One of those Robert Crumb comic books that continues to prosper, printing after printing. And it's easy to see why. After the epic lead story, "Eggs Ackley among the Vulture Demonesses," the comic just gets better with "Dale Steinberger, The Jewess Cowgirl," "Big Baby" and the sexfest "All Meat Comics."



HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES:
There are 11 known printings of this comic book, the first 9 by Rip Off Press, and it is currently unknown how many copies were produced during any the many printings, though the information is probably available somewhere for the two Last Gasp printings (10th and 11th). The early printing history of Big Ass Comics #1 is one of the toughest to identify in underground comics and there is new research still being conducted by collectors like Guy Borges and evaluated by the collector cognoscenti. My sources for printing identification information are Jay Kennedy's seminal Price Guide from 1982, the website ugcomix.info and Dan Fogel's 2006 Price Guide and 2010 Supplement. See the Comixjoint section on print editions for more details on these sources and my rationale for establishing printing history on this site.

The first six printings of Big Ass Comics #1 all have a 50-cent cover price and they are all by Rip Off Press. The 1st printing is easily identified by the "R. CRUMB" signature in the lower right corner of the front cover, which has a white background. In every subsequent printing, the background is red.

The 2nd through 6th printings are differentiated by the color of the pants and shoes of Crumb's male character on the front cover and the reflective properties of the cover stock (glossy vs. matt). I have found subtle variations in the colors of these printings that makes it difficult to confirm with certainty which printing every copy belongs to.

2nd printing: glossy stock, brown pants, brown shoes
3rd printing: glossy stock, green pants, green shoes
4th printing: matt stock, green pants, green shoes
5th printing: glossy stock, green pants, brown shoes
6th printing: matt stock, green pants, brown shoes

The 7th printing changes to a 75-cent cover price. The 8th printing also has a 75-cent cover price, but the inside front cover states "Produced by Keith Green." After the 8th printing, it becomes easier to identify printings because the cover price always changes. The 9th printing has a $1.00 cover, the 10th printing (first Last Gasp printing) has a $2.50 cover, and the 11th printing has a $4.95 cover.

COMIC CREATOR:
Robert Crumb - 1-28

3rd Printing glossy cover stock, green pants, green shoes.		5th Printing (misprint) glossy cover stock, green pants, brown shoes.		8th Printing 75-cent cover, Produced by Keith Green on IFC.		10th Printing Last Gasp, $2.50 cover.