Product Description
Thirty-six legendary blues musicians painted by Robert Crumb with concise biographies on reverse. Featured are such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Jellyroll Morton, King Oliver, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Thomas "Fats" Waller, Bennie Moten, Mary Lou Williams, Jimmy Noone and Benny Goodman as well as Fletcher Henderson, Joe Venuti, Alex Hill, Eddie South, Ernest & Punch Miller, Frank Trumbauer, Lammar Wright, Muggsy Spanier, Freddie Keppard, Tiny Parham, James P. Johnson, Jimmy Blythe, Earl & Fatha Hines, Steve Beown, Pops Foster, Joe Wingy Mannone, Jabbo Smith. Roy Palmer, Ikey Robinson, Junie C. Cobb, Eddie Lang, Johnny Dodds, Lil Hardin and Coleman Hawkins.This classic card set is back in print for the first time in nearly twenty years. The 36 cards are printed on heavy stock and packaged in a nifty box, also designed by Crumb. Reverse of each card is a brief bio of each musician. Size: 3 x 4 x 1 inches -- Boxed set of 36 Trading Cards -- ISBN # 0-9710080-3-5 -- 2005 Printing ... Read more

Product Description
Volume 17 of the complete works of America's most infamous cartoonist!

After many Eisner and Harvey comics awards, the Complete Crumb series comes to a close (at least in its current format—we will continue to collect the entirety of Crumb's career in single-volume collections like Hup and Mystic Funnies, beginning in 2005). This 17th volume collects a creatively fertile period for Crumb, having given up the editorial reins of his own legendary Weirdo magazine, allowing Crumb to get back to the proverbial drawing board. Included are Crumb's contributions to Weirdo from this period, as well as work from Whole Earth Review, Zap Comix, Premiere magazine, as well as many other rare gems. This volume, as with all volumes, includes a new introduction by Crumb as well as a new cover. The Complete Crumb series leaves no stone unturned, publishing everything from Crumb's most well-known comics to little-seen commercial art and rarely-if-ever seen treasures from private collections and the artist's archives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Good One
If you watch the documentary "Crumb" he references the act portrayed on the cover of this volume. Crammed with lots of vintage Crumb I'm sure you will enjoy vol.8.

Interesting Period in Crumb's Career
This installment of "The Complete Crumb Comics" is a four-star book with a five-star cover.The early seventies--trying times, indeed--found Crumb, as Aline Kominsky-Crumb writes in the introduction, "...confused, distracted, bitter, and generally in a foul mood..."Nevertheless, I still have to smile as I reflect on the absurd mastubatory humor of "A Gurl" and the "Anal Antics" of the mischeivous Mr. Snoid.Less accessible (but more thought-provoking) is the utterly psychedelic "Kumquat Jam".The low point of Vol. 8 may be "Jumping Jack Flash!", a parody of the Manson fiasco, sans Manson's humor.--An uneven but worthwhile book.

The Complete Crumb continues...
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!
In this entry in the series, the lid is literally ripped from Crumb's psyche, revealing the seething id beneath. Gone are the playful sexfantasies from his earlier work, replaced by dark fantasies that are attimes hostile ('Eggs Ackley'), nihilistic ('Jumpin' Jack Flash') andembittered ('The Confessions OfR. Crumb'). These are comix that wouldeasily alienate his hippy admirers, weaned on the psychedelic whimsy of theEast Village Other or Yarrowstalks. It was during this period (1971 - 72)that Crumb revamped many of his characters, immersing them into a societyshadowed by Nixon/Vietnam-era pessimissism. Projunior. Whiteman. Mr.Natural. Each character struggles with societal dilemmas, torn betweenhopelessly trying to correct a rigged system and just not giving a damn.Even sly & savvy Fritz the Cat- Crumb's alter ego- finds himselfcollapsing under the fickle weight of fame and, in the final panel, dead-an icepick through the brain courtesy of a jealous lover. This is prettystrong meat. And a brilliant time capsule of the social consciousness ofthe early 70's. Highly recommended.

