Hepcats: A Comic That Deserved A Better Fate

Hi. This video takes a look at the history and story of the short-lived, acclaimed comic book series, Hepcats. Written and illustrated by Martin Wagner. Self-published between 1989 and 1994. Reprinted by Antarctic Press between 1996 and 1998.
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PATREON: / strangebrainparts
TWITTER: / overlord_comics
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CONTACT: [e-mail]
SOURCES:
The Collegiate Hepcats by Martin Wagner. Double Diamond Press. 1993.
Snowblind by Martin Wagner. Double Diamond Press. 1995.
Hepcats by Martin Wagner. Antarctic Press. 1996-1998.
The Comics Journal #173. Fantagraphics Books. December 1994.
Martin Wagner’s Hepcats: hepcats.wordpress.com/
Hepcats Mini-Comic: www.flickr.com/photos/2851561...
Bloody Work: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Bloody Work Shorts: / @wagnerfilm
BACKGROUND MUSIC:
We Always Thought the Future Would Be Kind of Fun by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: chriszabriskie.com/darkglow/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
#hepcats #martinwagner #comicbooks #comics #modernage #modernagecomics #independent #independentartist #independentcomics #davesim #gerhard #bone #jeffsmith #strangersinparadise #terrymoore #wanderingstar #terriwood #adistantsoil #colleendoran #furries #anthropomorphic #dollarbin #dollarbindigging #graphicnovel #snowblind #antarcticpress #cerebus #poisonelves #selfpublishing

[@TechnicolorGhosts]

I appreciate how this channel highlights comics that nobody else seems to be talking about. Great stuff as always.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much! Yeah, I did notice Hepcats is not talked about whatsoever. At least there's one video now. :)

[@terribled]

Agreed.

[@JeremyPinkham]

Glad you found the interview I did with him for Comics Journal. I didn't do very many, but it felt good that he told me it was the best interview he'd had.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

That's awesome to hear! It was pretty extensive.

[@jacob_ian_decoursey_the_author]

This reminds me how disappointing it is we’ll never see a conclusion to The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore. It was such a great series, and it ended on a cliffhanger that’ll never resolve.

[@robling1937]

This is the kind of obscurity I love from this channel! Definitely going to pick this up for a read.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I hope you enjoy it!

[@abachniv]

I think about Hepcats all the time.

[@juniorjames7076]

I know this comic. In the '90s i was still a broke grad student, so uber unique and interesting (but relatively expensive) independently published comics were a luxury. I brought one issue of Hepcats sometime in '92 I guess, but usually read others while in the store when i found them, along with Love & Rockets, Cerebrus, Bone, etc . The inconsistent distribution (which plagued many independents, unfortunately) didn't help. I though Hepcats was the apex of comics taking the "funny animal" concept seriously. Damn, when i think about, the 1990s were truly a Golden Age of rising independent graphic novels and films. We had an abundance that we're only now starting to realize.

[@matheusarruda6462]

I had never heard of Hepcats, so this was a absolutely fascinating dive in yet another one of those gems of the 80's-90's indie boom. What an age that was, before the Crash. Thanks for the great work. This remains my favorite youtube channel on comics.

[@greg3118]

I am so happy you did a video on this series! I've been singing it's praises for nearly 25 years after finding out about it in an old Wizard magazine. It's a gut punch story with beautiful art. It's a shame that this has never been fully collected and readily available for a wider audience.

[@WyattoonsComics]

The Daily Texan is still pretty famous here in the Austin area. They even put out comics magazines once in a while giving the comics creators a chance to have the full spotlight instead of being in the back of the newspaper.

[@juniorjames7076]

I lived and worked in Turkey and Hungary from 2013 to 2016, and I was astonished how in Europe there were so many weekly magazines and broadsheets devoted to cartoonists, graphic and comic books artists- politics, comedic, sci-fi, philosophy, sex/dirty humor, current affairs! Boy I was jealous. I taught myself Turkish so i could read the comics!! Why can't we have newssheets like these back in the USA?

[@_Jay_Maker_]

Man, I'd love to have my hands on this entire series. The art is just excellent and the storyline is refreshingly mature, particularly compared to what we have these days. Thanks for showcasing this.

