Average customer rating:
- Great artwork, great CD, and the roots of American Music.
- Crumb's Heroes
- Trading cards for the music aficianado
- Pictures plus music equals happiness
- this book is a must for any R.Crumb fan!
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R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, & Country
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The R. Crumb Handbook
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The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
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The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb
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Little Blues Book
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R. Crumb Draws the Blues
ASIN: 0810930862 |
Book Description
Anyone who knows R. Crumb's work as an illustrator knows of his passion for music. And all those who collect his work prize the Heroes of the Blues, Early Jazz Greats, and Pioneers of Country Music trading card sets he created in the early to- mid-1980s. Now they are packaged together for the first time in book form, along with an exclusive 21-track CD of music selected and compiled by Crumb himself (featuring original recordings by Charley Patton, “Dock” Boggs, “Jelly Roll” Morton, and others). A bio of each musician is provided, along with a full-color original illustration by the cartoonist. A characteristically idiosyncratic tribute by an underground icon to the musical innovators who helped inspire him, R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country is a must-have collection for Crumb aficionados, comics fans, and music lovers alike.
Customer Reviews:
Great artwork, great CD, and the roots of American Music. .......2007-03-21
A great book and a great CD at the price of one or the other. Book contains the comprehensive full-color artwork from Robert Crumb's three in and out of print collectors' card series: Jazz, Blues and Country featuring a few of the well-known artists and a lot of obscurities from the 20's and 30's. A great gift or a must have item for any fan of American Roots Music of the 20's and 30's.
Crumb's Heroes.......2007-03-19
Most Blues afficionado's will recognize the source of a lot of these illustrations but Crumbs personal take on the subjects brings new light and colour to some much loved portraits.The text is very light and could have been expanded, hence 4 stars . Buy Now
Trading cards for the music aficianado.......2007-03-07
It is worth it for the CD alone, but you get this glorious book as well, packed with wonderful color illustrations that Robert Crumb first put forward as trading cards of classic Blues, Jazz and Country musicians with the hope of stimulating interest in these musical legends. The cards were eventually packaged in sets, and sold through Shanachie Records. The number of cards increased over the years, to the point that a compilation like this had to come along at one point. The book has been lovingly packaged with an introduction by Terry Zwigoff, that is destined to become a collector's item, like so much of Crumb's work. The CD was selected and compiled by R. Crumb himself, drawn from his extensive collection of music. Unfortunately it is loosely attached to the inside of the backcover, with the contents listed on the end page. A more permanent slipcase would have been nice, but then one can hardly complain to finally have Crumb's glorious tribute contained in a handsome little volume.
Pictures plus music equals happiness.......2007-02-21
This is an excellent deal. The recordings are certainly esoteric, but I must be in the correct demographic (or something.) I like just about all of the music. I'm a kind of old-time music dilettante, so it's a great way for someone like me to check out some more obscure stuff.
As for the book... hard cover, heavy paper and just the right size to carry around (if so desired.)
Of course the main selling point of this book is the drawings. They are uniformly excellent. Someone with an obsessive personality may wish to collect the actual trading cards which are reproduced in this book, but this is a far more economical and practical means of collecting these drawings.
There is mention of Crumb's decision to use a different coloring technique for the jazz trading card set in the book's introduction. This means that some of Crumb's trademark cross-hatch shading is obscured by the overlay of color. Rather than being a detriment to the jazz drawings, it actually helps to give them a distinct character.
Anyway, buy this book. It's worth double the price.
this book is a must for any R.Crumb fan!.......2007-01-31
This book reprints all of the collector's cards series that were published close to 30 years ago by Nick Perls (Yazoo Records) as three different sets of cards(Heroes of the Blues, Early Jazz Greats, and Pioneers of Country Music). Originally, each set was priced at around $16, and they went out of print and disappeared much too quickly.
Now you can have them all in one book, with all the biographical sketches of the artists on each facing page, plus a great little CD of music by some of the artists - 21 songs are included on this CD.
This book is a must for Crumb fans, as well as for fans of the early forms of American music.
Amazon.com
Fans of underground comics god R. Crumb know that he started his career in greeting cards, but few have seen examples of his earliest work. Forty years of his commercial and otherwise unpublished output is collected in Odds & Ends, a lovely companion piece to his better-known work in Zap Comics, Weirdo, and the rest. Including advertisements and announcements done for friends and family, magazine illustrations, and some surprisingly sensitive portraits, the book is essential for those who want to see how the man's work evolved in private, parallel to his published work. Odds & Ends shows Crumb at his silly, geeky best. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A never-before-compiled collection from the most influential underground artist of our time.