Classic Crumb
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 ... Read more

Product Description
A classic volume of the definitive Complete Crumb library, back in print after years of unavailability!The Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 4: Mr. Sixties! continues the multi-volume series comprising the complete works of the legendary cartoonist R. Crumb, one of America's most original, trenchant, and uncompromising satirists. The series includes the earliest, heretofore unpublished comic strips, as well as his sketchbooks, underground comix, dramatic and autobiographical strips, and his classic cartoon creations Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. In this volume: Zap #0 & #1 ("Keep On Truckin'!"), Crumb's work from the East Village Other and Yarrowstalks, plus much rare art, some of Crumb's long-lost American Greetings cards from the '60s, and more.

"I figured it out somehow — the way to put the stoned experience into a series of cartoon panels. I began to submit LSD-inspired strips to underground papers... not for pay... never gave it a thought... but they loved them. These 1967 strips of mine contained the hopeful spirit of the times, drawn in a more lovable 'bigfoot' style. The stuff caught on. They wanted more. Suddenly I was able to churn it out... late that summer one of the underground paper publishers asked me to do an entire issue of his paper Yarrowstalks (corny hippy spiritual stuff — 'yarrowstalks' are what they used to throw the 'I Ching'). This went over so well that he suggested I draw comic books and he would publish them. This was a thrilling idea to me — a dream come true..."—R. Crumb, from his introduction to this volume 16 color, 128 black & white illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not his best stuff??What are you talking about???
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
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!
'Mr. Sixties' features the creme de la Crumb, executed while he was stilla wide-eyed rube, lost in the hubbub of Haight-Ashbury and the Summer ofLove. Featuring lots of psychedelia (Crumb started dropping acid in '66),Crumb's work in 'The East Village Other', 'Yarrowstalks' and theground-breaking 'ZAP Comix' #0 & 1 immediately appealed to theanti-Establishment Flower Children. These were harmless cartoons- innocentfun and a far cry from such later controversial pieces as 'Jumpin' JackFlash', '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
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 realpleasure to the interested reader.The previous reviewer's slap againstthe publisher, Fantagraphics, is especially egregious: they have animpeccable track record of high-quality editions of comic art worthpreserving, and this classic is no exception. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Another great "Complete Crumb" in the series!
I'll admit it. This was one of the last ones I purchased, because with Crumb I have a tendency to judge books by their covers. However I'm nearly always wrong. (I also didn't care for the cover of Vols. 1, 2, 8, 10, 14, 15 and 17.) That is kind of strange because I LOVE every single volume of this series I have read thus far (and I am only 3 volumes short of having read them all cover to cover). My experience with Crumb's work is that there will always be a few pages I turn quickly and a few pages that seem like fluff -- but the "meat" is always there in the "Complete Crumb Comics" series, and this volume is definitely no exception!

First of all, this volume features an introduction written by Robert Crumb's brother Maxon, who still lives in the seedy hotel room he lived in when the movie CRUMB was filmed. Maxon's introduction was amazing. I was not at all sure I would be able to continue reading once I read the first very oddly written paragraph, but as I continued to read I got the hang of listening to new concepts as it moved on, and it was absolutely fascinating.

Also, this volume features a mixed bag of comics, from comics about the Crumb brothers' Treasure Island days to those Cute Lil Bearzie Wearzies (which I always enjoy immensely) to some interesting-to-read Pekar/Crumb collaborations to Snoid comics and much, much more.

I was also very excited to find in this volume a four-page spread of Crumb's America (beginning with the pristine picture before people came along and ending with the rundown neighborhood full of businesses, wire lines, cars, advertising, etc. which are so much the common sight today. There are wonderful Crumb-rumination comics here, really good ones; there are reproductions of a lot of his drawings of early American musicians, oh my gosh, all manner of things, and although this volume is shorter than probably most of the other volumes at 109 pages what is within makes up for being a few pages less.

If you can't find plenty to please you in Vol. 13 of Complete Crumb Comics, "The Season of the Snoid," I daresay you are not a fan of R. Crumb! If you ARE a fan, I hope you can get it! Unfortunately the price on this and a few other volumes has been rising presumably because Crumb is the "Breugel of the 20th century" or some such hoity-toitiness.

The Complete Crumb series do for me exactly what I want them to do -- delight and stimulate and, frequently, make me laugh out loud. Better yet, if I let just a little time go by I'm reading to read nearly every page again, again and again!! Fantisimo!!! Bueno!!! Magnifique!!! Schrecklich!!!

