Customer Reviews:
The Complete Crumb continues..........2002-12-18
The review above says this is not Crumb's best stuff, and not to buy anything from "This Publisher." This makes NO SENSE, because Fantagraphics is publishing THE COMPLETE WORKS of ROBERT CRUMB, in order, from his early years right up to the present. Crumb supervises each release and writes the introductions to each volume. Furthermore, Fantagraphics is one of the best publishers of quality comix in the world.
A high point of this volume is the Death of Fritz the Cat, killed off after the Bakshi movie which Crumb hated. Like all the volumes in this collection, there is good stuff, great stuff, and weak stuff, too. With a title like "The Complete Crumb Comix" what else would you expect??
The review above is sort of akin to someone blasting the Riverside Shakespeare because it includes stuff like Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsman. It's the COMPLETE WORKS, guy! It contains the BEST and the WORST, but everyone will disagree about which is which.
Fritz Is Dead --- Long Live Fritz!.......2000-08-13
In this entry in the series, the lid is literally ripped from Crumb's psyche, revealing the seething id beneath. Gone are the playful sex fantasies from his earlier work, replaced by dark fantasies that are at times hostile ('Eggs Ackley'), nihilistic ('Jumpin' Jack Flash') and embittered ('The Confessions Of R. Crumb'). These are comix that would easily alienate his hippy admirers, weaned on the psychedelic whimsy of the East Village Other or Yarrowstalks. It was during this period (1971 - 72) that Crumb revamped many of his characters, immersing them into a society shadowed by Nixon/Vietnam-era pessimissism. Projunior. Whiteman. Mr. Natural. Each character struggles with societal dilemmas, torn between hopelessly trying to correct a rigged system and just not giving a damn. Even sly & savvy Fritz the Cat- Crumb's alter ego- finds himself collapsing under the fickle weight of fame and, in the final panel, dead- an icepick through the brain courtesy of a jealous lover. This is pretty strong meat. And a brilliant time capsule of the social consciousness of the early 70's. Highly recommended.
Classic Crumb.......2000-06-16
I would argue that Robert Crumb is the greatest livingcartoonist, that Fantagraphics is the best publisher of seriouscartooning, and that The Complete Crumb is the best reprint of Crumb. (I would also argue that anyone who seriously disparages The Complete Crumb is either woefully misinformed, has some kind of hidden agenda, or believes that eating fried dough while listening to his complete collection of The Captain and Tennille albums will inevitably lead him to spiritual enlightenment).
Which is not to say, that The Complete Crumb doesn't pose some problems for the completist collector. The prolific Crumb has published prolifically as well - everything from collections of doodles on restaurant placemats to sketchbook excerpts to Heroes of the Blues trading cards... There are collections of his letters on the market and an R. Crumb checklist, as well as a reprint of the classic anthology, R. Crumb's Head Comix, a coffee table art book, and R. Crumb's Carload o' Comix. What's the complete Crumb? Depends on how you spell anal-retentive.
But you won't go wrong with the Fantagraphics collections. They're well-designed and each contains an excellent introduction. And, Crumb participated fully in this endeavor, by the way. Tune in to the artist who critic Robert Hughes called "America's Hogarth". END
Customer Reviews:
HAW HAW!!.......2001-02-07
Perhaps best-known for his Janis Joplin Cheap Thrills album cover and the X-rated film adaptation of Fritz the Cat, R. Crumb is the man who in the sixties brought the comics underground to light--a fact which made many with weak stomachs and bad consciences want to close their eyes. But the sublime and grotesque black-and-white drawings insist that you look as Crumb gives play to his sexual fantasies and keen social observations. Crumb draws it as he sees it, lampooning hypocrites of every ilk, from university thinktank eggheads to brutalizing cops to wigged-out counter-culture types with their hippier-than-thou halos and hangups.
Halcyon Hippy Comix..........2000-08-15
In volume five of the Complete Crumb Comics, the great artist continues to wittily dissect the body of 1960's American society. Broad parody ('Neato Keeno Time', 'Hamburger Hi-jinx') rubs shoulders with barbed social commentary ('MOTORCITY Comics' #1, the Fritz the Cat epic, 'Fritz The No-Good') and lighthearted sexual fantasies ('SNATCH Comics' #1 & 2, 'Dirty Dog'). There's also lots of rarities in this volume (ie: the original front cover for Janis Joplin's 'Cheap Thrills' LP, a previously unpublished alternate cover for 'ZAP' #3, a poster for 'The Zap Show' from 1968, comix from 'The East Village Other' and 'Chicago Seed', etc...). For those unfamiliar with Crumb's work, volume five presents a respectable cross section of the oeuvre of the grand old man of Underground Comix.
