What’s in Store: The Birth of Kustom Kulture

   Hope you can join us at Fantagraphics Bookstore this Saturday evening as we celebrate the late Michael Dormer, one of the pioneers of Kustom Kulture in the 60s and 70s. His signature cartoon character, Hot Curl, became synonymous with Southern California’s surf scene, but he’s perhaps best known for his contributions to the 1964 cult classic, Muscle Beach Party. Dormer designed the animated opening sequence and his murals adorned the sets, providing a colorful backdrop for Little Stevie Wonder‘s dazzling appearance with Dick Dale and the Del Tones. Dormer worked with legendary surf, hot rod, and skateboard artists like…

Surf’s Up at Fantagraphics Bookstore on August 12!

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts the book release celebration for Michael Dormer and the Legend of Hot Curl with surf sounds by Pleasure Island on Saturday, August 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The late Michael Dormer is synonymous with the California surf counterculture in the 1960s and 70s. The post-World War II influence of Beatnik poetry, jazz, and art on the California Coast created a revolution in the Orange County surf world, and no one defined the visual style of this movement more than Dormer. His career as an artist took off when he created “Hot Curl,” the mop-haired,…