RICK GRIFFIN & VICTOR MOSCOSO

Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso

ZAP COMIX 
Part 2

ZAP COMIX #1 was successful enough for Robert Crumb to produce another issue. For #2 he opened it up to four other artists. Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, Spain Rodriguez and S. Clay Wilson. Griffin and Moscoso were doing psychedelic posters for The Print Mint in Berkeley. The Print Mint was founded in 1965 by Don Schenker and later teamed with Bob Rita. They were major publishers of psychedelic rock posters and Underground comix at the time. It was through The Print Mint that these artists came together to produce the most successful and influential underground comix which has continued to this day.

Rick Griffin, born 1944,  drew a cartoon for SURFER MAGAZINE titled "Murphy" from 1961 to 1964.  He was later inspired by the psychedelic poster art of Mouse & Kelly. He started producing his own posters in 1967 and soon became one of the most popular in the genre. He joined ZAP COMIX in 1968. His first contributions were almost indistinguishable from Victor Moscoso's, but he soon developed his own unique style. He also drew another Underground Comix, TALES OF THE TUBE, about surfing. He became a born-again Christian and did cover art for religious albums and drew a graphic magazine, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. He died in a motorcycle accident in northern California in 1991. Clay was only able to click off one photo of him.

Rick Griffin, San Diego Con 1975. 

Victor Moscoso, born 1936, was one of the first to produce psychedelic rock posters in San Francisco. His use of bright colors that "pop-out" was influenced by Josef Albers. He was also one of the first to use photo-collage. He was trained and taught at The San Francisco Art Institute and achieved world wide acclaim doing advertisements, bill boards, record covers, and underground comix.
He still lives in San Francisco.

Victor Moscoso, ( in hat ) and Spain Rodriguez, ( left ),
Bob Rita's office at The Print Mint, Berkeley 1972.

 

Spain Rodriguez, Bob Rita and Moscoso 

Moscoso and S. Clay Wilson, San Diego Con 1979  

Robert Kliban, Moscoso and Melinda Gebbie,
San Diego Con 1980

San Diego Con 1982