fff 05 Grass Roots
fff 05 Grass Roots
Rip Off Press 1977
Fat Freddy Goes Back to Grade School • Fat Freddy’s Cat2 • Mellow Cab Man • Fat Freddy’s Cat • Violence on the bus!!? • Fat Freddy’s Cat3 • Story of Phineas and the Organic Mechanic • Fat Freddy’s Cat4 • Nerds • Do-It-Yourself Home Projects and Helpful Hints from the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers • Grass Roots • Fat Freddy’s Cat5-15 • Nerds • Fat Freddy’s Cat16-25 • at Freddy’s Cat • promo ad
The fifth issue starts off with a seven-page Fat Freddy’s Cat story called “Animal Camp,” in which the Cat tells his three young nephews a story about his own youth, when the Freak Brothers kenneled him at a “pet resort” while taking a long vacation. The pet resort turned out to be a nightmarish prison where the Cat’s life was in jeopardy, but obviously he lives to tell the tale.
A few pages later, Shelton launches his 36-page epic story, “Grass Roots.” This adventure in communal living begins with a five-page preamble that leads to the Freak Brothers relocating to a small country town with their three girlfriends and setting up house. The house is actually a shack from which they are later evicted until repairs can be made, but that’s okay cuz they build a really cool teepee to live in and get tantalizingly close to experiencing true communal harmony. Sure, they can’t get the farm going, but when they mistakenly start a gold rush on their town, they get rich from collecting parking fees.
“Grass Roots” is a briskly plotted tale and features some of Shelton and Sheridan’s finest artwork, with beautifully designed panoramas mixed in with exquisite small panels. Like all of Shelton’s comic work, the writing drives the story and the writing here represents one of Shelton’s inventive and comedic peaks. The story was later published in a stand-alone book of the same name, and serves as the basis for the long-unfinished stop-frame animated movie, Grass Roots.
Gilbert Shelton – 1-52 (all stories and art collaboration) • Dave Sheridan – 1-52 (art collaboration)