One Star Rating Is Way Low
The fellow who gave this book a one-star rating is obviously not a true Crumb fan. This book can stand side by side with the rest. Crumb fans will value this book just as they do all the others.

A worst-of
It's hard to explain, but this is a real worst-of in this series. Owners of the R. Crumb "Coffee Table Art Book" will find almost no new comix here, and everyone else save for the die-hard Crumb addicts will bebrutally let down: the cartoon selections are poor and the majority of thebook is comprised of illustrations for everything from jazz records --admittedly quite nice, but -- to useless filler like covers fromalternative newspapers. Total reading time: fifteen minutes. Buy this onlyif you suffer from the mania that compels you to complete a set, orsimilar.

Read this book
The continuing underground comix by R. Crumb.Featuring the introduction of the Snoid and his classic "My Troubles With Women". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5 Stars - for Dedicated Fans of R. Crumb Only
First I must mention that here I am reviewing "THE COMPLETE CRUMB COMICS VOL. 2 - SOME MORE EARLY YEARS OF BITTER STRUGGLE" AND NOT -- REPEAT NOT -- Vol. 3 (with Fritz the Cat on the cover). This review may show up under a copy of Vol. 3 as the software at both Amazon.com AND affiliates such as Barnes and Noble are totally screwed up when it comes to this book. The first time I ordered Vol. 2 I received Vol. 3 for this reason!! Make sure before ordering that Vol. 3 is NOT listed above this review by photo or in any other way. I learned the hard way!

What can I say about this book? It's vintage Crumb. A lot of comics he was doing just as he was leaving home and facing the big bad world in Cleveland. There is a great introduction by Crumb's longtime friend (now passed away) Marty Pahls, telling more of Crumb's story. One big disappointment was when I read in Pahls' introduction that Crumb's first wife Dana would not allow Fantagraphics the publishing rights to reprint ANY of The Yum Yum Book, which she owns copyright to as Crumb gave it to her.

There are some comics in here which clearly Robert did with his brother Charles. The dead giveaway, besides some of his artistic style, is Charles' tendency toward the end to put the lines and lines especially on garments. (Sorry, I don't know how to describe it.) However I believe this was also when Charles was losing interest in doing comics, and even those comics feature much more of R. Crumb's work than his brothers, generally speaking. If you are familiar with R. Crumb's printing it is pretty easy to tell also when Charles wrote the dialogue.

It is hard to know what to say about this book. To me, it is full of many mysteries and unanswered questions -- but then, wasn't that exactly what the Great Artist was experiencing at that time of his life? I would never recommend this volume to anyone new to Crumb or who had never seen Crumb's work. I believe this one is best savored by those who are die-hard Crumb fans -- or perhaps die-hard Fritz the Cat fans, since there are a lot of great Fritz comics in these pages. A strangely lovely book, in a melancholy kind of way. For the non-Crumb fan I would probably rate this as a 3-star book rather than 5. Sorry if my recommendation is ultimately ambiguous. It's the best I can do except to say that if you can't get hold of this volume and have all the others but don't want to pay more than retail, and if you don't just HAVE to complete your set, you won't be missing terribly much if you don't ever get this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Entering the '70s, this volume includes a couple of genuine rarities, as well as all of Crumb's work from Big Ass #1, Zap #4 (with the legendary, X-rated "Joe Blow" teen incest strip) and more offensive classics.Robert Crumb enters the '70s with this, the sixth volume inFantagraphics Books' all-inclusive reprint series. This includes acouple of genuine rarities (some of them so obscure they didn't evenmake the Crumb Checklist), as well as all of Crumb's work from Big Ass #1, Zap #4, the remarkably offensive Snatch #3 and Jiz #1, the classic Despair, and the second issue of Motor City — classics all. The volume also includes a 16-page color section (with rare covers from the first three Gothic Blimp Works), a sumptuous new cover by Crumb, and an insightful intro by the Man himself (no, not Stan Lee). Absolutely indispensible! Color and black-and-white comics throughout ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The best of the best!
This volume is the best one!With all the strips I remember from my youth.Robert is a pure Genius and this is what I grew up to.Wow no wonder I like thick Women with strong legs!To think my best friend died and I have no idea what he did with these comic books.I hope someone took care of them and is reading them now!
the books are just as good as the old comic books...hey even better they are bigger!

