Feds 'N' Heads
Feds 'N' Heads is an underground comic book, created and self-published by Gilbert Shelton.
Origin and history
In the spring of 1968, writer/artist Gilbert Shelton, already somewhat known in college humor and underground comix circles for his Superman parody Wonder Wart-Hog, self-published a 28-page one-shot, Feds 'n' Heads Comics. Along with that porcine hero, the comic featured a variety of whimsical strips about hippies, freaks and above all drugs—and introduced the trio that would become Shelton's most famous creation: The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Reference
Historical Footnotes
Feds 'N' Heads had an initial print run of 5,000 copies and were hand collated, folded and stapled by Gilbert Shelton.Ref. Including subsequent printings, it sold over 200,000 copies by 1980. Details on the different printings:
- Feds 'N' Heads (1968). Issue 1, Printing 1: (5,000 copies) 35¢, yellow road with white buildings and white sidewalk, solid-filled background bands. Gilbert Shelton story, cover and art. Featuring Wonder Wart-Hog and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Mature readers, b&w, 24 pages. Cover price $0.35.
- Feds 'N' Heads (1968).Issue 1, Printing 2 (5,000 copies)& 3 (9,500 copies): (believed to be indistinguishable from one another). Published by Print Mint. 35¢, golden-brown road and buildings with purple sidewalk, stipple-filled (dotted) background bands. Gilbert Shelton story, cover and art. Featuring Wonder Wart-Hog and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Mature readers, b&w, 28 pages. Cover price $0.35.
- Feds 'N' Heads (1970).Issue 1, Printing 4-11: 4th and later printings.(10,000 to 30,000 copies each) 50¢ to 75¢ cover price. Gilbert Shelton story, cover and art. Featuring Wonder Wart-Hog and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Mature readers, b&w, 28 pages. Cover price $0.50.