Amazon.com (ISBN 0914171119, Paperback)

Perched halfway between college humor magazines and National Lampoon, underground comics are an overlooked component of the history of humor in this country. At their best, they're also fun as hell to read--protopunk satire, so crazy, crass, and scatological that the stories nearly drip off the page. Mark James Estren's History of Underground Comics is an excellent survey of the art in the days before Crumb was a movie star and well-mannered alternative weeklies brought Matt Groening and Lynda Barry into every suburb. As such, I wouldn't buy it for the kids; after looking at the book, my mother remarked, "I don't remember them being so dirty." (Of course they were, but she was dirtier herself back then.) If you're a fan of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Trashman, Bobby London's Duck and Weevil--and you know if you are--buy this book. Even if you're from the Love and Rockets generation, take advantage of this primo guided tour.