Helix Vol. I No. 6, June 23, 1967 U.S. Invaded!
Seattle: Helix, 1967. Pat Pelley, Walt Crowley, Maryl Clemmens. First Printing. Tabloid Newspaper. Tabloid printed black on colored newsprint measuring 11.25 x 17.5 inches. Pp. 12 including covers. Cover wrap printed in color. Edges rubbed and age toned, mellowed horizontal crease. Very Good. Item #6064 Helix joined a burgeoning underground press then including groundbreaking alternative papers the East Village Other, the Los Angeles Free Press, the Fifth Estate and the Berkeley Barb. Founded by Paul Sawyer, Paul Dorpat and Lorenzo Milam, it sprang from their intellectual fervor at the Free University, an alternative thinktank they also founded. Eventually star-illustrator Walt Crowley assumed editorship. A pebble in the shoe of Seattle establishment, the "hip rag" brought attention to civic injustice by rallying its youthful readership to activism. The apogee of that effort followed the 1970 killing of students at Kent State: over the course of May 5-8, Helix organized protests that blocked US Interstate 5 while marching between the University District and rallies at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Seattle. Early issues are increasingly scarce. This copy is housed in a removable, clear sleeve with an acid-free backing.
An early issue of the Seattle underground bi-weekly (transitioned to a weekly schedule in September 1969). The cover parodies an alien invasion. Contents include poetry and articles on the OCS and conflicts with the police and City Hall. Featuring ads for Spud Fish & Chips, opening of the Last Exit on Brooklyn Avenue, underground films from Mekas and Warhol at the Town Theatre, and an OCS show at Eagles Auditorium with Magic Fern and P. H. Factor.
Price: $50.00