Cat-Head Comics

Cat-Head Comics

Company type	Private
Industry	Comics publishing
Founded	1980
Founder	Steve Lafler
Defunct	1998
Fate	Ceased operations
Headquarters	Hudson, Massachusetts , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Steve Lafler, Stephen Beaupre
Products	Alternative and underground comics, including anthology Buzzard

Cat-Head Comics operated as a U.S.-based publisher specializing in alternative and underground comics from 1980 until 1998. Established by cartoonist Steve Lafler to showcase his creations, the company later joined forces with writer and editor Stephen Beaupre. Its most enduring publication was the anthology Buzzard, which produced 20 issues.

In addition to Lafler and Beaupre, Cat-Head's catalog featured works by artists including R. L. Crabb, Lloyd Dangle, Krystine Kryttre, and J. R. Williams.

History

Shortly after completing his studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Steve Lafler launched Cat-Head in 1980. The inaugural release was BenB and Gerald, a compilation of Lafler’s comic strips originally published in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

Cat-Head’s initial serialized comic was Lafler’s Dog Boy, which ran for seven issues between 1983 and 1985 before being acquired by Fantagraphics in 1987 for a new 10-issue run. In 1984, the publisher moved its base from Eugene, Oregon to Portland, Oregon.

By 1987, Cat-Head broadened its scope beyond Lafler’s works with Out the Next, created by Stephen Beaupre, which combined text, poetry, photography, and artwork contributed by Lafler. Between 1988 and 1989, the company released two editions of Duck & Cover, a satirical comic and poetry series by Beaupre and Lafler that critiqued political, religious, and corporate themes.

Stephen Beaupre became co-publisher in 1989, providing financial backing that supported the publisher’s growth. Around 1990, Cat-Head relocated to Hudson, Massachusetts and expanded its offerings by introducing the long-running anthology Buzzard, overseen by Beaupre. This series featured contributions from prominent alternative comics artists such as Lloyd Dangle, Julie Doucet, Mary Fleener, Phoebe Gloeckner, James Kochalka, Krystine Kryttre, Adrian Tomine, Tom Tomorrow, Steven Weissman, J. R. Williams, and Aleksandar Zograf. During this era, Cat-Head also published individual issues from creators like R. L. Crabb, Lloyd Dangle, Kryttre, and Williams.

From 1993 through 1998, Cat-Head concentrated on Lafler’s solo projects including Bughouse, alongside continuing the Buzzard anthology series. Reviewer Rob Clough characterized Bughouse as Lafler’s narrative about bebop saxophonist Jimmy Watts and his band named Bughouse—delving into themes of musical fellowship, addiction struggles, and life on tour through anthropomorphic insect characters that offered artistic versatility.

All six installments of Bughouse were subsequently compiled into a trade paperback edition by Top Shelf Productions.

Steve Lafler solo titles (chronological order)

• BenB and Gerald (1980)
• Mean Cat (1981)
• Guts (1981–1982)
• Dog Boy (7 issues, 1983–1985) — later continued by Fantagraphics
• Femme Noir (2 issues, 1988) — Lafler's mystical crime series featuring detective Maria and recurring figure Dog Boy
• Prometheus' Gift (1 issue, Oct. 1992) — tribute to Jack Kirby and psilocybin mushrooms
• Bughouse (6 issues, Mar. 1994–Mar. 1997)
• Jonk!: A Bughouse Fable (1 issue, 1998)

Additional Titles (Alphabetical Order)

• Bad Comics (single issue, 1990) — created by J. R. Williams
• Bummer (one issue, 1992) — J. R. Williams; subsequently picked up by Fantagraphics
• Buzzard (20 issues released between 1990 and 1998)
• Crabbs (one issue, 1993) — authored by R. L. Crabb
• Dangle (one issue, 1991) — by Lloyd Dangle
• Death Warmed Over (single issue, 1990) — Krystine Kryttre's work
• Duck & Cover (two issues, from 1988 to 1989) — created by Lafler & Stephen Beaupre
• Out the Next (one issue, 1987) — Stephen Beaupre

External links

• Selected covers and summaries of Cat-Head titles
• Analysis of Buzzard Issue #1