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One of the most significant publications to come out of this movement, R. Crumb’s Zap Comix, showcased a wide array of works by the most prolific and stylistically diverse artists at the time. Originally published in San Francisco in 1968, Zap was a space where cartoonists collaborated to produce free-form narratives about literally whatever they wanted.
From the psychedelic, mind-tripping works of surfer Rick Griffin to the sexually charged and violent satirical vignettes of S. Clay Wilson, Zap was a creative space where young, passionate artists could express their innermost (and often perverse) thoughts while exercising their counterculture political and social views completely unrestrained. Using entrepreneurial and social networks that they themselves established, these creators controlled the printers and distribution channels for their comix and, as such, there were no rules, regulations, or code that they needed to conform to.
For artist and biker Spain Rodriguez, publications like Zap Comix were the space where artists could make their “blows in the cultural war”: "We were able to kick the despicable Comics Code in the teeth. We were able to make a living. We were able to reflect our times. It’s kind of a Pandora’s Box of all these threads that weren’t allowed before."
https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/underground-comics
https://ncac.org/news/blog/a-full-frontal-assault-on-censorship-zap-comix-and-the-underground-movement
Read more about Zap and censorship at The Comics Journal website:
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