Robert Crumb is a cartoonist with an instantly recognizable style who emerged in the 1960s with strips in the underground press. He founded Zap Comix in 1968 and created Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl, Mr. Natural, Keep on Truckin' and hundreds of other characters that instantly struck a nerve with people everywhere.
Odds & Ends is a unique book of Robert Crumb's previously unpublished, autobiographical, favorite, and most successful strips. It also contains photographs, portraits, and text by the man himself.
With a jacket designed by the artist, Odds & Ends is beautifully produced and filled with color artwork-a great introduction to one of our most important cartoonists, as well as an invaluable addition to any fan's library.
Customer Reviews:
What a neat book!.......2002-11-14
Don't let the fact that it's a remaindered book keep you away! This is a wonderful hardcover collection (no jacket) of Crumb extras: doodles, sketches, advertisements, and comics. The majority are in black and white, but there is some color. Great drawings of Robert Johnson, the Cheap Suit Serenaders, and Tina Lockwood (wooo!), as well as sketches of various women. A few of his trademark characters are also here, including Devil Girl and the Vulture Women. Some photos are included, as well. It's an absolute bargain!
Another great collection of Crumb's work.......2001-07-20
A must for R. Crumb aficionados, this beautifully designed hardcover collects many of the illustrations done for projects as varied as novels, greeting cards, scripts, and birth announcements, as well as unpublished work. Great stuff! R. Crumb is the master of pen and ink.
Amazon.com
Mr. Natural is a 1960s guru, "th' only knower of th' cosmic mysteries alive at this time." Calling him a "mystic madcap" gives the crass, less-than-compassionate charlatan the benefit 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 dirty dishes . . . then you should sing a simple melody (of your own choice) . . . then you should call somebody up (not me) . . . then go to the store . . . buy some asparagus." True to the collection's name and R. Crumb's reputation, the stories are sometimes sexually graphic (especially in the scenes with Devil Girl) and a bit on the violent side. Still, there's an innocent, upbeat quality to this comic reflection of America's most notoriously freewheeling decade.
Customer Reviews:
not crumb's best.......2007-06-01
While I laughed through occasional readings of Mr. Natural in the 60/70s, he was never amoung the Crumb work that I most admired. Indeed, I got little of what he was supposed to be a comment upon, in my reading how the 60s spwaned its own brand of charlatan, old wine in new bottles. Now that I sat down and read through the stoiries in this one, I found it rather callow. Mr. Natural is funny, but the story line is stretched a little too far beyond what it has to offer. Afterall, Crumb had to make a living sellling comics, so his output is not uniformly good. Mr. Natural basically rips people off - using his acolytes for money and other things - and plays the game of the wise guru to Flakey Foont's naivete.
Don't get me wrong, he is one of America's greatest artists and social critics. In my opinion, his best work is elsewhere.
Mr. Natural Is a Hoot!.......2006-09-15
Man, this takes me back to the Sixties. It is great to have something that makes me laugh out loud every time I open and read it. Being a Crumb creation, this book is not "PC"--and thank goodness! Instead, it is a cartoon fantasy that portrays human beings in all their amusing and maddening reality. A spiritual icon (Mr. Natural) who likes to raid his devotee's refrigerator, get it on with bodacious girls, and who gives cosmic advice at cut rates, is a man for our times.
Mr. Natural - Horny Guru or Chairman Mao.......1998-07-20
It's said that chairman Mao was going to put Mr. Natural on the cover of his little red book along with his quotations but Nixon nixed the deal saying it would reveal too many secrets about America.
Robert Crumb has an uncanny way of telling the absolute truth. Mr. Natural is as natural as we may all be if it were not for the hang-ups that our parents and teachers impose upon us as children. He tells the truth as it really is - and how is that you say? Well one of the most important truths is not to forget whatever it was you were supposed to remember... and if you do... well just make it up!
After all... twas ever thus!
Excellent collection of Mr Natural's adventures thru life - a must have for anyone who used to say cool but will probably go over the head of anyone who says kewl.
Average customer rating:
- Ultimate Crumb
- I wish I bought this a long time ago
- Good to the last Crumb
- If you're an idiot, don't buy this book!!!
- The Amazing Id Of Robert Crumb
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The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book
R. Crumb
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The R. Crumb Handbook
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The Complete Crumb Comics : Happy Hippy Comix (volume 5) (Complete Crumb)
ASIN: 0316163066 |
Amazon.com
Robert Crumb, world-famous illustrator and definite pervert, got his start in the underground comics scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is a collection of his best work from the last 50 years (it's got kids stuff, too, which is pretty fascinating). The volume is a welcome reminder that, screwed up as Crumb may be, he's also a tremendously talented, utterly original artist. He artistically embodies a certain segment of the '60s, and as that fades even further into history, Crumb's material becomes more important. Is The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book funny? Yes, certainly, in a coarse, Rabelaisian way; you'll either find it a hoot, or horribly racist and sexist. And it's not for the kiddies, obviously. But R. Crumb is so well known by now, that you probably know which group you fall into, the lovers or the haters. The lovers will find this book a wonderful treat.
