More Comix
Sundry Comix
Da Boids -1 Page
Nora Talbot -3 Pages
Those Non-Reproducing Blues
4 Pages
Media Report Comix
11 pages
Horse Opera
7 Pages
Simon Smith and Ronald Moss
7 Pages
Trapped on Jupiter
5 Pages
Farlie Fan in Cream City 9 Pages
Trapped on Jupiter Page 4 of 5 (from Midnight Fiction #1)
Backstory
I was first introduced to Western sidekicks through a TV series about the great Western movie series of the 1930's. These were B-pictures that ran around an hour in length and got second billing to the main features on theater marquees. As I recall, the show ran on PBS and was called They Went Thataway. Each show highlighted one of the great series with actors like William S. Hart, William Boyd, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Ken Maynard, Buck Jones, Bob Steele, etc. I loved catching a glimpse of the grizzled, old sidekicks that most often provided comic relief or plot complications for many of these Western heroes. They were the inspiration for the character Dusty.
Trapped on Jupiter originally was published as the lead story in the first issue of Midnight Fiction. The print run was classic small press comics; in the neighborhood of 100 copies. It was advertised in Alan Light's The Buyer's Guide. The ad was done on a full 8.5" x 11" sheet and reduced to 1/16 of the publication's tabloid page size. Midnight Fiction #1 sold for 20¢ a copy. As you might imagine the response was moderate, but by the time the second issue was finished, the first one was sold out. Issue #2 had a print run of 500. It also was advertised in The Buyer's Guide and received plugs in other newave cartoonist's mini comics and small press publications.