[@carloscrecelius9597]

You may be laboring in relative obscurity, but you are by far my favorite channel related to comic content. They're all icing, but you're the cake, buddy. Keep up the good work, I'm in for the long haul. 👍

[@StrangeBrainParts]

You are too kind. Thank you.

[@carloscrecelius9597]

@@StrangeBrainParts de nada, amigo.( You're welcome, approximately.)

[@lsgreger2645]

Wow. I have never heard of this independent comic. There is also a ska band called Hepcats from the 90s but the word is old slang for hipster.

[@newsrim]

Following Dave Sim's advice turned out to be a bad idea for so many, because so they couldn't keep their comic coming out monthly as he did. But who can say how much artistic growth might have been unlocked if those creators had kept it up? To read the first 36 or issues of Cerebus is to observe huge improvement in writing and draughtsmanship, and it just gets better afterward (for a long while). He didn't seem all that special when he started.

[@ryancarnes7516]

Following Dave Sim's advice turned out to be terrible for Dave Sim as well in the long run.

[@uwucotc]

i dont even read comics but i found myself waiting for this channel uploads , top tier content , truly underrated.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much! I'm glad I can entertain despite the lack of interest in the subjects. :)

[@kalgrove6426]

As a lifelong fan of comic books just want to say you have the BEST comic history Channel on KZbin. ❤❤

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much! That's very kind of you to say.

[@Getwright-]

I remember that Wizard magazine was very supportive of this comic. They would shout it out all the time. When i tried to find it in my comic shop i never could (I didn’t know about previews at the time)

[@puppetgeneral39]

I think Wagner even did a Basic Training art section for their magazine.

[@ctbinary42]

Now you know I love obscure stuff, but this is one I have never heard of. I may seek it out and get it if it isn't too expensive. It's odd but hanging stories do have somewhat of an attraction like the Mystery of Edwin Drood. This may be one of those

[@StrangeBrainParts]

It should be pretty affordable. It's definitely an obscure gem.

[@steeviewoo]

that long pause before "until next time" makes it sound so melancholic. Well done.

[@aaronthompson4726]

THANK YOU!!! Saw the series in my teens, but never got to read it.

[@williamgeorge2580]

That sort of inconsistency and inability to proceed when a chance is given seems like a case of untreated depression to me.

[@harrybehemoth2751]

I think I suggested you cover Hepcats when commenting on one of your livestreams several months ago. Martin Wagner missed the whole "black & white/anthropomorphic animal" boom by a few years. If he had started publishing Hepcats as a comic in 1985 or 1986, he might've gotten higher sales, built some momentum, and been able to finish Snowblind or at least accumulate some goodwill for other future projects.

[@AZzRaeL]

I've never heard about this comic, but it looks awesome. So sad it never got finished.

[@Cameroo]

Thanks for the video! I remember this one on the racks at local comic book stores and making some lists in the "funny animal" fandom of the 90s and early 2000's. Hadn't read it before but I'm a bit sad to see it puttered out. I hope Martin Wagner is doing well today.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

You're welcome! And I hope Mr. Wagner is doing well too.

[@DCPatrol]

Thank heavens for your channel! I remember seeing this around. I never read it but im sonhappy to learb more about it. Thanks!

[@brunofranco4416]

What little i read of Hepcats made me imagine a full-length adult animated movie.

[@sweeneezy]

I came across issue 11 at random recently and was astonished by the storytelling and artwork. Shame it never came to fruition, but its still a very impressive piece of work, this video reminded me I should read the full series.

[@scuffmane0960]

Great video! Really speaks to the idea of missing the mark. You can be the greatest artist or story teller but if you don't tell stories or make great art then what does it really amount too? Keep up the great work man love your content.

[@joedent3323]

If a tree should fall, in the woods, but no-one is around to hear it... does anybody give half a feck?

[@user-be7tc2bd6e]

I've never heard of this comic series,GOOD job on the information and video-BRAIN. Peaked my interest,gonna see if I can found these comics.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

They shouldn't be that difficult to find. Don't be afraid to settle for the Antarctic Press reprints. The self-published run is a bit harder to find. At least, it has been in my experience.

[@user-be7tc2bd6e]

@@StrangeBrainParts Thanks for the info and advice-BRAIN-it's very much appreciated. I'm taking your advice,gonna go for the Antarctic Press reprints. Are you gonna do more indie videos from the past ????

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I've done many before and I expect I will continue to do so. :)

[@user-be7tc2bd6e]

@@StrangeBrainParts COOL.

