Reeling Back

At some point in the 1970s, inclusive academics came up with the term “independent scholar.” It’s used to describe non-credentialed researchers working outside of the formal educational establishment whose contributions are nonetheless worth recognizing. Vancouver-based Robin Bougie is Reeling Back’s favourite example of the breed, an impressive obsessive who has devoted his time and considerable talent to chronicling movies made on the margins. Born on this day (July 28) in 1973, Bougie wrote, edited, illustrated and published Cinema Sewer, a film journal in the style of an underground comic that enthusiastically championed exploitation, cult and adult features. It ran for for 34 issues from 1997 to 2021, a fiercely independent publication the entire time. Before last year was out, we learned that Bougie’s apparent retirement was a mere pivot, a turn down “a road even less travelled: on the disrespected, under-appreciated, and misunderstood history of indy comix.” Gutter Hunter, billed as “The Adult’s Only Guide to History’s Wildest Independent Comics!,” made its debut in November 2021. When a second issue was released in May, it was clear that Bougie was serious about his new creative enterprise. Perhaps the best way to welcome its arrival is with my 1971 interview with Mal Hoskin and Dave Roberts, creators of Vancouver’s first underground comic book, Flash Theatre Presents.