For Sale: A Lot of 5 Tijuana Bibles.

Description

“Tijuana Bibles” were small, pocket-sized comic books produced from the 1920’s to the early ’60’s. Known for their risqué content, they typically featured unauthorized and explicit parodies of famous cartoon characters, movie stars, and public figures. The term “Tijuana Bible” stems from the mistaken belief that these comics originated in Tijuana, Mexico. In reality, they were produced in the U.S., with the name evoking a sense of exoticism and illicit allure.

These often parodied well-known characters like Mickey Mouse, Popeye, or Betty Boop; or they satirized real-life celebrities and politicians. Produced anonymously, as the content was illegal under obscenity laws. Tijuana Bibles were distributed covertly through the “back channels” their audience were typically found: bars, pool halls, tobacco shops and under-the-counter sales at newsstands.

I love these because, to me, they represent the earliest form of “the underground”, as well as a rebellious humor found seldom talked about in pre-counterculture America. Long before Crumb there were Tijuana Bibles. The quality of artwork and storytelling in these 5 being offered are the same as any: they range from amateurish to surprisingly skilled — well, I mean the artwork is skilled.