In 1977, artist Mari Tepper drew a six-page comic called Myrrtle and Purrlee, which mutated selected circumstances of her relationship with her common-law husband, George Eade, and their son, Angus, into semi-autobiographical fiction. In Myrrtle and Purrlee, Tepper, who was signing her work “Mari Bianca” at the time, is Myrrtle, which she sometimes spelled as Murrtle; Eade is a character named Hermann (pronounce it as two words for full effect); and Angus is depicted as their daughter, Purrlee. All are drawn as cats.
In 2022, on the occasion of her solo exhibition titled "Laying it on the Line" at the Haight Street Art Center, this unsung work was finally published in a signed, limited edition of 20 copies. Each of the comic's six pages, plus a seventh containing publication info and an additional drawing, was reproduced at its original 17-by-11-inches size, with no attempt to hide the years of wear and tear that the artwork had endured. The presentation-board cover mimicked a binding created by a friend of the artist, Glenn Bachmann, in the 1980s.
To purchase a copy of Myrrtle and Purrlee ($100), visit the Haight Street Art Center.