Batfag and Sparrow

New York, N.Y.: Forbud Books, Inc, 1966. Good. 5¼" x 7 1/8". Stapled wrappers. Pp. [45]. Good: wrappers heavily worn with moderate staining and some chipping; toned leaves with staining to edges of most.

This is a rare and early gay-themed comic book, featuring "Batfag" and his sidekick "Sparrow." We have not been able to locate any secondary sources regarding it, save for an old listing on Worthpoint which stated that the book's author, Grayson Smith, was an alias for Don "Duck" Edwing. Edwing wrote and illustrated for MAD Magazine for nearly 50 years, including the famous "Spy vs. Spy" comic from 1987 to 2002. We were not able to corroborate the information in that listing.

In this comic, Batfag was called upon by the police commissioner to stop "Jack the Snipper," the "anatomy separating menace before the entire male populus is walking around without their doozy dippers!!" Our hero sprung to action, vowing, "I've got to get over to that men's * drool * steam-bath fast - and save all those dear boys!" In the story, Jack had as a pet a massive, "extinct dickey-doo-bird . . . a diet of diced doozy slices are all they were believed to eat (lucky bird)," and several pages show Batfag and Sparrow attempting to battle the bird. The book was filled with charming and hilarious details, like framed photos of "Dad" and "Mom" on Batfag's dresser, both showing mustachioed men. There were a variety of emblems on Batfag's costume - his chest read "Kiss Me Baby" on the cover, "fore" on one page and "skin" on the next, and once, "legalize pot." One scene showed a police officer scampering away with a pile of "confiscated pornography," and while battling the bird, Batfag quipped, "Gee, if only I was a girl . . . this bird would go nuts, trying to find it!!"

A rare and thrilling gay superhero comic. The last page told readers to "Watch for the next issue: Batfag vs. King Cohen" but no evidence suggests this was ever created. OCLC shows three holdings.