Better and bitter
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. ... Read more

Product Description
First edition ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

AVOID
I love Buk, but honestly, the story is 6 pages long, theres a few pages of cartoons, & NONE of it is funny.

This is worth buying because of the people involved.
There's No Business is about a stand-up comedian whose losing his touch. In typical Bukowski fashion the main character is someone you feel sympathy for even though they have no one to blame but themselves for theirmisfortune. This is worth buying because Bukowski and Crumb are masters ofwhat they do and anything they team up on is instantly a classic. ... Read more

Product 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fantastic
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
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. ... Read more

Product 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.New reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Couldn't have asked for more
Item came quickly, well wrapped and in perfect condition. What more could I want? Thanks!

Kafka in Prague
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
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
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
A fine 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 emotions uncharacteristic of his personality. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Robert Crumb, Frank Miller, Will Eisner, Alison Bechdel, Mark Waid, Joe R. Lansdale, Chris Ware, Andrew Vachss, Art Spiegelman, Chuck Dixon, Chuck Austen, Dan Jurgens, Daniel Clowes, Josh Neufeld, Steve Lieber, Don Mcgregor, Vernon Grant, Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez, Jay Lynch, Phil Jimenez, Tony Millionaire, Mark Ellis, Timothy Truman, Jay Faerber, Gary Reed, Mat Johnson, Nate Powell, Dan Wickline, Steve Ellis, Christian Beranek, Terry Moore, Gilbert Hernandez, Alex Robinson, K. Thor Jensen, Charles Burns, Nick Bertozzi, Kai Starr, Karl Stevens, Abby Denson, Leslie Waller, Paul Chadwick, Marisa Acocella Marchetto, Paul Hornschemeier, Andy Runton, Blake Chen, Jerry Moriarty. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 271. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book creator and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300. He recently directed the film version of The Spirit, shared directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City and produced the film 300. Miller was born in Olney, Maryland, and raised in Montpelier, Vermont, the fifth of seven children of a nurse mother and a carpenter/electrician father. His family was Irish Catholic. Miller moved to New York City in 1976, when he was 19, to find work as a comic book artist. Living in New York City's Hell's Kitchen influenced Miller's material in the 1980s. Miller lived in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s which influenced Sin City. Miller moved back to Hell's Kitchen by 2001 and was creating Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again as the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. In 2005 Miller divorced Lynn Varley, the award-winning colorist who had collabo...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=73252 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fun book to Read
If you like R. Crumb you will enjoy this. If you own lots of his stuff already you probably have most if not all of the work in this volume. However most people do not have the early Zap comics Yarrowstalks and other early examples of his work and so this is a good way to see some of his early stuff. I was born and grew up in San Francisco and was a teenager during the late 60s early 70s and find his views of the whole hippy, love movement perfect caricatures of the era.

A MIXED BAG
Like all(or most, the ones that I have seen) of 19 Volumes of R. Crumb's complete comics, this Volume is a mixed bag. Some of the strips are for fans of his genre: funny, weird, druggy, sick, twisted. But he also mixes in his work with a greeting card companies (not needed) and jazz salutes (who carez!!)
Don't get me wrong! I love Crumb!!! I own his DVD docu from years ago and a watch it once a month. FOR FANS ONLY should be an astute postscript. CCG

HAW HAW!!
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...
In volume five of the Complete Crumb Comics, the great artist continues to wittily dissect the body of 1960's American society. Broad parody ('NeatoKeeno Time', 'Hamburger Hi-jinx') rubs shoulders with barbed socialcommentary ('MOTORCITY Comics' #1, the Fritz the Cat epic, 'Fritz TheNo-Good') and lighthearted sexual fantasies ('SNATCH Comics' #1 & 2,'Dirty Dog'). There's also lots of rarities in this volume (ie: theoriginal front cover for Janis Joplin's 'Cheap Thrills' LP, a previouslyunpublished alternate cover for 'ZAP' #3, a poster for 'The Zap Show' from1968, comix from 'The East Village Other' and 'Chicago Seed', etc...). Forthose unfamiliar with Crumb's work, volume five presents a respectablecross section of the oeuvre of the grand old man of Underground Comix. ... Read more

