True Tales, nos. 2-4
Austin: No Joke Publications, 1989-90. Three issues of this small format ‘zine, in which the anonymous author uses hand-drawn comics to document his flashbacks of incestual rape at the hands of his father. In his preface to no. 3 he confides: “I’ve been dealing with some really freaky resurfacing memories of brutal early childhood sexual abuse. If this topic freaks you, I’m sorry. Don’t read this.” And later, “I’m almost thirty, haven’t had a date in two years, and would either kill you or go catatonic if you, say, tapped me on the shoulder.” In no. 4 he substitutes twisted lyrics to the tune of “Hush Little Baby” to recount his father’s predatory behavior: “Be a big boy / Please don’t cry / So Daddy won’t have to / Make you die / Don’t tell the doctor / Don’t tell the teacher / Or they’ll find out / You’re a horrible creature / So be real quiet / And lie real still / Or I’ll kill your Mommy / You know I will / If you tell / What we have done / Daddy will shoot you / With his gun…” A disturbing series, of which we could find nine issues published. The author appears to have continued the topic in “Chimpanzee Waltz: Raised By Wolves.”
Stapled wrappers (4 ¼” x 5 ¼”), 12; 8, [4]; [8] p., illus. No. 2 has a faint red stain to the rear wrapper, else all Fine. We were unable to locate a record for this ‘zine in OCLC, although we find issue 1 in the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and issue 7 in the Dennis Cooper Paper at NYU. All issues scarce. Item #07970
Price: $175.00