Shary Flenniken is one of the most influential figures in the history of underground comics. Her comic Trots & Bonnie burst onto the pages of the National Lampoon in the early 1970's, and with its mix of radical politics, coy sexuality, absurd situations, approachable artwork and riotous characters it immediately attracted a fervent fan base.
Meanwhile, in the early '70s, Shary joined up with the Air Pirates cartoonist collective, along with Dan O'Neill, Gary Hallgren, Ted Richards, and then-husband Bobby London. The group's raunchy parodies of Disney characters landed them in court in one of the country's most notorious and lengthy copyright infringement cases. Afterwards, Shary became a driving force behind the comics anthologies Seattle Laughs and Wimmen's Comix.
This interview with S.W. Conser and Bill Dodge was recorded at Jack Straw Studios in Seattle, and first aired on KBOO Radio on 28 September 2006. A hardback collection of Trots & Bonnie comics is scheduled to be published in September of 2020, featuring an introduction by Emily Flake.
- KBOO