A founder of the Mission District murals movement during the '70s and a lifelong anti-war and labor activist, Rodriguez's politics were an integral part of the deeply shadowed, occasionally grotesque images he became famous for. "He was top-of-the-line in that generation of underground, breakaway cartoonists," Crumb has said. Crumb and Art Spiegelman early on, leading to robust collaborations and the foundation of Zap Comix. A sharp-witted and darkly funny man, Rodriguez solidified friendships with fellow comic artists R. you really had to defend yourself." To protect himself - and the anti-war youth movement that radicalized him - Rodriguez began creating comics heavily influenced by his politics and the time he spent cruising with the Road Vultures Motorcycle Club. When Rodriguez finished art school in the '60s, he said, "the heavy handed conformity was everywhere. In this video, filmed outside the Verso Brooklyn office, Rodriguez speaks to the origins of his career, his compulsion to draw- "For me, it's like smoking"- and his fascination with Che Guevara. As one of the original cartoonists involved with the legendary Zap Comix and a contributor to the East Village Other during its golden years, Rodriguez created a gritty illustrative style that influenced a generation of left-leaning graphic novelists. It is with sadness and much admiration today that we mourn the passing of Spain Rodriguez, whose vivid and politically charged work shaped a counterculture's graphic sense.
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