Pigheaded is a 2016 documentary about Skip Williamson. He was one of the underground cartoonists who started back in the 60s. His first published cartoon was in an issue of Help in 1961. Bought by editor Gloria Steinem. Small world, huh. He ran a Chicago underground newspaper with Jay Lynch in 1967. Later the two added Robert Crumb and the Chicago Mirror became Bijou Funnies. One of Skips characters Snappy Sammy Smoot was played by Carl Reiner on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.
Undergrounds as a money maker didn't last that long, just a few years. Only the big names like Crumb continued to sell comics through the years and make some money. Skip worked as art editor on Gallery, then Hustler in 1974, and Playboy in 1976. He created the Playboy Funnies section which brought some underground artists to much better light.
The documentary covers a lot of Skip's career and it spends some amount of time with Skip and his family. Sadly, Skip would die the year after this came out. He sure had an interesting and varied career. Some of the people who worked with him are interviewed: Stephen R Bissette, Kim Deitch, Denis Kitchen, Jay Lynch. Glad to have seen it.
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