 Austin was also home to a large New Left activist movement, one of the earliest underground papers, The Rag, and cutting edge graphic artists like Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers creator Gilbert Shelton, underground comix pioneer Jack Jackson (Jaxon), and surrealist armadillo artist Jim Franklin.The 1960s was also an era of rock festivals, which played an important role in spreading the counterculture across the US.The Monterey Pop Festival, which launched Hendrix's career in the US, was one of the first of these festivals.