Product Description
The colorful entertainers who pioneered America's unique country music are, sadly, largely forgotten. These wonderful color portraits and bios evoke a truly simpler time, when Jimmie Rodgers or the original Carter Family enthralled audiences, and when a band could call itself The Happy Hayseeds or Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers or Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters without a hint of irony. This 40-card set will transport you to an innocent toe-tapping era of regional music. There's no Garth Brooks on this down home cardboard stage. Printed on heavy card stock and housed in a cool gift box. Part of a set of three boxed trading cards that also includes Early Jazz Greats and Heroes of the Blues. These are hugely popular with fans of both early country western music and Crumb. These perennial sellers are sure to please they also make great gifts or stocking stuffers for musicians, music lovers and comix collectors alike. All from Denis Kitchen Publishing Co. -- Size 3 x 4 x 1 inches -- Boxed set of 40 cards -- ISBN 0-9710080-5-1 ... Read more

Product Description
A Crumb classic featuring his signature creation,available in hardcover for the first time!This collection features over 120 pages of vintage Crumb comics starring thewhite-bearded, diminutive sage-cum-charlatan, ranging from charming, free-wheeling early ’70s stories to the disturbing, controversial ’90s stories (as seenin the Crumb movie), including the entire 40-page “Mr. Natural and DevilGirl” epic. Crumb’s Mr. Natural is probably the most famous undergroundcharacter of all (topping even Fritz the Cat and the Freak Brothers), recognizable even to “civilians.” Don’t miss this opportunity to snatch up this jam-packed collection of comics from one of the all-time masters! 112 pages of black-and-white comicsAmazon.com Review
Mr. Natural is a 1960s guru, "th' only knower of th'cosmic mysteries alive at this time." Calling him a "mysticmadcap" gives the crass, less-than-compassionate charlatan thebenefit of the doubt. He is not particularly wise or helpful; in fact,he's a lecherous, grumbling old geezer who gives advice such as"When you arise in the morning, you should do last night's dirtydishes . . . then you should sing a simple melody (of your own choice). . . then you should call somebody up (not me) . . . then go to thestore . . . buy some asparagus." True to the collection's nameand R. Crumb's reputation, the stories are sometimes sexually graphic(especially in the scenes with Devil Girl) and a bit on the violentside. Still, there's an innocent, upbeat quality to this comicreflection of America's most notoriously freewheeling decade. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Ejaculated guru wisdom from Mr. Natural
Fred Natural, a former taxi driver in Afghanistan during World War II, Himalayan wanderer, later retreating to Death Valley in 1955 to "start anew," came to "Sham" Francisco as "Mr. Natural" during the 1967 Summer of Love looking for nubile girls, and secondly, to bring the hapless hippies wise koans such as "the whole universe is completely insane." //The Book of Mr. Natural// by the legendary and infamous and now filthy rich (the original cover art for Mr. Natural #1 just sold for over $100,000) R. Crumb is a gorgeous mini-coffee table comic book published by Fantagraphic Books. Crumb says Mr. Natural was born after taking some "fuzzy acid" and that he lived a bizarre hallucination-filled life for weeks as he first doodled the future religious leader. Starting with Mr. Natural's introduction in 1967 and through the sixties and early seventies, and returning in the late eighties (after languishing in a mental institution for many years), Crumb has given our still needy time the archetype of the charlatan guru - the serene but eternally horny philosopher, bearded, in a robe, dispensing wisdom to the clueless Flakey Foont (his chief disciple) in all of us. Yes, there's always a market for enlightenment. This book is for Mr. Natural's legions of cult followers, 60's believers, as well as new and younger readers who can hack the raunchy non-PC wisdom the guru ejaculates.

Reviewed by Phil Semler

R. Crumb's Mr. Natural
This typical Robert Crumb. Featuring his Mr. Natural.It is all inB/W and photo copied from the original slides from the 60s.This is an R rated edition as opposed to some of the shinanigans that Mr. Natural usually gets into, which would surely carry an X rating. I wouldn't say it is OK for young children, but keep it at the adult level.All in , it is a good read, if you like Crumb and I do, but this would be near the bottom of the books that I would buy by Crumb.

Fantastic Independent Bookstore
Thebook I orderedcame promptly and in perfect condition. The bookseller's brochure explained his praiseworthy philosophy and business ethic. This is the kind of store that deserves to have many customers!

