The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, 1st issue, 1971, by Gilbert Shelton

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are a trio of underground comic strip characters created by the U.S. artist Gilbert Shelton. Beginning in 1968, their adventures were collected in a series of underground comics published by Rip Off Press. With the demise of the underground newspaper, new adventures continued to appear in magazines such as Playboy, High Times, and Rip Off Comix, and these too were collected in comic book form. Shelton continued to write the series until 1992, in collaboration with Dave Sheridan (1974-1982) and Paul Mavrides (since 1978). The work enjoys a sizeable cult following, and the magazines are widely available in underground comic stores. Image File history File linksMetadata Freak_Brother_No_1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Freak_Brother_No_1. ... Mr. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940, Houston, Texas) is an American cartoonist and underground comics artist. ... The term underground comics or comix describes the self-published or small press comic books that sprang up in the US in the late 1960s. ... Rip Off Press, Inc. ... The phrase underground press, especially underground newspapers (or simply underground papers) is, these days, most often used in reference to the print media associated with the countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, although publishers of those journals had borrowed the name from previous underground presses such as... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... Cover image of High Times premiere issue, Summer 1974. ... Rip Off Press, Inc. ... Paul Mavrides (born 1945) is an American artist, best known for his critique-laden comics, cartoons, paintings, graphics, performances and writings that encompass a disturbing, yet humorous, catalog of the social ills and shortcomings of human civilization. ...

The comics relate the picaresque adventures of the eponymous "brothers" and their attempts to procure drugs without "getting burned," while avoiding apprehension by the police. Other storylines include "Fat Freddie's Cat" and a cockroach empire located in the kitchen. The stories are satirical in nature, often targeting the establishment and right-wing politics. For a counterculture production, the standard of artwork is exceptionally high; Shelton's striving for accuracy and attention to detail have earned him comparisons with Hergé. 19th century Heroin bottle This article is about the drug classification. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... “Right wing” redirects here. ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. ... Georges Remi (May 22, 1907 – March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ...

The majority of the titles in the series consist of one or more multi-page stories together with a number of one-page strips. Many of the later have a one-row skit featuring Fat Freddy's Cat at the bottom of the page. Some of the titles also contain a small number of strips featuring completely unrelated characters. Fat Freddys Cat (aka Fat Freddy Scat) is an orange tabby tomcat nominally belonging to Fat Freddy Freekowtski, one of the Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies who are featured in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix. ...

The comic is currently being adapted into a movie using stop-motion animated rubber figurines. A stop motion animation of a moving coin. ...

Characters

The Freak Brothers are a threesome of hippies (hippies were commonly known as "freaks" in 1970s U.S. slang) from San Francisco: Phineas Freakears, Freewheelin' Franklin, and Fat Freddy. The trio are anti-heroes, taking large quantities of drugs and consistently defying authority. They are lazy (several storylines revolve around the "horror" of one of the brothers having to find work) and unreliable — particularly in the case of Fat Freddy. Singer at a modern Hippie movement in Russia Hippie (sometimes spelled hippy) refers to a member of a subgroup of the counterculture that began in the United States during the early 1960s, becoming an established social group by 1965, and expanding to other countries before declining in the mid-1970s. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Phineas T. Freakears is one of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies portrayed in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix of that name. ... Freewheelin Franklin (no last name for this character has ever been given) is one of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, a trio of characters in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix. ... Fat Freddy Freekowtski is a character in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix. ... In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ...

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, from left to right, Phineas, Freddy and Franklin

The three Freak Brothers have very different personalities: Image File history File links FreakBrothers. ... Image File history File links FreakBrothers. ...

• Freewheelin' Franklin, although laid-back, is the most street-smart of the trio. He has no known last name, and apparently has always been on the streets. In one story, he reveals that he grew up in an orphanage and never knew his parents. Tall and skinny, he has a big bulbous nose, a waterfall moustache, and a ponytail, and wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.

• Phineas T. Freakears is the intellectual and idealist of the group; he can and has created new drugs, takes an avid interest in politics, and is the most committed of them to social change and environmental issues. He hails from Texas, and while his mother is relaxed and openminded, his father is a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society. He is the hairiest, tall and skinny with a thick bush of black hair, a beard and glasses.

• Fat Freddy Freekowtski is the least intelligent, and can be seen as an embodiment of pure appetite. He regularly gets "burned" on drug transactions. He comes from a large, quite ordinary family in Cleveland. He is fat, or at least plump (hence his name) with curly yellow hair.

Other regularly occurring characters include: The John Birch Society is a conservative American exceptionalist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. ...

• Fat Freddy's Cat, who appears mainly in his own, separate strip at the bottom of the one-page Freak Brothers strips, also has several multi-page stories devoted to him. Many of his strips parallel a storyline in the corresponding Freak Brothers story, and often have themes of a scatological nature. The Cat is sometimes known as "Fat Freddy Scat" and has used the alias "F. Frederic Skitty". His "nephews" refer to him as "Uncle F." He often finds himself confronting an army of cockroaches and a huge tribe of mice who share the apartment with the Freak Brothers. A sort of hippie "Garfield", he is far smarter than his owner (whom he frequently refers to as "the obese one") and regards the Freak Brothers with amused contempt.
• Norbert the Nark, an inept DEA agent who is continually trying, and failing, to arrest the Freak Brothers.
• Country Cowfreak, a hippy who grows vast quantities of marijuana at his isolated farmstead.
• Dealer McDope, one of the trio's dealers. He is often name-checked in the magazines but rarely appears "in person".

Fat Freddys Cat (aka Fat Freddy Scat) is an orange tabby tomcat nominally belonging to Fat Freddy Freekowtski, one of the Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies who are featured in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix. ... In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. ... This article is about the comic strip. ... Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, is increased to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality. ... The DEAs enforcement activities may take agents anywhere from distant countries to suburban U.S. homes. ... A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ...

