It is hard to ignore the word “plop,” whether verb or noun. In this case, PLOP! is the name of the 1973 DC Comics series edited by the former MAD editor and then VP at DC, Joe Orlando. PLOP! was an ill-fated attempt to produce a Harvey Kurtzman-esque aesthetic and MAD-like cartoon ecosystem that had all but been erased from comic book publishing, owing to the Comics Code Authority’s draconian restrictions in comic books aimed at kids. No violence, horror, sex whatsoever — no hint of politics. PLOP! (originally slated to be christened ZANY), was given the license to step over the self-imposed industry bounds. Despite having the Code’s approval seal prominently on the cover.
Front cover by Basil Wolverton
Most of PLOP!‘s covers were created by two of the leading precursors of Underground Comix, Basil Wolverton and Wally Wood, as well as interior stories by Sergio Aragonés, all of whom were MAD alumni. Bernie Wrightson, creator of Swamp Thing for DC, contributed “The Gourmet”, a horror comic in the tradition of storied EC Comics. But it was Wolverton that caught my eye. His most famous Life magazine parody cover for MAD, a variation of his notable Lena the Hyena that was introduced by Al Capp in “Li’l Abner,” was decidedly the springboard for many underground artists of the ’60s.
The Gourmet by Berni(e) Wrightson and Steve Skeates
The first issue (largely miss-registered color), which I recently rediscovered in a moldy box of Underground Comix, was arguably the best of its 24 issues (it suffered from inconsistent quality and low readership). Undergrounds, in general, and ZAP Comix, in particular, had already captured and shredded the repressive Comics Code flag, circumventing the morals and mores by adding “Adults Only” to their covers, and harvesting a new generation of brilliant artists. The door opened for “zany” and previously taboo themes to reemerge in comics. PLOP! took cautious steps across the Code’s line in the sand, but Orlando’s instinct for grotesquely witty storytelling helped to bust the Code altogether.
Sergio Aragonés
Although PLOP! did not withstand the onslaught of underground comics, it did show that dark and grotesque dark humor was conquering the mainstream … again.
Back cover by Basil Wolverton and Sergio Aragonés
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