Nasty Tales: Sex, Drugs & Violence in the British Underground by David Huxley Subject: Comics / Marginalia Publisher: Headpress Critical Vision (UK) Recommended for adult readers only Edition Our Price inc. p&p Status first edition trade paperback, 191pp, ISBN 190048613X, 2001 UK only: £13.95 in stock

Nasty Tales is Volume 2 of the 'comix history' series of books from Critical Vision. Volume 1 -- Ghasty Terror! The Horrible Story of the Horror Comics -- is available now.

Although never on the scale of their American counterparts, there was indeed a Comics Underground in Britain with much the same anti-establishment stance. Many of these comics were obscure limited print run productions and few were financially successful, but they did constitute a large body of work that has remained hidden until now. Covering subject matter that was at once playful, anarchic and sexually unrestrained, this 'political pornography' invariably caught the wary eye of the law and often found itself in the dockcharged with obscenity.

From their origins in the 1960s, into the 70s with titles like Cozmic Comics, Blood Sex Terror, Hot Nads, Knockabout, Near Myths, Brainstorm, Dope Fiends Funnies, Rock'n'Roll Madness and Sin City, through to the emergence of Viz in the 1980s, Nasty Tales covers the turbulent history of these comics and the cultural instability from which they emerged. Incorporating many exclusive interviews with the key artists and publishers, Nasty Tales offers a unique insight into a largely unseen and hitherto undocumented world.

Profusely illustrated throughout, Nasty Tales is a concise, entertaining and enlightening examination of the British Underground comic genre.