Storylines and themes

Freddy, with his cat

Predominant is the use of narcotics, particularly marijuana but also numerous other stimulants and hallucinogens. Most stories in the canon use drugs, or the attempt to purchase them, for humorous effect, although heroin is notably missing from the list of drugs that the Freak Brothers would condone the consumption of. The theme of foreign travel is often explored, most notably in the three-part Idiots Abroad series. Food is a commonly recurring subject. These stories most often involve Fat Freddy and his marijuana-induced "munchies" (increased appetite). The squalor engendered by the Brothers' indolence is often highlighted; several strips feature the household's cockroach population, ruled over by a fascist monarchy. Several stories satirise governments, particularly the U.S. government. These stories invariably show politicians and their agents as corrupt, incompetent, or both. Image File history File links Keedspills. ... Image File history File links Keedspills. ... Stimulants are drugs that temporarily increase alertness and wakefulness. ... The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Blattellidae be merged into this article or section. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... For the documentary series, see Monarchy (TV series). ... This article describes the government of the United States. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ...

It is common for the storylines to begin with an air of realism, but rapidly descend via surrealism into complete insanity, often explained by use of the "...it was all a dream..." device.

Some of the best-loved Freak Brothers stories include:

• Grass Roots: The Brothers find a "year's supply" of cocaine and move to the country with the proceeds.They manage to snort it all in two days
• Chariots of the Globs: Fat Freddy's Cat is abducted by aliens
• Mexican Odyssey: The Brothers holiday in Mexico, are thrown in jail and escape with the help of shaman Don Longjuan, in a partial spoof of the Carlos Castaneda books
• The Idiots Abroad: The Brothers go their separate ways; Fat Freddy accidentally joins a group of nuclear terrorists, while Phineas becomes the world's richest man after founding a new religion

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... The Abduction Phenomenon is as umbrella term used to describe a number of kidnap individuals--sometimes called abductees--usually for medical testing or for sexual reproduction procedures. ... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means... Carlos Castaneda (December 25, 1925/31? – April 27, 1998) was a Peruvian- or Brazilian-born American author. ...

In animation

Grass Roots.

Main article: Grass Roots (film)

In 2006, the company Grass Roots Films began production on a feature-length clay-animation film based on the series, called Grass Roots, co-produced by German distribution company X Filme. A 3-minute piece of test animation can be seen here. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Grass Roots is an upcoming clay animated film based on the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics created by Gilbert Shelton. ...

Catchphrases

The Freak Brothers comics include a number of catchphrases that have worked their way into the underground consciousness: A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

"Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope."—Freewheelin' Franklin

The Los Angeles Public Library paraphrased this as "Books will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no books." on an in-library poster featuring the likeness of Freewheelin' Franklin. This poster is now so rare as to be virtually priceless in mint condition.

"Don't get burned!" (usually aimed at Fat Freddy as he sets out to purchase drugs)

"Smoking grass and drinking beer is like pissing into the wind."

"While you're out there smashing the state, don't forget to keep a smile on your lips and a song in your heart!"

"Keed Spills!" - Fat Freddy: from a 1-page poster (shown above) that parodied the anti-amphetamine campaign phrase "Speed Kills".

The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. ...

List of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers titles

Titles in the series are often referred to by their number, but almost all of them additionally have a title in words.

• Underground Classics (Freak Brothers No.0) (issues 0 to 7 are in black and white)
• The Collected Adventures Of... (Freak Brothers No.1)
• Further Adventures of those... (Freak Brothers No.2)
• A Year Passes Like Nothing (Freak Brothers No.3)
• Brother, Can You Spare 75¢ for the... (Freak Brothers No.4)
• Grass Roots (Freak Brothers No.5)
• Six Snappy Sockeroos (Freak Brothers No.6)
• Several Short Stories (Freak Brothers No.7)
• The Idiots Abroad, Part I (Freak Brothers No.8) (both color and black and white editions)
• The Idiots Abroad, Part II (Freak Brothers No.9) (both color and black and white editions)
• The Idiots Abroad, Part III (Freak Brothers No.10) (both color and black and white editions)
• Freak Brothers No.11 (both color and black and white editions)
• Freak Brothers No.12 (black and white only)
• Freak Brothers No.13 (reprints in black and white of stories from Thoroughly Ripped plus new cover and one story never before printed in the US, The Plant.)

A number of compilation titles have been published that merge several of the original titles into one book. Also, there have been two full color books:

• Thoroughly Ripped (1978) ISBN 0-89620-077-9 (2 editions, one with the board game, one without)
• Grass Roots (1984) ISBN 0-89620-090-6

There have been two large collections, the first reprinting comic book covers in color, the second entirely in color.

• The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Volume One (2001) ISBN 0-86166-146-X (reprints comic books 0 through 7 and 12)
• The Complete Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Volume Two (2003) ISBN 0-86166-149-4 (reprints comic books 8 - 11 and 13) (note: according to the reverse title pages, the second volume has the same ISBN 0-86166-146-X)

Compilations of Fat Freddy's Cat stories have also been published. Fat Freddys Cat (aka Fat Freddy Scat) is an orange tabby tomcat nominally belonging to Fat Freddy Freekowtski, one of the Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies who are featured in Gilbert Sheltons underground comix. ...

External links

• Gilbert Shelton's Home Page
• Rip Off Press, Inc., publishers of the Freak Brothers comics in the U.S.A.
• Knockabout Comics, publishers of the Freak Brothers comics in the U.K.
• Freaknet, a popular Freak Brothers fan site.
• Grass Roots Films, the producers of the upcoming Freak Brothers movie.