PETTIBONE [i.e. PETTIBON], Raymond. Captive Chains. Lawndale, Ca.: SST Publications, 1978.

PETTIBONE [i.e. PETTIBON], Raymond.
Captive Chains.
Lawndale, Ca.: SST Publications, 1978.

8vo (266 × 185 mm), pp.[64]. Black-and-white drawings throughout, printed in offset. Saddle-stapled illustrated wrappers; endemic browning to contents, very light wear to edges. A fine copy.

First edition of Pettibon's [a.k.a. Raymond Pettibone; St. Pettibone; Chuck Higby; Ray Dylan; Raymond Ginn] first published artists' book/zine. Captive Chains features a narrative strip story entitled 'City Kids' and a number of mostly full page individual drawings. Pettibon introduces it thus: 'In this issue: no bronze-skinned barbarians, their wonderful muscles rippling, a strip of hide hiding ---; no lush science fiction, art nouveau, mythology (pick 1) pieces to hang next to your McDonald's Neiman; no art as therapy for devotees of de Sade and Sacher-Masoch; no stories about peace-loving hippies vs. heartless authorities, set in the summer of love... 2067; no superheroes for your kid brother.'

Between the late 1970s and early '90s Pettibon produced over a hundred self-published zines. His work first cam to prominence through the album covers, and flyers he produced for the bands on the SST record label, which was run by his brother Greg Ginn, guitarist for Black Flag. Much had been made of Pettibon's early association with punk although he has suggested it was more an association of opportunity than influence, in that he "was in that world just by chance, because of family and friends [he] knew that were involved with music." Pettibon's initial audience, such as it was, consisted largely of his friends and those few punks who came to his work via SST, which distributed his zines as part of their catalog... But the punk audience was not exactly receptive, and it has only been since Pettibon's success as an artist [he is represented by David Zwirner] that these publications are retroactively in demand' (In Numbers p.394).

A Catalogue Raisonné of Artists' Books by Raymond Pettibon, 1978-98 (1); In Numbers: Serial Publications by Artists

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