FORTY-3: The Official Massachusetts College of Art (MASSART) Comic Journal

From 1992 to 1994, I was the editor of this fine, lo-fi school-funded collection. It was nightmarish and sort of fun. The name FORTY-3 apparently lived on for at least a short while after I left... maybe the incoming freshmen didn't realize that I'd made up the name and thought it was some thing "official", I dunno.

The five issues I put out included contributions from Mister Reusch, Paul Alix, Jack Purcell, Matt Smith, and lots of dudes submitting under assumed names.

As for my personal contributions to the issues, I had a recurring storyline comic called Bughouse (later renamed to BUGHAUS after some dude put out a "real" comic called BugHouse). It was a long sci-fi humor thing that was a continuation of my contributions to the previous incarnation of the MassArt comic anthology, Don't Shoot It's Only Comics, helmed by Jef Taylor. Hell, even then I was referring back to earlier work, as the main character was a variation on a character I'd been drawing in high school.

I think I still have all of the original bristol boards of this terrible-looking but occasionally funny comic. Hopefully - though I apparently feel that everything I've ever drawn is worthy of a retrospective collection - I pray that I will never be tempted to reprint BUGHAUS in a retrospective collection. I could not draw for poo, and I ended up reusing the three funny jokes anyway.

If you found this page via Google, you are weird.

- Tom (The Artist Formerly Known as Goat)

ISSUE 1
NOVEMBER 1992
cover art by Paul Alix

This is the issue that picks up where DON'T SHOOT, IT'S ONLY COMICS does not leave off.

ISSUE 1-and-a-half
early 1993
cover art by MISTER REUSCH

This is the issue where I learned that a Smith-Corona electric typewriter is a fine, fine typesetting tool.

ISSUE #X
sometime in 1993
cover art by Screaming Red Destroyer

This is the issue where I realized how small the talent pool was, despite being at an "art school".

Issue with no name, apparently
late 1993
cover art by Jack Purcell

This is the issue where I realized I would never have a career in politics.

ISSUE SNIFF
sometime in 1994
cover art by Mr. Seductive

This is the issue where I officially quit in the letter-from-the-editor.

Hey there.

Just came across your site, bored at work, while searching under "Forty-3", the official MassArt comic. I contributed to "Forty-3" back in, oh, say '96 or so, and edited the next couple issues with a guy named Dan Wallis. And no, we had no idea why it was called "Forty-3", other than a rumor that it was some form of non-sequitor. As far as I know, Forty-3 died after our last issue maybe in '97? '98? I tried to keep it alive through a surrogate editor, as I was only in school 1 day a week at that point, but it wasn't meant to be. If Forty-3 did survive, I'm not aware of it. Not sure if you care, but I thought you might. Our last issue was pretty sweet.

-Kevin, Nov 30, 2004

Ahhh, such a legacy.

- Tom.

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