Steven Clay Wilson (1941-) is perhaps the most influential Adult artist in the Underground, measured by his demolition of taboos and the similar barriers he challenged his contemporaries to ignore. The Nebraska native trained as an Army Medic, which decidedly influenced the blood-and-guts he would perfect in his intricately detailed graphic style.
In 1967 the Beatnik publisher-poet Charles Plymell produced Wilson’s “Twenty Drawings” Portfolio in Kansas, filled with gruesome scenes of bikers, pirates, cowboys and demons reminiscent of Bosch and Brueghel. Upon moving to San Francisco both men crossed paths with Cleveland émigré Robert Crumb. Plymell and Apex Novelties’ Don Donahue printed Crumb’s legendary Zap Comix #1 in February 1968, a swift sell-out that sparked the Underground Comix revolution. Upon meeting Wilson and viewing his Portfolio, Crumb quickly invited him into the Zap Comix collective. The Checkered Demon became Wilson’s breakout character and de facto alter ego.
Wilson’s career spanned hundreds of publications and dozens of art shows, and his consignment list was always overflowing, as was his zest for life.
In 2008, Wilson was found unconscious in the street, having sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury, bleeding in three hemispheres, and multiple face and head lacerations. He fought off a coma, broken neck, and pneumonia. His short-term memory is shot, and he suffers from aphasia, a disorder causing confusion understanding and using language. He now needs 24 hour care, and is incapable of managing his life, facing many ongoing medical and everyday challenges. The S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust ( www.sclaywilsontrust.com ) has been established so his many friends and fans can give back to the man.
MEARS Online Auctions is proud to be part of this effort! The one-of-a-kind lot before you has been consigned to benefit the Trust. Zombies, Insect Queens, and “Checks” and his demonic brethren cavort in the nightmarish tableaux depicted in the three prints, unmistakably Wilson at his bombastic best! The Checkered Demon Matchbook is a rare and historic collectible from Chicago’s Bucktown Pub, erstwhile home of the Underground Comix Hall of Fame, and features an exclusive strip when unfolded!
(D2181)
(MEARS Auction LOA)