Edited and published here in Pittsburgh by John Kelly – who also wrote most of the text and conducted the interviews – this first issue of Dummy is entirely devoted to the art – and artists – of Pee-Wee's Playhouse, the one-of-a-kind late-1980s Saturday morning children's televsion program – that was also (according to Nielsen) enjoyed by several million adults, and that had started out years earlier as a stage production that led to an HBO special and then a movie (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure).

This issue runs 40 pages in full color on magazine-size, glossy paper with a heavy-duty cardstock cover.  It is PACKED with all sorts of Pee-Wee's Playhouse-related art, from production sketches to comicstrips to all sorts of finished art for the wild and wacky Fun Paks and various promotional items.  

Learn more and scope out some preview pages HERE.

PLEASE NOTE:  Limited quantity; ONE per customer.  

Here's a rare chance for non-subscribers to get a taste of Frank Santoro's Hype*Pup, which is now in its fourth year of monthly publication.

For those unfamiliar with its format:  each issue is printed in full color on both sides of a single sheet of heavy, glossy* 11" x 17" stock, which is then folded into quarters (*with the exception of #38, which is printed on standard, flat 11" x 17" stock).

One side of each sheet is an ever-varying, all-over layout composed of type-written and hand-written musings on the state of comics past & present (with hints of possible future pathways) collaged together with drawings and illustrations; all by Frank Santoro (with the exception of #38; see below).  It's a pretty much one-of-a-kind thing, part super-old-school single sheet newsletter, part punk zine, part artwork.  The one exception to this is #38, which is an early piece of writing by local comics journalist and publisher, John Kelly, that is an appropriately (for Hype*Pup) amalgamatic work, part blank verse, part short story told in the second-person, written in 1995, that has been rhythmically measured by Frank.

The other side of each sheet – aka the centerfold – presents rare and original comics work, often by Conor WIllumsen, whose pieces have been comissioned by Santoro and are drawn specifically for Hype*Pup.  Here's a list of what's on this side each in each of the issues in this set:

Centerfold art:

31 32 33:  Frank Santoro – rare classic oldies – as in, from the 1990s (color)

34:  Chester Brown – two pages from Yummy Fur  –#4?;  1980s – (color scan of B & W comics pages)

35:  Conor Willumsen –  ironic tale of a Canadian sojurn of the Olympic torch that involves two of Conor's uncles, in comics form (color)

36:  Conor Willumsen – series of six, four-panel comics – very Moebius-es que – about getting/being high (black & white)

37:  Conor Willumsen – light-hearted, Bradley-Cooper-adjacent autobio strip (color)

38:  Frank Santoro – new, full page, full color comics composition

This is the first time we've had the opportunity to offer any of these here at Copacetic, and have no idea whether we  will have this opportunity again, so act accordinglly.

Finally.  We have at last – quite belatedly – got out hands on copies of the long-awaited second issue of John Kelly's Dummy zine, edited and published right here in Pittsburgh, PA.  Our apologies to those Copacetic customers who were waiting.  Your patience will be rewarded, as this issue is unquestionably even better than the first!

Here's the official Dummy hype-up:

The second issue of dummy looks at several notable examples of unauthorized (and inspired by) Mickey Mouse comics. It includes a deep dive into the notorious Air Pirates, with commentary by Dan O'Neil, Bobby London, Gary Hallgren, Ted Richards, Shary Flenniken and others, as well as rarely seen Air Pirates art and memorabilia. It also has an interviews with Robert Armstrong and his beloved Mickey Rat and Kaz about Creep Rat, and a look at the Mickey Tijuana Bible dirty comics, Wally Wood's X-Rated Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster and even an interview with the legendary artist Stanley Mouse by the great Edwin "Savage Pencil" Pouncey!

This is a thing of beauty and is 92 pages long and filled with RARE art and production materials. Printed on high quality paper with all new writing by notable comics scholars and aficionados.