Customer Reviews:
Not his best stuff?? What are you talking about???.......2002-12-18
The review above says this is not Crumb's best stuff, and not to buy anything from "This Publisher." This makes NO SENSE, because Fantagraphics is publishing THE COMPLETE WORKS of ROBERT CRUMB, in order, from his early years right up to the present. Crumb supervises each release and writes the introductions to each volume. Furthermore, Fantagraphics is one of the best publishers of quality comix in the world.
If you like R. Crumb, this collection is pretty much the best you can get. Unless you just want a "greatest hits" which is fine to. In any case, Volume 4 is my favorite collection, but there is quality stuff in each one. The review above is sort of akin to someone blasting the Riverside Shakespeare because it includes stuff like Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsman. It's the COMPLETE WORKS, guy! It contains the BEST and the WORST, but everyone will disagree about which is which.
Pretty good but with a lot of overlap with other collections.......2002-03-16
This collection of strips includes quite a number published elsewhere, with nine starring Mr. Natural, including "... Encounters Flakey Foont", "...the Zen Master", "...in Death Valley", "...Visits the City"; in addition to stories such as "Meatball"; "It's Cosmic"; and a series of images from greetings cards. Selections are from "Evo", "Head Comix", "Yarrowstalks", "Zap Comix" etc...This isn't necessarily Fantagraphics fault as overlap with the more comprehensive "R. Crumb's Carload o' Comics" is because THAT collection was published by J.B. Rund of Kitchen Sink Press.
The book also contains an introduction by Crumb eulogizing his late friend Marty Pahls, and photographs of Crumb, wives Dana and Aline, sister Sandra and friend Pahls.
I'd say it's a decent retrospective for anyone wanting an example of the master of the undergrounds.
Comix Guaranteed To Blow Yer Mind!.......2000-08-15
'Mr. Sixties' features the creme de la Crumb, executed while he was still a wide-eyed rube, lost in the hubbub of Haight-Ashbury and the Summer of Love. Featuring lots of psychedelia (Crumb started dropping acid in '66), Crumb's work in 'The East Village Other', 'Yarrowstalks' and the ground-breaking 'ZAP Comix' #0 & 1 immediately appealed to the anti-Establishment Flower Children. These were harmless cartoons- innocent fun and a far cry from such later controversial pieces as 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', 'Dicknose' and 'Joe Blow'. Also included is the Crumb/ Gibbons' publication, 'The Sad Book'. Well recommended. Note to Parents: Although (at first glance) Crumb's work appears to be harmless 'kid's cartoons', these comix are definitely meant for ADULTS ONLY!
Essential for anyone interested in Crumb or u.g. comics.......2000-03-11
I have to object to the previous review--this book includes the material that created a new audience and inspired countless artists. While it may not ultimately be Crumb's best work--he was very young at the time that it was produced, and other collections, like "Carload of Crumb," offer a better cross-section of his early work--it still offers real pleasure to the interested reader. The previous reviewer's slap against the publisher, Fantagraphics, is especially egregious: they have an impeccable track record of high-quality editions of comic art worth preserving, and this classic is no exception.
Book Description
Part illustrated biography, part comics adaptation, R. Crumb's Kafka is a vibrant biography that examines this Czech writer and his works in a way that a bland textbook never could! R. Crumb's Kafka is a work of art in its own right, a very rare example of what happens when one very idiosyncratic artist absorbs another into his world view without obliterating the individuality of the absorbed one. Crumb's art is filled with Kafka's insurmountable neuroses. They are all there: Gregor Samsa's sister, the luscious Milena Jesenska, the Advocate's 'nurse' Leni, Olda and Frieda, and the ravishing Dora Diamant--drawn in that mixture of self-command, tantalizing knowingness and sly sexuality--that Amazonian randiness and thick-limbed physicality that is Crumb.
Customer Reviews:
Kafka in Prague.......2007-09-16
Having recently returned from a few days in Prague, I was impressed with both the artwork and the serious history of this book. I highly recommend it for those reasons, as well as its clever summaries of several Kafka tales.
Kafka.......2007-09-12
Kafka's life in itself is a very interesting tale, and I would recommend any book concerning the actual events of his life and the strange things that went through his mind. There are so many to choose from. From the multitude of books written about Kafka, R. Crumb's is actually a good addition. It provides something new to the world of Kafka, just as Maus provides something new to the WWII genre. It is sophisticated, intriguing, and downright creepy: definitely a great addition to your library.
A Unique and Wonderful Book.......2006-12-08
Reviewed by: Tom Hendricks, Musea Review Service. Posted courtesy of the Underground Literary Alliance Book Review Blog.
Tom Hendricks is a ULA member. He has probably never met Robert Crumb, but might want to. I'd like to meet Robert Crumb.
What is it? : Franz Kafka's biography with text by David Mairowitz, and illustrations by celebrated underground comic artist Robert Crumb.
