Rip Off Press

Rip Off Press is an American comic-book publishing, retail, and distribution business associated with the underground comix movement that developed around San Francisco in the late 1960s. The company was founded on January 17, 1969, by four friends from Austin, Texas: cartoonists Gilbert Shelton and Jack Jackson, together with Fred Todd and Dave Moriaty. Its initial concept combined commercial printing with an alternative publishing cooperative. The founders acquired a used Davidson 233 offset press and established the business in the former Mowry's Opera House at 633 Laguna Street in San Francisco, sharing space with Apex Novelties. The early business produced both rock-poster work and comics. Its first publications included R. Crumb's Big Ass Comics, reprints of Jack Jackson's God Nose and Happy Endings Comics, and Mother's Oats Comix by Fred Schrier and Dave Sheridan. After a fire damaged the opera-house premises in late 1969, Rip Off Press moved to the former headquarters of the Family Dog psychedelic-promotion organization at 1250 17th Street, where it operated from 1970 until 1985. By the early 1970s, poster printing had receded and the company had become primarily a publisher of alternative comics and countercultural publications. Rip Off Press helped establish the publishing careers and readership of several underground and alternative cartoonists. Its catalogue included Gilbert Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, and Wonder Wart-Hog; Dave Sheridan's comics; Frank Stack's Jesus Comics; Robert Crumb material; and the anthology Rip Off Comix. The company also published The Rip Off Review of Western Culture, a board game based on Shelton's Feds 'N' Heads, and later a range of erotic, music-related, political, and experimental comics. It was notable beyond comics for publishing the fourth edition of the Discordian text Principia Discordia and for issuing the drug-manufacturing booklet Psychedelic Chemistry. As the underground-comix market weakened, Rip Off Press diversified. In the 1970s it operated a syndication service that supplied weekly comic strips to alternative newspapers and student publications. The service distributed work by artists including Shelton, Joel Beck, Dave Sheridan, Ted Richards, Bill Griffith, and Harry Driggs. Although the syndicate was discontinued by 1979, material associated with it fed into the company's Rip Off Comix anthology, launched in 1977. Bill Griffith's Zippy first appeared as a weekly strip through the Rip Off operation before later receiving wider daily syndication through King Features. A major financial and technological turning point came in 1979, when Universal Studios paid Shelton and Rip Off Press $250,000 for the rights to develop a live-action Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers film. The film was never produced, but the proceeds helped the company acquire typesetting equipment and a computer system. Those investments supported the mail-order operation that ultimately became central to the business. During the 1980s, Fred Todd increasingly managed the company as other founders departed or reduced their involvement. Kathe Todd, who had joined as a summer employee in 1975 and married Fred Todd in 1980, later became a co-manager. Rip Off Press endured major physical and market disruptions. Gilbert Shelton relocated permanently to France in 1984. In 1985, the company moved to San Jose Avenue, with additional warehouse space at Bayview Industrial Park. On April 6, 1986, the building was destroyed after an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in the basement. Fred Todd subsequently moved the business to Auburn, California, in June 1987, where he and Kathe Todd continued operating it while raising their family. The Auburn period included further publishing activity. Rip Off Press continued issuing The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Rip Off Comix, published erotic titles such as Doll and Demi the Demoness, released Matt Howarth's Savage Henry and Those Annoying Post Bros., and took over Wimmen's Comix for several issues. However, the collapse of the direct-market comic distribution system in the early 1990s, including the withdrawal of a substantial share of the market by Marvel Comics, led the company to reduce publishing activity. By 1997, Rip Off Press had largely shifted toward selling its backlist and other comics through its store, mail order, and online channels. The Todds moved the operation into smaller premises adjoining their Auburn home in 1999. The company's website was temporarily unavailable in 2011 and 2012 while being redesigned. Its later merchandise included backlist comics, collectible publications, historic advertising materials, rare press sheets, and publisher's production proofs. Rip Off Press therefore survives primarily as a specialist seller and custodian of underground-comix material, while retaining a significant historical identity as one of the movement's important independent publishers.