What does it all mean Mr. Natural?
Funny stuff from the 60's. It was funnier then but it still brings a laugh and smile just in the art work by Crumb. Great as a collectable or light un thought provoking read to escape reality. Good stuff!

The un-guru
If--perish the thought!--all of R. Crumb's work except his Mr Natural comix were lost to humankind, we'd still have what I take to be his most important legacy.An entire college course could be taught--probably HAS been taught somewhere--with the Mr Natural comix as texts.

Mr Natural is a guru who does exactly what good gurus ought to do:he shakes us up by refusing to act like we think holy people should act.He has a roving eye for the ladies, he cusses, at times he appears heartless or indifferent, and the advice he offers--when he does offer it, which isn't all that often--frequently comes across as whacky.He's so irreverent that it's easy to see him as irrelevant.But nothing could be further from the truth, because Mr Natural is like one of those Taoist sages who, dressed in rags and laughing uproariously, serve as living reminders for the rest of us not to take ourselves, our lifestyles, and our values so seriously.Self-honesty is what Mr Natural wants from us.

As Flakey Foont discovers over and over in the Mr Natural comix, though, self-honesty is hard to come by, because self-deception feels so damn good, especially to us "booshwah" types.We deceive ourselves all the time about our seething sexual desires ("Mr Natural stops Talking," "The Girlfriend," and the marvelous Devil Girl stories).We deceive ourselves about our piety, pretending that what we want to believe is what we should believe ("Mr Natural Goes to a Meeting of the Minds," "Om Sweet Om," and "Sittin' Around the Kitchen Table").We deceive ourselves about work and ambition ("It's a workaday World") and, in one of the best two stories in this volume, we deceive ourselves when we think about God ("Mr Natural Meets 'The Kid'").*In all these stories, sacred cow after sacred cow runs off into the sunset, mooing gaily.

And as if all that's not good enough, R. Crumb gives us the definitive biography of Mr Natural--complete with early and rare photos--in this volume (pp. 42-44).This story alone is worth the price of the entire book.

Truly, a great collection!
_________
* The other best story here is "Mr Natural's 719th Meditation." ... Read more

Product Description
A perennial classic: the complete cartoon work of the underground cartoonist for 1970 and 1971.Back in print after a several-year absence, and with Crumb’s popularity ever-rising, the seventh volume of The Complete Crumb Comics spotlights Crumb’s work from 1970 and 1971, the peak years of Crumb’s hippie stardom which led to “the grip of paralyzing, crippling self-consciousness that for years became increasingly harder to push past,” as Crumb writes in his introduction. Included from this era is the entirety of Crumb’s work from underground classics such as ZAP, The East Village Other, Bijou, Mr. Natural, Uneeda, Esquire, and much more, including strips featuring classic Crumb characters like Fritz the Cat, Flakey Foont, Angelfood McSpade, Bo Bo Bolinski, and Shuman the Human. 16 color, 128 b&w illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Historically Significant Literature Plus Artistically Great (IMO)
Now let's have a review of the BOOK rather than the review of the condition of the wrapper it came in, haha!

The Introduction in The Complete Crumb Vol. 7 was written by the great man himself. R. Crumb has been one of the only reliable and true chroniclers of just what happened in the latter half of the 20th century United States, especially in regards to the mass takeover of the Big Corporations working hand in hand with Big Government and Big Profits and Greed. The introduction written by R. Crumb for this book is talking about the era most specifically of the early '70s from the vantage point of 1991 just before he moved to France. Besides giving a fascinating autobiographical account of his life during that time period he also articulates -- quite eloquently I might add -- the terrible oppression that came down upon these here United States. Here's an excerpt to give you an idea:

"I think alot of people, even former hippies, people who lived on the fringe and held those anti-establishment beliefs, have the impression that the whole Sixties magilla just kinda faded away, pizzled out, died of its own weariness and excessive foolishness. Which is not entirely true. There was organized, systematic, repressive action taken against every aspect of that outburst against 'The System', including alternative print media, by the powers, agencies, institutions of the 'Corporate State'. It is not paranoia, but the facts of history, to say these things. 'They' didn't sit back and passively watch while Abbie Hoffman and Huey Newton strutted and fretted their hour upon the stage. They had their think-tanks staying up nights plotting and scheming new techniques to squash, neutralize, co-opt this threat to everything they held dear. They constructed sophisticated strategies for instilling fear into the general population. You could watch it happening all through the 'Seventies and into the 'Eighties. Fear was a weapon the bastards used very effectively."

