Home Brainstorm Comix – Editorial

Brainstorm Comix – Editorial

Reflections of a publisher as midwife

So here it is folks – the long awaited third part of the Chester P. Hakenbush celebrated trilogy “A streetcar named Delirium”. From the moment I first set eyes on Chester, the psychedelic alchemist, in his first inner space adventure “Out of the Crucible”, back in September 1975, I found that I personally identified with him in his search for the ultimate reality. Now, with the finale to the series, I feel the time is right for some reflections. That same autumn morning I had a disconcerting experience. Then Bryan walked in and put the pages on my lap. I looked at the artwork and felt deeply moved – It was as if something had been taken and something gained. I felt it had been drawn especially for me.

A couple of years previously, I had published an “Alchemical Almanac” and handbook of herbal highs and a “Guide to the East” , but my main occupation was running a head stall called Alchemy in London’s Portobello Road. This entailed selling paraphernalia and wholesaling the same to like-minded folk in the provinces. One such person was Bryan Talbot, who whist still at art college, helped run a basement store in Preston called “White Rabbit”.

It was almost two years since I’d last seen Bryan. He reminded me that I’d once said that if he got his comic together, I’d be interested in publishing it. He had spent three months working on it and it was finally complete. I’d hardly read a comic in years, let alone published one. Later that morning we went to see Mal Burn who Bryan had arranged to visit. I knew Mal through an association with CARO and Bryan had recently done a ‘Liberate Cannabis Now’ logo for them, but I was surprised to find that he, like Bryan, was a knowledgeable collector of graphic and general alternative media, with an idea of publishing a “Graphic Fantasy Review”. Owing to other commitments, this never materialised, although Mal later became attached to this comic itself. At the time, we showed him the artwork, which he really fell for, although he felt the story was rather weak.

Our next visit that day was to a printer friend of mine named Martin Hudson who gave Bryan some technical advice on how to do colour separations. At that stage, all we had was twenty pages of artwork and no cover. Bryan duly returned to Preston to do one. Meanwhile, I telephoned all my head shop contacts around the country to solicit some advertisements to help cover the publishing costs. Another printer, Graham Andrews in reading, agreed to print the comic for me, whilst a Sufi friend, Ghajan, who ran a book distribution service, said he’d circulate it. On a visit to Norwich with the artwork, another friend, Martin Wyatt who runs a shop called “Head in the clouds”, placed the first advance order – for a thousand copies; Then, to top it all, as my financial situation was none too flexible, a very close friend, Shay Kelly, put up most of the money to publish it.

Another artist, Al Barnett, came in to do the design and advertisements and the comic was on its way. Lastly, the comic arrived back from the printer’s co-incidentally on the day I was married – 26^th November 1975. Brainstorm Commix was born.

Now, eighteen months on and we have established a niche for ourselves in the market. Last issue, we filled in with a new title, “The Mixed Bunch”, which went down very well. The next issue will be a follow up while Bryan works on his next epic, “Astounding Rock and Roll Adventures”. Also on the cards is a horror comic title – already half full.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the advertisers for having faith in us so far.

This issue we are branching out more extensively into mail order, in the hope that this will help subsidise the magazine whilst providing our many provincial readers with a reliable service for obscure material. Finally I’d like to thank all you readers for supporting us – particularly those of you who have sent in letters of encouragement and criticism. Without your contributions, which helped guide us through periods of despondency, we’d not have got this far. It’s ultimately you that makes us want to continue.

I hope you dig this Chester episode as much as I do.

