Livin' in the U.S.A. is a collection of politically oriented cartoons produced in the 1970s by Aaron Fagen for Chicago's Rising Up Angry newspaper. Though Livin' in the U.S.A. may not be an underground comic book by definition (despite the fact that it is comprised entirely of comics), the newspaper in which these cartoons appeared was decidedly underground.

Rising Up Angry was a monthly paper launched in 1969 by a blue-collar community organization also known as Rising Up Angry. The group was founded and led by activists who wanted to organize and empower Chicago's poor white neighborhoods. Initially, the organization's membership was consisted of young working class youth known as "greasers" and middle-class student revolutionaries associated with Students for a Democratic Society. Rising Up Angry was the only underground newspaper of its era that was founded by and served the blue-collar working class.

Rising Up Angry greasers on the streets of Chicago in 1969, peddling their newspaper

Though not a "hippie underground paper," Rising Up Angry ranted about "pig patrols" and "fat businessmen." It featured profiles of activists like Malcolm X and Fred Hampton, identified where to find abortion services, criticized public school reforms that hurt low-income children, and discussed prisoner abuse allegations. Its blue-collar roots remained strong; one article provided practical advice on the use of handguns versus rifles and shotguns. It was against the war in Vietnam but copies of the paper were given away free to any member of the military. Along the way, it included many movie and music reviews, articles about motorcycles and cars, political cartoons and sweeping social commentary.

After six fairly successful years, Rising Up Angry met its demise in 1975, the same year the formal organization closed up shop. When the newspaper folded, the editors raised some cash to print Livin' in the U.S.A., which consolidated some of the best political cartoons from Aaron Fagen, their resident editorial cartoonist. Reading Fagen's cartoons give you a pretty good idea of the nature of Rising Up Angry, which railed against all manner of government, industry, rich people and politicians.



HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES:
It is currently unknown how many copies of this comic book were printed. It has not been reprinted.

COMIC CREATOR:
Aaron Fagen - 1-52