Freaks On The Horizon

Tie-dyeing, drug-flushing and get-rich-quick schemes – it must be Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers! These chronic counterculture icons have been tickling funny bones in their very own comic titles as well as in the pages of Playboy and High Times ever since their first appearance in 1968. The Freak Brothers’ misadventures have been republished in 15 languages and sold over 40 million copies worldwide in various editions, but now Knockabout Comics comes to the rescue with the definitive, one-volume Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus.

Freak Brother Gilbert Shelton was described by Alan Moore as ‘as near as comics have come to producing a natural comic genius of the same stature as a Chaplin or a Tati’, and his 40 years without a ‘real job’ are testament to his innate cartooning talent. As a contemporary of such industry legends as Robert Crumb and Rick Griffin, Shelton co-founded one of the San Francisco underground comix movement’s most influential publishing houses in Rip Off Press, which for years produced the magazines and rock posters that defined counterculture in the Haight-Ashbury heyday.

The Freak Brothers’ popularity as cult icons is to be celebrated by independent animation director Dave Borthwick’s development of a Freaks feature, Grass Roots. The first 10,000 copies of the book will come with an offer to buy into the project, and be a part of Freak Brothers history!

In late August 2008, Knockabout Comics is proud to present the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus. At last, every Freak Brothers story painstakingly re-mastered and lovingly rolled up into one bumper package. With an all-new strip created exclusively for this collection and a cover designed by the fabulous (if not furry) Rian Hughes, this 624-page graphic novel is the definitive showcase for Shelton’s earthy, offbeat artwork and harebrained sense of humour. Now you, too, can experience these counter-culture legends for the low, low price of £20 / $35, ensuring that here, at least, you won’t be getting burned.