Technical Quality: High. Book is a well made, 175 page, trade paperback. Note the somewhat chilling cover with an orange Prague cityscape drawing , with a green insert of Kafka writing.
Innovative Quality: High. The book uses the graphic novel approach to tell the life story of the troubled but brilliant Franz Kafka. Crumb illustrates the main biographical events and portions from some of Kafka's most celebrated works.
Review: Three parts come together to make this a memorable and notable read: Franz Kafka's life and works, Robert Crumb's illustrations on every page, and an informative biographical text by David Zane Mairowitz.
Mairowitz writes: "Before ever becoming the ADJECTIVE (Kafkaesque) Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Jew from Prague, born into its inescapable tradition of story-tellers and fantasists, ghetto-dwellers and eternal refugees. His Prague, "a little mother' with 'claws' was a place that suffocated him, but where he nonetheless chose to live all but the last eight months of his life."
That well sums up a lot of the main threads of Kafka's life too. He was a Jew in a country that more and more hated and persecuted the Jews. He had an oppressive and abusive father that, like Prague, he could never escape. He had troubled relationships with all the women he was attracted to, and he never got the respect for his writing in his life time that he deserved.
The book goes into detail on all these issues and lets us see his world - a depressing world where it seems his only escape was his writing. And what writing he did. Throughout the book are illustrated excerpts of major Kafka works including: an early story 'The Judgement', the famous "Metamorphosis' where Gregor Samsa turns into an enormous bug; "The Burrow" an animal fable; "In the Penal Colony" with the new killing machine invention; his best known work, the novel, "The Trial" where 'K' is arrested - but for what?; "The Castle" the 2nd of 3 novels; "A Hunger Artist" who is a sideshow freak for his ability to starve himself, and "Amerika" his last unfinished novel.
At the age of 39 he retired from his insurance job (one that by improving safety standards actually saved many lives) due to tuberculosis. Kafka instructed his friend Max Brod, to destroy almost all his works upon his death. Fortunately for us, Brod did not carry that wish out.
The bio is fascinating, and the excerpts cover some of the best of Kafka's work. Now add to that the superb black and white illustrations of Crumb and we get a very great book indeed.
Crumb, known for his underground comics, has taken that style of art to high art here. His drawing style is the technical equal of any illustrator. Yet beyond that he has a gift for characterization , an eye for detail, and the ability to illustrate any scene. Had the bio and excerpts been any less compelling, the illustrations would have still been notable. Each page was filled with drawings and many of them are minor masterpieces on their own. An example are the illustrations on page 64 and 65. Kafka wrote many letters to Felice Bauer one of 4 women that he had important
relationships with. On the left side we see the couple up to their chests in pages of letters. On the right side of the page, we see Kafka writing at his desk in the bottom right corner with letter after letter stacked through the air, all the way up to the upper left corner.
Wisely Mairowitz, who wrote the text, does not try to embellish his work, instead his comments are sparse and to the point , thus better allowing Kafka the classic writer, and Crumb a world class gifted illustrator, to shine.
High marks all around in this new classic.
R. Crumb's Kafka.......2006-08-05
A find collaboration with Robert Crumb and David Z. Mairowitz. This opus reveals two things about Crumb: Crumb's attempt to vent his childhood Hell with his own father and a depth of related emotion uncharacteristic of his personality.
GET THIS BOOK.......2006-07-13
The serious student of Kafka or the neophyte will find much to admire in this rendering of the life and work of Kafka.
IT is truer a retelling than Welle's The Trial.
Excellent plot summaries well illustrated and very evocative.
Crumb is the perfect artist to present the life and work of Mr. Kafka, with sincerity and illuminating truth.
I wish Mr. Crumb would do more and full length versions of the Kafka opus
Book Description
Vol. 14 covers 1980.
Customer Reviews:
A Momentary Lapse Of Focus.......2000-08-14
It is difficult- if not impossible- for an artist to hide signs of burn-out. The evidence is there in black & white, on the paper for all to see. When that artist is Robert Crumb, normally accustomed to putting his soul into his work, the result is painful to observe. Crumb demands that we witness his anxieties, refusing to quit working even in the face of physical & mental exhaustion (1972 & 73 were pretty heavy years for R.C.!). The results, though damn good, are still not up to the snuff of his previous period. In this volume you'll find Crumb's work on 'XYZ Comics', 'ZAP #6', 'BLACK AND WHITE' (featuring the classic male fantasy response to feminist criticisms: 'R. Crumb Versus The Sisterhood'), 'EAT IT!' (a cookbook by Dana Crumb that Robert illustrated) and 'FUNNY AMINALS' (containing 'What A World!': one of the sickest pieces Crumb has ever undertaken!). So, after all the naysaying, why the four star rating? Because lesser Crumb is still a helluva lot better than most underground artists at their peak! 'Nuff said.