[@amanzeihedioha]

Fantastic video, sir. Such beautiful persistence🫡

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I persist because I'm too stubborn to stop. And there's so many comics to talk about...even after six years.

[@MagusX1]

Again this is the best channel on comic books. Simple as that.

[@fad23]

I remember this! Look forward to watching.

[@Tarkus337]

lov the video, I really enjoy the more obscure comics you cover

[@IsiahTomas]

I have been waiting for this video since this series stopped.

[@gavinshickle1814]

Hilly Rose is another book from this era that got even less attention than Hepcats. I owned a comic shop for a time in the late 90's and it was hard to turn people onto things that weren't main stream. To this day I don't know a single other person that has even heard of the Hilly Rose book. Which is unfortunate because it was very well done for the limited number of issues that ever came out.

[@KryptonSunRevival]

I was first introduced to Hepcats by Cartoonist Kayfabe, who dunked all over the series, so I never had a good idea what to make of this series. lol

[@X_Blake]

Glad to see you uploading again.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thanks! But I've been uploading pretty consistently for a while now. Although, this video was supposed to be for last week but life intervened.

[@X_Blake]

@StrangeBrainParts Hope things are going well. Also you're welcome.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Everything is fine, thanks.

[@X_Blake]

@@StrangeBrainParts You're welcome

[@sparklesparkle3370]

Yet again you are doing gods work by doing these videos

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I do have a higher calling. Or weird tastes. U decide. :)

[@MrKlove01]

Loved Hepcats. I always thought it was far too much of a shame that it never received the following it deserved and that Wagner was never able to continue it. I always compared it to an anthropomorphic Strangers In Paradise.

[@Tonydash23]

Excellent video , I remember when the Hepcats was out there

[@hsatin20]

Interesting. I remember this comic being advertised when I was young but I had never known anything about it

[@seanodeli7031]

Nobody discusses this comic nobody It disappeared and drove me crazy

[@Nono-hk3is]

It took me a hot second to figure out how a comic from the late 80s had panels with the youtube logo

[@zainmudassir2964]

B**bies

[@wrestledeep]

Great video. I always wondered what happened to this great series. I bought the Snowblind collection book and i advice anyone who doubts the power of comics as modern day dramatic literature should check out that book. Please continue the great work🏆

[@spectacularlysentimental]

Great job covering an interesting comic I've never heard of before. Hope you keep making more videos like this!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I've done others previously and I'm sure I'll do more in the future.

[@MichaelDaFonte]

I always wondered what Hepcats was about and whether it was worth reading. Thank you for the video.

[@OnTheBlockPod]

Always great! Thanks!

[@KalleVilenius]

There's some very impressive artwork here, an excellent find!

[@tonyhowardpro]

You've been on a roll!!!

[@NemesisMvC]

excellent episode

[@zainmudassir2964]

Such an interesting story. Definitely going to read if i find it thanks

[@victorkaranja1420]

End bit hit abit hard

[@thomasgurburger7580]

another great video

[@ryangreen6255]

13:18 well dang! Lol. Dont hold back.

[@alfonsomanzo9315]

Hi, bro. Can you make a video about Albedo Anotropomorphics? Love ur vids!

[@greysky1252]

Cartoony heads on realistic bodies always disturbed me.

[@puppetgeneral39]

There's definitely a "sweet spot" in this style. With some of the main characters I feel he hits it but that rhino character is a big miss. That head is more balloon than person.

[@TylerSkylionChilders]

I was 18 when it came out. What a time, what a place. It had its influence.....including being involved with an exotic dancer. But for me that is a different time and a different place.

[@randalldowling1068]

This video made me sad. That was a compelling story. If hed kept going, Martin could have gotten some cash off digital and onmibus collections like other creators of the period.

[@zackeryparkerson]

Love the use of the YT logo to censor stuff.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

It seems appropriate. :)

[@residentgrigo4701]

He also tried to make the Snowlind plot into a novel. Thx Wiki. The many deaths of a comic. Good artist but I am less impressed with the plot. Wagner needed a co-plotter at the very least and only finishing 5 pages of an 8-page webcomic opening chapter that isn´t even addressing the ongoing plot sure is something. I disagree that the comic deserved more than it got. Strongly. Kinda telling that neither the comic´s Wiki page nor Wagner addresses the comic´s plot. Not a single character is named! A Distant Soil is a more worthy topic. Still on hiatus but that is due to Doran being in demand and busy doing bestselling Gaiman adaptations.

