Difference between revisions of "Angelfood McSpade"

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{{Infobox comics character
 
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
 
| character_name =  Angelfood McSpade
 
| image          =  AngelfoodMcSpade.jpg
 
| imagesize      = <!-- default 250 -->
 
| caption        =  Angelfood McSpade, from ''Zap Comix'' #2 (July 1968). Illustrated by [[Robert Crumb]].
 
| alt            =
 
| publisher      = [[Apex Novelties]], [[Print Mint]], [[Kitchen Sink Press]]
 
| debut          = ''Yarrowstalks'' #2 (July 1967)
 
| first_series  =
 
| first_episode  =
 
| first_comic    = ''[[Zap Comix]]'' #2 (July 1968)
 
| creators      = [[Robert Crumb]]
 
| voiced_by      =
 
| based_on      =
 
| alter_ego      = Angel McFood, Angelfood McDevilsfood<ref>''Home Grown Funnies'' #1 ([[Kitchen Sink Press]], January 1971).</ref>
 
| full_name      =
 
| species        = Human
 
| homeworld      = Earth
 
| alliances      = <!-- optional -->
 
| partners      = [[Snoid]], [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]]
 
| supports      = <!-- optional -->
 
| aliases        = <!-- optional -->
 
| powers        =
 
| cat            =
 
| subcat        =
 
| hero          =
 
| villain        =
 
| sortkey        = Angelfood McSpade
 
| addcharcat#    =
 
}}
 
'''Angelfood McSpade''' is a comic book character created and drawn by the 1960s [[counterculture|counter culture]] figure and [[underground comix]] artist [[Robert Crumb]]. The character first appeared in the Philadelphia-based underground newspaper ''[[Yarrowstalks]]'' #2 in July 1967, making her comics debut in the second issue of ''[[Zap Comix]]'' (June 1968).
 
 
 
==Characterization==
 
Angelfood McSpade is a [[satirical]] portrayal of a [[stereotypical]] black [[Ethnic groups of Africa|African]] woman.<ref name='dh2006'>Dowd; Hignite 2006.</ref><ref name='ch1995'>Crumb; Holm 2004.</ref> She is depicted as a large, bare-breasted tribeswoman, dressed in nothing but a [[skirt]] made out of [[palm tree]] leaves.<ref name='cro1995'>Crowley 1995.</ref> She is drawn with big lips, golden rings around her neck and in her ears, huge [[breasts]], large round [[buttocks]] and speaks [[jive (dialect)|jive]]. Her name references [[angelfood cake]] and the racial slur "spade".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/96/S0599600.html |publisher=American Heritage Dictionary |title=Spade |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212145544/http://www.bartleby.com/61/96/S0599600.html |archive-date=12 December 2007 |access-date=1 November 2013 }}</ref>
 
 
 
According to the second issue of ''[[Zap Comix]]'', she has been confined to "the wilds of darkest [[Africa]]", because "[[civilization]] would be threatened if she were allowed to do whatever she pleased!"<ref name=Zap2>Crumb, R. "Angelfood McSpade: She's Sock-a-Delic — She's All Heart," ''Zap Comix'' #2 (July 1968).</ref>  It is not clear whether she was born in Africa or born in the U.S.A. and then sent to Africa. Her type of clothing suggests she is African, but her [[jive (dialect)|jive]] talk suggests she's from the U.S.A.<ref name='est1993'>Estren 1993.</ref>
 
 
 
Angelfood is depicted as a [[Hypersexuality|nymphomaniac]] and open to [[sexual intercourse]].<ref name='har1996'>Harvey 1996.</ref> In many of her stories she is accompanied by [[Snoid]], another of Crumb's characters who is portrayed as "a short-statured asshole" known for "his fetishes, sex cravings, and disdain for materialism."<ref>Fox, M. Steven. [http://comixjoint.com/snoidcomics-1st.html "Snoid Comics,"] ComixJoint. Accessed 16 November 2016.</ref> Policemen prevent other sexually aroused men from meeting Angelfood.<ref name=Zap2 /> In a later story three men bring her to the United States and promise to "civilize" her. There she is told to lick toilets clean in order to gain success. While she does this, the men push her head inside the toilet and violate her.<ref name='dh2006'/><ref name='jn2003'>Jahraus; Neuhaus 2003.</ref><ref>Crumb, R. Untitled ("There she is, fellows! Ah! She'll be so grateful to us!"), ''East Village Other'' (18 October 1968)</ref>
 
 
 