Rip Off Press began in San Francisco in January 1969 as a cooperative-style printing and publishing enterprise founded by Fred Todd, Dave Moriaty, Gilbert Shelton, and Jack Jackson. The founders, all connected to Austin, Texas, initially intended to print promotional posters for rock bands while producing comics on the side. They purchased a used Davidson 233 offset press and worked from the former Mowry's Opera House on Laguna Street, alongside Apex Novelties. The company's earliest comics included works by Robert Crumb and Jack Jackson, along with Mother's Oats Comix. A fire damaged the Opera House late in 1969, prompting a move to 1250 17th Street, the former home of the Family Dog promotion organization. Rip Off Press remained there from 1970 through 1985. During the early 1970s, poster work declined and comics became the principal business. The catalogue expanded to include Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Frank Stack's Jesus Comics, Dave Sheridan's publications, The Rip Off Review of Western Culture, and the Feds 'N' Heads board game. The company also published the fourth edition of Principia Discordia and the booklet Psychedelic Chemistry. When the underground-comix market weakened, the company experimented with syndication. Managed by Shelton, the Rip Off Press Syndicate circulated weekly strips to alternative newspapers and student publications. Its contributors included Joel Beck, Dave Sheridan, Ted Richards, Bill Griffith, Harry Driggs, and Shelton. The syndicate ended by 1979, but its material was collected in Rip Off Comix, an anthology that began in 1977. Griffith's Zippy was among the strips associated with this service. The 1979 sale of film rights for The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers provided capital for typesetting and computer equipment. The planned Universal film was not made, but the equipment helped Rip Off Press build its mail-order business. During the 1980s, Fred Todd became the principal continuing manager as Moriaty and Jackson returned to Texas and Shelton eventually settled in France. Kathe Todd, who had joined in 1975 and married Fred Todd in 1980, later shared management responsibilities. After a 1985 move to San Jose Avenue, the company suffered a major fire on April 6, 1986, when an explosion connected to an illegal fireworks factory destroyed the building. Rip Off Press moved to Auburn in June 1987. It continued publishing Freak Brothers material, Rip Off Comix, erotic comics, Matt Howarth's music-oriented titles, and later issues of Wimmen's Comix. The contraction of the direct-market comics system in the early 1990s caused Rip Off Press to reduce its publishing programme. By 1997, it primarily sold its own backlist and other specialist comics through retail, mail order, and the emerging online channel. In 1999, the Todds moved the business to premises next to their home in Auburn. The website was later redesigned after a temporary shutdown in 2011–2012, adding collectibles such as historic advertisements, press sheets, and production proofs. The company is now chiefly known as a small specialist retailer and distributor preserving and selling material from the underground-comix tradition.

• 1999

  Operations move next to the Todds' home

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The business moved into smaller premises adjoining the family home in Auburn.

• 1997

  Retail and mail-order focus becomes dominant

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The company increasingly withdrew from new publishing and emphasized backlist sales.

• 1987

  Relocation to Auburn

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Rip Off Press moved from San Francisco to Auburn, California.

• 1986

  San Francisco facility destroyed

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  A basement fireworks-factory explosion caused a fire that destroyed the company's building.

• 1979

  Film-rights deal funds new equipment

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Universal Studios paid for rights to develop a Freak Brothers film; the proceeds supported typesetting and computer systems.

• 1977

  Rip Off Comix begins

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched its long-running anthology, incorporating material from its syndication operation and associated artists.

• 1969

  Company founded in San Francisco

  [1]Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Fred Todd, Dave Moriaty, Gilbert Shelton, and Jack Jackson established Rip Off Press as a printing and alternative-publishing venture.

A specialist independent source for underground comix, countercultural publications, alternative cartooning, and collectible backlist material.

• Underground comic series · 1971

  The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

  Gilbert Shelton's countercultural comic series was one of Rip Off Press's defining properties. The company published numerous issues and continued handling the series into the 1990s, making it central to the publisher's identity and later backlist retail business.

• Comic anthology · 1977

  Rip Off Comix

  A long-running anthology that collected work by underground and alternative cartoonists, including material connected with the Rip Off Press Syndicate. It ran for 30 issues from 1977 to 1991 and documented the company's broader publishing community.

• Underground comic anthology · 1989

  Wimmen's Comix

  Rip Off Press assumed publication of the all-female underground-comix anthology with issue 14 and continued publishing it through the early 1990s. The title broadened the company's catalogue beyond its Shelton-centered properties.

• Comic series · 1977

  Fat Freddy's Cat

  A recurring Gilbert Shelton property associated with The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers universe. Rip Off Press issued a substantial run of collected and serialized material during its publishing years.

• Erotic comic series · 1993

  Demi the Demoness

  A late-period erotic comic by S. S. Crompton, published by Rip Off Press during the company's expansion into adult-oriented comics in the 1990s.

• Countercultural religious text

  Principia Discordia, fourth edition

  Rip Off Press was the first company to publish the fourth edition of this Discordian text by Gregory Hill and Kerry Thornley, extending the company's countercultural publishing role beyond comics.

• 1997

  Retreat from new publishing toward specialist retailStrategy

  Background

  The early-1990s collapse of the comic direct market weakened the economics of independent publishing and distribution.

  Action taken

  Rip Off Press reduced publishing activity and concentrated on selling its backlist and other comics through its store, mail order, and online channels.

  Aftermath

  The company continued as a small specialist retailer and custodian of underground-comix material.

  Source

• 1979

  Use film-rights proceeds to build mail-order capabilityStrategy

  Background

  The company received payment for proposed film rights to The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, although the film was never produced.

  Action taken

  Rip Off Press invested its share in typesetting equipment and a computer system, strengthening production and enabling a more substantial mail-order business.

  Aftermath

  Mail order later became one of the company's most important activities and helped it survive the decline of underground-comix publishing.

  Rights payment. $250,000 (1979)

  Source

1. 1Rip Off Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rip Off Press official websiteripoffpress.com