Crumb in Your Face.......2000-04-01
This book collects some of comic artist R. Crumb's most infamous work. His dark vision of sexual relations (which crosses, at times, the border of misogyny), is at its most extreme in this volume. Angered by feminist attacks on his work, the intent of these stories and drawings seems to be to bait his critics, embodying every object of their scorn. What shines through on every page is Crumb's fundemental honesty, and his brillance at depicting these raw emotions and frustrations.
Not for all tastes, to be sure, but essential for an understanding of Crumb's work.
Book Description
It's the swinging 80's period of Crumb's career now featured in the multiple award-winning Complete Crumb Comics series. The mid-1980s period of Crumb's career is compiled in this 15th volume of the series, a period that many critics consider to be the richest of Crumb's career. Anchored by Crumb's contributions to the seminal anthology Weirdo, created and edited by Crumb, this volume includes the first several appearances of classic Crumb character Mode-O-Day, the networking fashion plate that serves as a foil for some of Crumb's most biting satire about America's cultural elite. Also included are Crumb's first collaborations with the late writer Charles Bukowski, as well as several collaborations with Harvey Pekar from his autobiographical series American Splendor. The book is rounded out with a color section that includes rare album art for various jazz and blues greats, as well reproductions of his various comic book covers from this period.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic.......2005-04-08
Crumb is in rare form here. His social commentary is unequalled. All the cool Weirdo stories in one book! I read this stuff for the first time, and what a treat. The Mode O'day stories are the funniest things I've read in years. Buy it!
Social commentary and raunchy behavior.......2002-02-05
Fans of Crumb's biting comics of social commentary and raunchy behavior will find this set of comics continues the chronological series covering his complete work. Here Mode O'Day and Her Pals are the feature, covering his cartoons from 1983-85. A centerfold of fine color images provides lively full-page panels; most of the presentation is in classic black and white.
Customer Reviews:
Better and bitter.......2001-01-30
As Robert Crumb grew up his comics sometimes became more imature but even though he might get more bitter his art work gets better. His stories get better. When he started he might have done simple comic gag but as he has got older those gags have mutated it hilarously well writen stories. Each Complete Crumb Comics is better than the last.
Book Description
Everyone knows the temptation of doodling on a restaurant tablecloth — but no one performs this deed as masterfully as R. Crumb. In this second collection of often irreverent and always mesmerizing placemat drawings, Crumb depicts fellow diners, Americana, French culture, and flights of fancy, offering a glimpse into the mind of an inspired artist and savvy social critic. 120 black-and-white illustrations are featured.
Book Description
The multiple award-winning The Complete Crumb Comics series—the definitive, comprehensive series reprinting the entirety of Crumb's oeuvre—enters the mid-1980s with this 16th volume, a period that many critics consider to be the richest of Crumb's career. Anchored by Crumb's contributions to the seminal anthology Weirdo, created and edited by Crumb, this volume focuses on the years 1985-1987 and includes the seminal "Jelly Roll Morton's Voodoo Curse," from Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine. Also featured are Crumb's gorgeous "Pioneers of Country Music" color portrait series, and such Weirdo classics as "The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick," which chronicles the last years of the highly-regarded science-fiction writer who experienced an intense vision of the apocalypse and believed that he was possessed by the spirit of Elijah.
Also included is Crumb's first issue of Hup, his acclaimed solo series of the 1980s and 1990s. The book is rounded out with a new cover and introduction by Crumb and a color section that includes rare album art for various jazz and blues greats, as well reproductions of his various comic book covers from this period. Crumb is the most revealing of all artists, and The Complete Crumb Comics leaves no stone unturned.
Books:
- The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics
- The Draw 50 Way: How to Draw Cats, Puppies, Horses, Buildings, Birds, Aliens, Boats, Trains and Everything Else Under the Sun (Draw 50)
- The Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir
- The Goldfish Went on Vacation: A Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth about It)
- The Professional Chef's Knife Kit
- The Silver Spoon
- The Stained Glass Garden: Projects & Patterns
- The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
- History: Fiction or Science
- Concerning the Spiritual in Art
- Final Payment: A Posadas County Mystery
- Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
- Human Parasitology, Third Edition
- Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
- Seventeenth Century Literature And Culture
- Creatine: The Power Supplement
- Rust Fungi on Legumes and Composites in North America
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
The Complete Crumb: Crumb Advocates Violent Overthrow (Complete Crumb)
Complete Crumb: Starring Fritz the Cat, Vol. 3
The Complete Crumb Comics : Happy Hippy Comix (volume 5) (Complete Crumb)
The Complete Crumb: On the Crest of a Wave (Complete Crumb Comics)
The Complete Crumb Comics, Volume 16
