Cheech Wizard's Book of Me

Vaughn Bodé created Cheech Wizard—a hat with legs, a lascivious con-man who nevertheless possesses some degree of cosmic insight—in 1956, at the age of 15, and the character remained a constant companion for the rest of Bodé’s life: surfacing in his college paper, underground comics, National Lampoon magazine, and more. The Big Book of Me omnibus collects all of the psychedelic drug-inspired, underground Cheech Wizard comics for the first time.

Vaughn Bodé (pronounced "bo-dee") is a cult figure and occupies a unique niche: he's both an underground cartoonist and one of the forefathers of graffiti/aerosol art. In 1968, he worked for the underground newspaper East Village Other and edited EVO’s offshoot comics publication, Gothic Blimp Works. In his psychedelic, sci-fi/fantasy comics, he created a "Kilroy" type character, Cheech Wizard, who lives on in story and song (such as in the Beastie Boys' "The Sound of Silence"). Bodé won a Hugo Award in 1969 and a Yellow Kid Award in 1974: he's twice been an Eisner Hall of Fame finalist. Bodé is also remembered for his Cartoon Concert show, which has its final showing at the Louvre in Paris. Although he passed away in 1975, Bodé's legacy was cemented when graffiti greats like Kel 139 and Dondi paid tribute to him.