[@FemboyCatGaming]

Oh hey this comes right off the heels of me ripping the colligate hepcats TPB (the one with all the newspaper strips) and uploading to all the places you can get "free" comics 😉

[@StrangeBrainParts]

What a coincidence. :)

[@JRussellDay]

For some reason this reminded me a bit of "hopeless savages" have you ever read that?

[@gregorio1580]

Saying that he planned 100ish issues that early feels like every comic artist's first ambition. Naive.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I have to agree with that. Maybe plan on completing a story or two first before embarking on an epic tale. Or planning a series we'll into the future.

[@Used__Napkin]

I actually read this a few years back and although I didn’t like it, I suppose the cautionary tale of its production really is its biggest take away.

[@steeviewoo]

I completely forgot about Hepcats! It always looked intriguing but I got way too much into Stangers in paradise, so I never came around to check this one out. Also because those animal faces were a bit off-putting.

[@TheMightyPika]

is there a way to read Hepcats that doesn't involve hunting down the original trade paperbacks?

[@SiiriCressey]

I hadn't heard of this series. I'll see if my town's library has it, or can order it. Edited: Nope.

[@bobhollywood4093]

"You are all justified and ancient"? Is that what yer outro said? If so, that sounds pretty bad arse. Did you create it yerself, or is it a reference to something?

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Yes, that's what's said in the outro. You got it! It is a reference to The KLF's song, Three A.M. Eternal. Which, in turn, is a reference to The Illuminatus.

[@jayfolk]

Be cool if you covered a strip comic like Garfield, Boondocks, peanuts. Maybe a completed strip, like *Calvin & Hobbes*

[@StrangeBrainParts]

A good suggestion, but not likely. While comic strips and webcomics are related to comic books, for sure, I'm keeping the channel focused on comics themselves.

[@loszhor]

6:33 Oh no you didn't!~ *Does the head thing* It sounds like he might have had ADHD.

[@RogerioPereiradaSilva77]

While I do enjoy slice of life comics, this doesn't really appeal to me for some reason. Not sure why because I think the artwork is top notch and having good art goes along way to sell a project to me. But I think that the art itself might have been part of the problem. There is no way that a one-man comic project with such detailed and fine grained hashing can be produced on a monthly - or even bi-monthly - schedule so I think Martin Wagner accidentally shot himself in the foot by aiming to produce a monthly series. I can definitely see this working as a one-off graphic novel but then who knows if the (apparently, very decompressed) story spanning multiple issues he had in mind could be compressed down to a single volume or two.

[@markb.265]

Did it though?

[@ryangreen6255]

Sounds like he ran dry.

[@KenLieck]

What a godforsaken strip that was! (Martin Wagner will get the joke, anyway...)

[@godemperor7742]

You are the cake.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

But...the cake is a lie!

[@allenrubinstein3696]

My memory of the details is hazy at this point, but I did read way back when that the back story of Hepcats sheds a worse light on Wagner than even your video suggests. Lots of big promises without the ability to back them up. Apparently, you can add youthful hubris and poor business skills to the list of reasons this project failed. In the industry, Martin Wagner ultimately earned a pretty bad rep as being a big talker who was unreliable and borderline dishonest. No surprise that he eventually slunk away with his (hep) tail between his legs.

[@fedupN]

Aw, mate. A creative faltering mess. Edit: So, read these after this video and...yeah. gonna be honest, its nothing special. Late 80s and 90s indie angst. Throw in some implied adult situations. Proceed. It isn't bad. Just nothing that hasn't been done in other comics, like Omaha.

[@pulsarstargrave256]

I'm glad I gave HEPCATS a skip. I was already reading a number of Indies and routinely encountered many of the same problems! I have tremendous respect for Davs Sim as well as others for their tenacity and discipline, without which, mere talent is simply buried treasure, undiscovered.

[@literromanceresq5871]

This series was Beast Stars before people in the West started connecting with anime.

[@joaodeoliveira5383]

Hey man, just wanted to say that your take on comic-book videos is unique. They are serious and analytical. Great job, greetings from Peru 😄

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Greetings from Canada! And thank you very much.