She is very naïve and easily [[physical abuse|abused]] or even [[rape]]d by the horny men who surround her, though, being a nymphomaniac, she is not bothered by this. Often, she is vulnerable to assault while being asleep or unconscious. Angelfood has a tendency to walk barebreasted, even in cities. However, no one seems to stop her from walking around half-naked. In another story she saves two boys, Chuck and Bob, from being eaten by members of her own [[tribe]].<ref name='dh2006'/><ref name='hel2004'>Heller 2004.</ref> They flee from the tribe to the U.S., where she spends a night with the boys and afterwards goes to the hairdresser. When she returns, she has bleached her skin, changed her hair and clothing and learned fluent English, much to the disappointment of the two boys.<ref>Crumb, R. "Ups and Downs," ''Yellow Dog'' vol. 2, #2 [issue #13/14] (Print Mint, July 1969).</ref> In another story she asked [[Hugh Hefner]] if she could become a [[Playboy Bunny]], but when Hefner saw her in the outfit he couldn't resist laughing. This made her so angry that she attacked him. In the last panel she and [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]] (who accompanied her) are kicked out of Hefner's office.<ref> "Angelfood McSpade," ''[[Playboy]]'' vol. 17, #7 (July 1970).</ref>
 
 
 
The character was featured regularly during Crumb's late 1960s and early 1970s output.<ref name='ch1995'/> In later comics her appearances became less frequent, and finally after 1971 Crumb stopped using the character in his comics altogether.
 
 
 
==Controversy==
 
Angelfood McSpade is one of Crumb's most notorious targets for accusations of [[sexism]] and [[racism]].<ref name='sor2005'>Sorensen 2005.</ref> Crumb has responded that he did not invent racist caricatures like Angelfood, but that they used to be part of the American culture in which he was raised.<ref name='ch1995'/><ref name='hux2001'>Huxley 2001.</ref> He saw the character as a criticism of the racist stereotype itself and assumed that the young [[Liberalism|liberal]] [[hippie]]/intellectual audience who read his work were not racists and would understand his intentions for the character.<ref name='ch1995'/><ref name='lo2009'>Lopes 2009.</ref>
 
 
 
== List of appearances (selected) ==
 
* Hey Boparee Bop," ''[[Yarrowstalks]]'' #2 (July 1967)<ref>[https://www.comics.org/issue/796366/#1314797 "R. Crumb's Head Comix,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 25, 2018: "from Yarrowstalks (David Auten and Brian Zahn, 1967 series) #2"</ref> — with [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]] and the [[Snoid]]
 
* "The Old Pooperoo Pauses to Ponder," ''[[East Village Other]]'' vol. 3, #2 (1-15 December 1967) — with  [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]] and Flakey Foont
 
* "Angelfood McSpade: She's Sock-a-Delic — She's All Heart," ''Zap Comix'' #2 (July 1968)
 
* "All Asshole Comics," ''[[Chicago Seed (newspaper)|Chicago Seed]]'' vol. 3, #1 (Seed Publishing, July 1968) — with Snoid
 
* Untitled ("There she is, fellows! Ah! She'll be so grateful to us!"), ''East Village Other'' (18 October 1968)
 
* "Hey Boparee Bop," ''R. Crumb's Head Comix'' (Viking Press, November 1968) — with [[Mr. Natural (comics)|Mr. Natural]] and Snoid
 
* "Freak Out Funnies" (or "I'm getting tired of running around this ol' city!"), ''Zap Comix'' #0 (Apex Novelties, 1968) — with Snoid
 
* "Ups and Downs,"  ''[[Yellow Dog (comics)|Yellow Dog]]'' vol. 2, #2 [issue #13/14] (Print Mint, July 1969) — with Chuck and Bob
 
* "Angelfood McSpade," ''[[Playboy]]'' vol. 17, #7 (July 1970) — with Mr. Natural and [[Hugh Hefner]]
 
* "Angelfood McDevilsfood in Backwater Blues," ''Home Grown Funnies'' #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, January 1971) — with Snoid
 
 
 
==See also==
 
* [[African characters in comics]]
 
* [[Stereotypes of African Americans]]
 
 
 
==Notes==
 
{{reflist|2}}
 
 
 
==References==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
* [[Walt Crowley|Crowley, Walt]] (1995). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=bcy7WNw2psoC&pg=PA109&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Rites Of Passage: A Memoir Of The Sixties In Seattle]''. [[University of Washington Press|Univ. of Washington Press]], p.&nbsp;109. {{ISBN|978-0-295-97492-7}}.
 
* [[Robert Crumb|Crumb, R.]]; [[D. K. Holm|Holm, D. K.]] (2004). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4UnTP7Fxm-0C&pg=PA121&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 R. Crumb: Conversations]''. Conversations With Comic Artists series. Jackson: [[University Press of Mississippi|Univ. Press of Mississippi]]., pp. vi-viii, xvi, 31–33, 120–121, 164, 166. {{ISBN|978-1-57806-637-7}}.
 
* Dowd, Douglas B.; [[Todd Hignite|Hignite, Todd]] (2006). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TjzlxyfWbxwC&pg=PA76&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Strips, Toons, And Bluesies: Essays In Comics And Culture]''. New York: [[Princeton Architectural Press]], pp.&nbsp;76–79. {{ISBN|978-1-56898-621-0}}.
 