Stay high,

Lee Harris

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

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Upsetter Magazine

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on May 4, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

Deluxe special edition of Upsetter Magazine Issue 1, a magazine on the great Lee Scratch Perry

Limited to 200 copies - Each copy is individually numbered -

Includes articles on Lee Scratch Perry in Studio One, The Ska Years, Upsetter News, Colour Photo Postcards

Discography 1963-68 & Original Perry art

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Home Grown Magazine – 10 x RARE A4 PRINTS

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 31, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

The ten colour A4 Prints

Come packaged in a protective cardboard cylinder

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Bryan Talbot’s Smokey Bears – 3 x RARE A4 PRINTS

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 31, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

The three black and white A4 Prints

Come packaged in a protective cardboard cylinder

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Bryan Talbot’s Brainstorm Comix – 3 x RARE A4 PRINTS

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 31, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

The three black and white A4 Prints

Come packaged in a protective cardboard cylinder

Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Echoes of the Underground – DVD

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 16, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

A collection of short films, featurettes & music videos with over two hours of previously unseen footage filmed during the making of the album ‘Lee Harris meets River Styx – Angel Headed Hip Hop’ from 2007 – 2010. featuring: Brian Barritt, Jim Haynes, Howard Marks, Youth, Henk Targowski, Eddie Woods, Jean-Jacque Lebel, Giles Walker & Peter Dunne (Mutoid Waste Company) and more

DVD (PAL) – Region 2

Here is the trailer

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Lee Harris meets River Styx – Angel Headed Hip Hop – CD

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 16, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

Angel Headed Hip Hop is the work of playwright, writer and spoken word artist, Lee Harris and songwriter & poet River Styx. A mesmerising journey of psychedelic soundscapes. Featuring Aldous Huxley, Howard “Mr Nice” Marks, Brian Barritt, JC001 & more. The album was released in 2009 on Genepool/Universal Music.

“The 21st century equivalent of the early experiments with beat poetry and improvised Jazz. A slice of life, a slice of history”… Upsetter Magazine.

The album is recontextualising the beat poets into the modern age”… K&C Daily Times.

Alchemy: 30 Years of Counter Culture – CD

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Jan 16, 2012 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

New Antique Records is proud to present; “Alchemy – 30 Years of Counter Culture” an alchemical fusion of dub, jazz, celtic, ambient, psy-trance and spoken word available digitally for the first time.

Originally released in 2002, The album features Youth, Raja Ram & Simon Posford (Shpongle), Howard Marks, Brian Barritt, Bush Chemist, JC001, Drum Druids and many more, brought together by Lee Harris to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the oldest headshop in the creative melting pot of London’s Ladbroke Grove area.

“It starts perfectly chilled, dubby even, and by way of Howard Marks and the Mystery School Players, arrives at Shpongle. The flute work morphs seemlessly into a kicking Psy-Trance tune from Nervasystem & Aether. Dammit, it’s so good!” Inna?Turtle

“Very nice fusion and a nice piece to listen to at home and on the chill-out-floors around the globe” Mushroom – Hamburg

“Alchemy is trippy with a capital T. It is a celebration of one man’s journey through the counter culture that has existed in this country since the 1960’s. Listening to Alchemy gives us a sense of history that you won’t read about in school text books.” …..Peek Magazine

“If you like Lee’s trippy ramblings then check out “Alchemy – 30 years of Counter Culture, Some real gems on that one!” …..PSYAMB

The Album is also available digitally on New Antique Records

Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Best of Brainstorm Comix

Posted by Alchemy Culture Shop on Nov 27, 2011 in Books, Comics, Music & Films | 0 comments

The collected adventures of Bryan Talbot’s Chester P. Hakenbush. Published by Lee Harris

“Brainstom was a ‘light’ burning through the dark days of the 70s”… Brian Barritt (Author of ‘The Road of Excess)

“Bryan Talbot is a masterful comic artist and writer. He is one of those creators whose work other creators look froward to seeing. Chester P Hakenbush, the Psychedeilic Alchemist, is his first and, I think, his most endearing character”… Tasha Lowe (The Comic Store.com)

“Trippin’ Commix live again! Thanks for getting togerther the kind of comic I’ve always wanted but could never find. It was a truly cosmic crusade, the plot was a real mind blower and the artwork beautiful. i hop you have success – There will be a lot of happy heads around if you do”… The Furry Freaks, Cornwall, 1976

“Many thanks for Brainstorm Comix, I got a kick out of it and turned it over to the bullpen so they could bask in the radiance of it’s magnificence – just as I did. Nice of you to think of us”… Stan Lee, Marvel Comics, 1977

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