bakersfield kountry komics

Last Gasp September 1973
Bakersfield Kountry Komics is a notable one-shot from Larry Welz and Larry Sutherland, who helped make American Flyer such a terrific little series. Bakersfield Kountry Komics is historically significant because it features a prototypical Cherry Poptart story from Welz called “Bakersfield Blues.” The Cherry character here is actually named Shirley, and she’s a virgin who tries to remain pure at a wild teenage party. Shirley nearly loses her cherry to a stoner dude named Eddie, but at the very last moment she stops him from fucking her. A bit later, Shirley changes her mind and wants to go through with the sex, but by that time Eddie is too hopped up on drugs to do any fucking.

Larry Sutherland follows “Bakersfield Blues” with his own “Bakersfield,” a scathing history of the city and a bitter autobiographical memoir that pulls no punches. The city of Bakersfield, California may not come off as a very cool place to live, but Bakersfield Kountry Komics is definitely a cool comic book to read.

Larry Welz – 1-17, 25-36 • Larry Sutherland – 18-24
2 – 1862 • 3 – Gearjammer • 9 – Chuck and Eddie in “Bakersfield Blues” • 18 – Bakersfield • 25 – Shootout at 7-Eleven • 29 – 1935 • 33 – 1970 • 35 – Tumbleweeds • 36 – Wrap-around cover