* Estren, Mark James (1993). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hQb_q6DWle4C&pg=PA117&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 A History of Underground Comics]''. 3rd. ed. Berkeley, CA: [[Ronin Publishing]], pp.&nbsp;62, 117. {{ISBN|978-0-914171-64-5}}.
 
* [[R. C. Harvey|Harvey, Robert C.]] (1996). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=vAH24kOdCq8C&pg=PA205&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 The Art of the Comic Book&nbsp;– An Aesthetic History]''. Jackson: Univ. Press of Mississippi, p.&nbsp;205. {{ISBN|978-0-87805-758-0}}.
 
* [[Steven Heller (graphic design)|Heller, Steven]] (2004). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kf3OJK-xl7AC&pg=PA119&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design]''. 2nd ed. New York: Allworth Press, p.&nbsp;119. {{ISBN|978-1-58115-356-9}}.
 
* Heller, Steven (1999). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ueB6vvz9MfcC&pg=PA74&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Design Literacy (continued): Understanding Graphic Design]''. New York: Allworth Press, p.&nbsp;74 (as other). {{ISBN|978-1-58115-035-3}}.
 
* Hodgetts, Vicki. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=hccDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA40&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 America's Best Loved]". ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]''. Vol. 3, No. 25. 22 June 1970. New York Media, LLC, pp.&nbsp;40–43. {{ISSN|0028-7369}}.
 
* Huxley, David (2001). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=09KauG1G_fgC&pg=PA135&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Nasty Tales: Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll and Violence in the British Underground]''. Vol. 2, Primal&nbsp;– Spinal Comix History Series. London: [[Headpress|Critical Vision]], p.&nbsp;135. {{ISBN|978-1-900486-13-2}}.
 
* Jahraus, Oliver; Neuhaus, Stefan (2003). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=BYIgy8q_5FIC&pg=PA40&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 Der erotische Film: zur medialen Codierung von Ästhetik, Sexualität und Gewalt]''. Vol. 1 Film&nbsp;– Medium&nbsp;– Diskurs. [[Würzburg]]: [[Königshausen & Neumann]], p.&nbsp;40 &nbsp;{{in lang|en}}. {{ISBN|978-3-8260-2582-2}}.
 
* Lopes, Paul (2009). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=yYInVE6OLiQC&pg=PA82&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 Demanding Respect: The Evolution of the American Comic Book]''. Philadelphia, PA: [[Temple University Press]], pp.&nbsp;80–82. {{ISBN|978-1-59213-443-4}}.
 
* Sorensen, Lita (2005). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=YPk2N68PEyIC&pg=PA26&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 Bryan Talbot]''. The Library of Graphic Novelists series. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, pp.&nbsp;26–27. {{ISBN|978-1-4042-0282-5}}.
 
{{refend}}
 
 
 
==Further reading==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
* Kerekes, David; Slater, David (2002). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=nvFGlkTMAccC&pg=PA1&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 Critical Vision: Random Essays & Tracts Concerning Sex, Religion, Death]''. London: Critical Vision. {{ISBN|978-0-9523288-0-3}}.
 
* [[Jonathan Rosenbaum|Rosenbaum, Jonathan]] (1997). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ac7H-rG6DRcC&pg=PA227&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&lr=&as_brr=3 Movies As Politics]''. Berkeley, CA: [[University of California Press]]. pp.&nbsp;225–227. {{ISBN|978-0-520-20615-1}}.
 
* [[Roger Sabin|Sabin, Roger]] (1993). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qdUOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP53&dq=%22Angelfood+McSpade%22&as_brr=3 Adult Comics: An Introduction]''. New accents series. London: [[Taylor & Francis]] pp.&nbsp;37–38. {{ISBN|978-0-415-04419-6}}.
 
{{refend}}
 
 
 
{{Underground comix characters}}
 
{{Robert Crumb}}
 
{{African American caricatures and stereotypes}}
 
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelfood Mcspade}}
 
[[Category:Comics by Robert Crumb]]
 
[[Category:Fictional African-American people|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:African-Americans in comic strips|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:Racism]]
 
[[Category:Sexism]]
 
[[Category:1968 comics debuts]]
 
[[Category:Humor comics]]
 
[[Category:Black comedy comics]]
 
[[Category:Stereotypes of African Americans]]
 
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1968]]
 
[[Category:American comics characters|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in literature|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:Comics about women]]
 
[[Category:Female characters in comics|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:Black people in comics|Macspade, Angelfood]]
 
[[Category:Comics set in Africa]]
 
[[Category:Jungle (genre) comics]]
 
[[Category:Comics set in the United States]]
 
[[Category:Comics controversies]]
 

Latest revision as of 05:26, 8 October 2020