Volume 8 of the collected works of underground comix legend Robert Crumb brings the series up to 1972. This was an era when fame and fortune were weighing heavily on Crumb, and his reactions to his celebrity produced some of his best and most fascinating strips! This volume includes several classic works, including the solo titles Home Grown (which includes the infamous 22-page sex story "Whiteman Meets Bigfoot"); Big Ass Comics #2 (which includes the controversial "Anal Antics" and "And Now a Word to All You Feminist Women" — not politically correct); Mr. Natural #2 (featuring the continuing adventures of one of Crumb's best-loved characters); and finally Crumb's scathing reaction to the Bakshi/Krantz Fritz the Cat movie and fame in general, People's Comics. This masterpiece includes "The Confessions of R. Crumb," "The R. Crumb $uck$e$$ Story," and "Fritz the Cat, 'Superstar'", wherein Fritz, now a burned-out, overstimulated, callous celebrity, gets his final, fatal comeuppance in the form of an ice pick (long before Fatal Attraction)! Add into the volume the usual slew of Crumb rarities — from The Whole Earth Catalog, Thrilling Murder, Bijou, Surfer Magazine, and Nostalgia Press — as well as another extensive color section, and an autobiographical introduction by Crumb himself — and you've got a collection that any Crumb fan must have. This volume contains material that sets the tone for the rest of Crumb's career — the retreat from the hurly-burly modern world, the ruralism, the nostalgia, the introspection... and let's not forget the wild weird Crumb sexuality! A must!
Log in to comment