Truly, at least such parts of the introduction to this book should be required reading in the history books of tomorrow's schoolchildren. Crumb does not by all accounts think of himself as a great writer, but he really is -- and with an accuracy that stabs directly into the hearts of the matters.

The comics Crumb drew during this period, he said, were during a lot of chaos, weariness, craziness and confusion and he questions whether this is among his best work -- but wisely leaves it for history to judge. My guess is that history will give the comics in this book quite high marks as a matter of fact. They certainly have my vote!

I had to get it. I'm glad I got it. It's Crumb-o-licious!!!

Complete Crumb
I had to buy this for a class I was taking.It was very high quality.High enough when I send it to someone else they managed to say it never got there losing me a lot of money. Let this be a lesson insure your packages!

Sometimes it could be a good one too
Good collection, Crumb is a comic genius with timeless and penetrating illustrations. A must have for true comic minds.

Complete Crumb Comics: "Hot'N'Heavy" (Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 7)
Almost new - barely handled. Three central pages with bent corners.

Crumb is a saint.
And Fantagraphics is saintly as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
For better or worse--it depends who you're talking to--RobertCrumb's comics come barreling out of his acid-drenched id. Basicdesires, racial stereotypes, and blinding rage are all poured intolittle panels. While that form of expression's not as novel (orliberating) as it once was, Crumb is still one of the 20th century'strue American originals, and Carload O' Comics is an excellentoverview of his work.

This funny, grotesque book trots out all the oldfavories--Mr. Natural, the Snoid, Dale Steinberger Jewish Cowgirl, andof course, Crumb himself. Some strips are, um, gynecological, some areself-indulgent, and others are just plain weird. Crumb's a faithfulmirror of his times: he depicts two guys smoking dope while floatingdown the river in a barrel--when else but the 1960s?

Crumb may not be for kids, but he is funny in a way that a lot of hisunderground cronies never were. In this age of market studies andfocus groups, Crumb oozes authenticity; he's an unrepentant nerdypervert, but he's just being honest. Bless him for that, at least. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An outstanding sampling of Crumb's early work.
This is the book that turned me onto the brilliant - albeit ideologically controversial - work of underground cartoonist R. Crumb. This compilation first appeared in the mid-seventies and is loaded with Crumb's unique brand of social criticism. Many of the great Crumb characters are featured here (including Mr. Natural, Flakey Foont, and the delightfully impish Mr. Snoid), making this book an ideal choice for the novice Crumb reader as well as the hard-core Crumb enthusiast.

good collection
this is a great collection of crumb work from his best art period. classics such as 'my first LSD trip','R.Crumb vs the sisterhood','honeybunch kominsky','dale steinberger the jewish cowgirl' and much more are in this book. it contains 4 mr. natural stories including the 'on the bum again' adventure (adults only) and some of his most disgusting and contreversial comics. if you like R. crumb's early work i suggest this is the book for you.

mediocre Crumb - a disappointment
The cover says it's the Creme de la Crumb.
I disagree.

When Crumb is at his best, as in Fritz the Cat,
the Mr. Natural/Flakey Foont tales, or in
_Plunge_Into_The_Depths_Of_Despair_, he's alternately
angry, funny, thought-provoking, and Zen.
If I were emperor of the universe,
his "A Short History of America"
would be given to every kid in school.

This collection misses most of what made Crumb
a sometimes delight, and includes much mediocre
material (pages of tiny panels that don't tell
a story -- of interest to amhphetamine freaks,
I guess).

great stuff
reading this book you're gonna be dipping into some heavy nostalgia. get into the twisted mind and world of robert crumb and you'll probably never forget the disturbing impression it left on you. this is weirdness at it's peak.

Excellent compilation of classic Crumb.
Stuffed with classic drawings. If buying only one book on Crumb, this is it. It provides an overview of some of his best work. If buying a collection of Crumb, this volume is also a good addition.Will not be a disappointment. ... Read more