy of "the mouse liberation front" you can find it online at the whole earth catalog, or one of several excellent books on the topic. But this book saved my sanity, and my hope, and my ability to laugh in the darkest hour of my life. Wherever you are right now, God bless you and keep you Dan O'Neill. You shone. persevere

I ran across this book and two previous O'Neill publications, one a sort of early graphic novel called Hear The Sound Of My Feet Walking, Drown The Sound Of My Voice Talking, back in the late seventies, when I was a mere sprout in Bloomington, Indiana. They were in a marvelous local used bookstore,...If I had to pick one word to describe the Collective Unconscience, it would be "rich." The panels are just packed. It's like the comic strip equivalent of a Firesign Theatre record; you don't get everything on the first pass; you have to keep going back for more, and more, and more. I may not be the best person to comment on O'Neill's work, as I was maybe twelve when I first read it and it had such an enormous effect on me. But I agree with other reviews: the books are absolutely invaluable for anyone who wants to see the era of the sixties and early seventies from the countercultural viewpoint, and, yes, an awful lot of O'Neill's insights still hold true today. "Paranoia is the fear of unreal weirdos. Who has time for that, when the planet is ruled by REAL weirdos?"

I was introduced to Dan O'Neils Odd Bodkins cartoons by one of my fellow Army inductees while stationed in Europe in 1972. He was from San Francisco and had been fortunate enough to read these cartoons when they were originally run in the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 60s. I still remember how ecstatic he was when he got the copy from home. The humor is loony lampooning political and religious satire; Doonesbury is watered down and very politically correct by comparison. In the Sideways (after the Forward) Dan O'Neil writes about his original editors requirements to keep Sex, Drugs, Politics and Religion out of the strip, as he says he managed to keep sex out. If you want to get a taste of how anti-war and anti-establishment the late 60's were, make the effort to track down a copy and enjoy the ride.

Dan O'Neill's ramblings are best served with a side order of medicinal marijuana. However, even those of us who are clean and sober can appreciate the fun of the disjointed banter between Hugh and Fred and assorted cast. Caution, it is best not to read the entire book in one sitting. Mental permutations will result.