Thee Almighty & Insane : Chicago Gang Business Cards from the 1970s & 1980s

Thee Almighty & Insane : Chicago Gang Business Cards from the 1970s & 1980s – After many requests over the years, it’s back! This new edition once again includes a selection of Chicago gang compliment cards, but with a handful of changes from the original. It is now classified geographically (more or less), from south to north, to reflect both the fundamental link of these organizations to physical locations and their interactions with other organizations in the vicinity. The essay has also been updated to reflect new information and perspectives introduced since the publication of the last edition.

Thee Almighty & Insane: Chicago Gang Business Cards from the 1970s & 1980s is an ode to an idiosyncratic printed subculture that originated in Chicago just before the digital age, when street gangs made business cards displaying their symbols, nicknames, territories and enemies to assert pride, recruit new members and generally serve as tokens of affiliation. The role of these maps as historical artifacts is less intentional, but perhaps more important: they document not only the specific history of these gangs and their members, but also the broader social dynamics of a controversial period in the city of Chicago. With enlarged reproductions of over 70 cards and an introductory essay by collector Brandon Johnson, this book is an appreciation of Chicago gang “compliment cards”: their hand-drawn graphics, black lettering, wacky names and clever slogans.