Vootie

2022-12-18T03:54:00Z

69.115.92.234: /* History */

[[File:Vootie-0.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Vootie #0]]
'''''Vootie''''' was a [[cartoon|cartoonist's]] [[APA]] with a [[funny animal]] theme that lasted from 1976 to 1983. Satirically self-described as "'''''The Official Organ of the Funny Animal Liberation Front'''''," the purpose of ''Vootie'' was to gather like-minded cartoonists to share and discuss their ideas on funny animals in an un-serious fashion.

== History ==

In early 1970s comics fandom, APAs were the social links used by fans with specific interests to stay in touch and share their thoughts. The vast majority of zines were exclusively text, while any mimeographed art or photos in them were usually secondary, since the majority of fans were not artists themselves.

By contrast, [[Reed Waller]] and [[Ken Fletcher]] were both Minneapolis cartoonists who had a shared interest in MAD Magazine, underground comics, and the genre of funny animals. Most comics fans in the 1970s discussed superheroes, meaning that fans of alternative comics had little to no ways of keeping in contact.
Waller and Fletcher started ''Vootie'' on February 29, 1976 as a way to "encourage artists to cartoon in a humorous and experimental style: Funny Animals", as well as provide "a place for cartoonists to show other cartoonists their work."<ref>Vootie Flyer c. Feb. 1979 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/34820639/</ref> The title of the zine was a reference to a ''MAD'' parody of [[Wikipedia:J. Fred Muggs|J. Fred Muggs]], the mascot of [[Wikipedia:NBC|NBC's]] ''Today Show'' in the mid-1950s, as a nod to the zine's underground influences. <ref>Reed Waller's Furry Sex Panel https://youtu.be/pyF6KO97BdM?t=699</ref>

== Origin of ''Omaha the Cat Dancer'' ==

[[Taral Wayne]], a Canadian science fiction fan and artist, claims responsibility for writing a postcard to the editor Waller that simply stated, "''There's not enough [[sex]] in funny animal comics.''".
{{q|Considering how much sex there was in underground comics, I thought it rather odd that there was so little of it in Vootie. What could I do but write to Reed Waller and complain? Rather to my surprise, Reed used my critique as the basis of a two-page story in the next mailing.<ref>It's True - It's All My Fault! - document by Taral Wayne, May 2010.</ref>}}
Waller responded by publishing the first episode of ''[[Omaha The Cat Dancer]]'' in ''Vootie'' #8.

== Transition ==

38 official issues, plus four art jam co-ops, were sent out before ''Vootie'''s dissolution in February 1983. Former members of ''Vootie'', [[Marc Schirmeister]] and [[Timothy Fay]], went on to create ''[[Rowrbrazzle]]'' the same year, which itself distributed its first issue in February 1984. The transition between ''Vootie'' and ''Rowrbrazzle'' is considered by historian [[Fred Patten]] to be when [[funny animal fandom]] became [[furry fandom]], although the term "furry fan" did not exist until 1986.

== Chronology and cover artists ==
{|
|valign=top|
*0 - Reed Waller/Ken Fletcher (only Waller credited on contents page) - 10 April 1976 (Larry Becker, editor)
*1 - [[Tim Boxell]] - 27 June 1976
*2 - [[Ray Allard]] - 27 November 1976
*3 - [[Nunzio Solo]] ([[Jim Schumeister]]) - 5 February 1977
*4 - [[Richard Larson]] - 14 May 1977
*5 - [[Dan Steffan]] - 16 July 1977
*6 - [[Al Sirois]] - 17 September 1977
*7 - [[Larry Becker]] - 20 November 1977
*8 - [[Marc Schirmeister]] - 15 January 1978
*9 - Ray Allard - 2 April 1978
*10 - Tom Foster/Ken Fletcher - 3 June 1978
*11 - [[John C. Cosgriff]] - 13 August 1978
*12 - [[Denis Kitchen]] - [[:File:Vootie-12-Cover.jpeg|Scan of cover]] - 15 October 1978
*13 - [[Brad W. Foster]] - 3 December 1978
*14 - [[George Erling]] - 4 February 1979
*15 - [[Michael Yonkers]] (''this is the all-cover issue; Larry Becker may have switched covers around…'') - 8 April 1979
*15 1/2 (art jam) - [[Richard Larson]] - undated
*16 - Larry Becker - 3 June 1979
*17 - [[Richard Bruning]] - 5 October…or... August 1979 (''that's what it says…'')
*18 - [[Al Sirois]] - 7 October 1979
*19 - [[Dennis Wolf]] - 2 December 1979
|valign=top|
*20 - [[Ray Allard]] (mistakenly labeled as #21 on cover) - 10 February 1980
*15 1/2 #2 ([[Wikipedia:Minicon|Minicon 16]] art jam; aka "Deja-Vootie", aka [[:File:Vootie-15-Half-Cover.jpeg|"Vootie 15 1/2: The Movie"]] - Ken Fletcher - 5 April 1980
*21 - [[Rick Larson]] - 13 April 1980
*22 - [[Teddy Harvia]] - 8 June 1980
*23 - Richard Bruning - 3 August 1980
*24 - [[Joan Hanke-Woods]] (mistakenly labeled as #22 on the cover) - 12 October 1980
*25 - John Cosgriff - 7 December 1980
*26 - [[Michael Butler]] - 18 February 1981
*Raging Voot (Minicon 17 art jam) - Ray Allard - April 1981
*27 - Larry Becker/Ken Fletcher - 12 April 1981
*28 - Larry Becker - 7 June 1981
*29 - Reed Waller - 2 August 1981
*30 - [[Timothy Fay|Tim Fay]] - 18 October 1981
*31 - Dennis Wolf - 6 December 1981
*32 - Denis Kitchen - 7 February 1982 (Garth Danielson, editor)
*33 - [[Jerry Collins]] - April 1982 (Reed Waller, editor)
*34 - Reed Waller - 6 June 1982
*35 - Ken Fletcher - 1982 (somewhere between August and October)
*36 - Reed Waller - 1982 (previous issue called for collation to be 3 December)
*37 - Michael Butler - February 1983
|}

==External links==
<references></references>
* [http://www.furaffinity.net/view/19451351/ Pre-Vootie flyer] by Ken Fletcher on [[Fur Affinity]]
* [http://www.furaffinity.net/view/24496324/ Vootie recruitment flyer] by Jim Schumeister (pencils) and Ken Fletcher (words)

{{Publication-stub}}
[[Category:Amateur press associations]]
[[Category:Fanzines]]
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]

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