
Here’s a little explanation about the comic punk band The Woodrows reprinted from Woodrow Comics #1.
The Most Notorious Comic Punk Band
During our sophomore year of high school, my friend Toby and I were picked to attend a drug and alcohol prevention conference. It was 1986. We were 15, maybe 16 years old. Two students and one teacher from area schools were invited to attend this all-day event where different speakers gave tips on resisting peer pressure and staying on the path to good grades and healthy living.

It was well-intentioned, but also very boring. To pass the time, Toby and I started drawing the characters of a made-up punk band, The Woodrows. Unlike the Ramones, Ricky, Toby, Marvy, and Erin really were brothers. Like the Sex Pistols, they were anarchists bent on chaos. They took any drug available and partied harder than Spuds Mackenzie. They scared the PMRC more than any motley band of hair rockers or cheese metallers could ever hope to.
The Most Prolific Comic Punk Band

After the conference, I suppose we were to return to our high school and share what we learned with our fellow students. Back in class, however, we kept drawing The Woodrows, making up endless lists of song and album titles, lyrics, and backstories for the Drab Four. After high school, The Woodrows retired into my subconscious until I started the zine Reglar Wiglar in 1993.
The Reglar Wiglar was launched in the satirical spirit of Spinal Tap and MAD magazine and featured fake band interviews. Of course, the Woodrows had to represent. They were interviewed in the first issue (see the reprint in this book) and were a regular feature for years.
The Debut of Woodrow Comics
In 1995, the boys got their own title, Woodrow Comics #1: a sloppy-looking, photocopied-at-Kinkos, 5.5” x 8.5”, 12-page, black and white comic that I sold on consignment for $1 at a few record and comics shops in Chicago. Woodrow Comics #2 followed in 1996.
These comics did not sell well and it’s easy to see why. They’re crude, juvenile, poorly drawn, and completely absurd. To me, however, they’re hilarious. Over the years, I’ve redrawn the covers several times and even cleaned up the bad behavior a bit (if you can believe that). I present them here, perhaps for the last time, almost 40 years after their creation and 30 years from their original comics debut.

NOTE: The point of this comic was never to make fun of addiction. Just the opposite. These characters were created by two teenagers who thought that booze and drugs were stoopid, but who also thought that the scare tactics of ‘Just Say No’ anti-drug campaigns were a bit corny too. It’s also a parody of the rock and roll lifestyle and punk rock stereotypes. More importantly, this comic asks the question, what if Sid and Nancy had four babies and let G.G. Allin raise them?
Order Woodrow Punk Rock Comics
Order a copy of Woodrow Comics #1 from the RoosterCow Store!
Check out an annotated Woodrows Discography!