Customer Reviews:
Ultimate Crumb.......2007-09-12
This book is the ultimate Crumb. You won't be disappointed if you love his work.
I wish I bought this a long time ago.......2006-08-23
I had always avoided this book because the title lead me to believe it was just an art book that didn't have any of Crumb's comics in it. Then I finally realized it's a huge book mostly made up of Crumb's comics with some first rate sketchbook drawings and even sketchbook comics, some of which are just as entertaining as his published comics. In addition to this, it's split up into chapters and each chapter features an introduction by Crumb where he pretty much narrates his own life. They did a really good job selecting which comics to put in here. They steered clear of printing a lot of Crumb's earliest (pre-68) stuff and printed a lot of his later work (late 70s-mid 90s),which are not only Crumb's best comics, but some of the best comics ever made, IMO. And thankfully, they hardly printed any of his Fritz the Cat stuff, which might be some of his most well known work, but deifinitely his weakest. I should also mention that a lot of the comics have been colored for this book. I thought that the coloring would look really bad, but I think it actually looks really good and adds to the comics.
Anyway, if you're like me and you like Crumb, but you're not really sure which one of his books to pick up, get this one.
Good to the last Crumb.......2005-07-06
The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book enjoys exclusive honors on my coffee table; except when my Pastor comes to call, or other easily offended folk. Thumbing through this is as close to time travel as I will ever come. It took me back years ago when I enjoyed Zap and other underground comics. My hardbound edition is truly a first class quality volumn. Which is good because friends who never enjoyed Crumb's hilarious cartoons before; can't put it down.
Eric von Rhein
Peoria, Illinois
If you're an idiot, don't buy this book!!!.......2003-11-05
Don't blame R. Crumb for ruining your pitiful childhood. If you must watch Clint Eastwood movies to prove to your friends that you're a "real man" then, I think you need some help.
You're supposed to laugh at Crumb and at Crumb's work and Crumb knows it! Don't "real men" (read idiots) like to laugh at other people? Not all humor is apreciated by everyone, especially if you're and nit-wit and don't get it.
Crumb is a premier artist who's drawings are the best in the genre. His stories are fables to learn from - or laugh at depending on you're perception and experience.
Most people who buy Crumb's books already know what they're getting into. If you're a first time Crumb buyer, go to a comic book store and check out what you're getting into before you buy.
Anyone who buys online either enjoys taking chances or has researched the product before they buy.... or you may just be an idiot!!!
A great book for any Crumb fan!!!
The Amazing Id Of Robert Crumb.......2002-09-13
There's an illustration on the back cover of The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book that perfectly encapsulates the artist's work - it depicts the top of Robert's head exploding, with several of his creations, famous, infamous, and otherwise, leaping out.
That, to me, sums up Crumb's work - this incredibly inventive artist with, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, a head full of ideas that are drivin' him insane.
There are frequent complaints about Crumb's work being too dark, racist, sexist, and/or misogynistic. While I can see where these criticisms come from, I really don't think Crumb is any darker, more racist, sexist, or misogynistic than any of us - he simply is unafraid to - COMPELLED to, almost - lay his cards on the table. Some people find this offensive. Would it be absurd of me to suggest that some of those who are offended by his work have their own issues with sexism, racism, and/or misogyny that they are unwilling to confront?
What I'm trying to get at here, I guess, is that this IS NOT a book for little kids. There's a sticker on the front of my copy of the book that says "FOR ADULT INTELLECTUALS ONLY!", and while I'm not so sure about the "intellectuals" part, this is probably not a book you want your grade-school age child to get ahold of, unless you're okay with said child seeing depictions of graphic (and I do mean GRAPHIC) sex, hard-core drug use, and extreme (albiet cartoonish) violence.
I realize all I've spent all this space talking about Crumb without ever really discussing what I like about his work. I think there's two main things: (1) his unflinching honesty (as I touched upon earlier), and (2) the incredible beauty of his draftsmanship. I think my favotite chapter in the whole book is the one that features his pen-and-ink still-lifes and landscapes. Just beautiful stuff - worth studying for his use of cross-hatching alone.
In conclusion, if you're at all interested in checking out the work of one of the finest artists to ever work in the comics medium, I highly recommend you get this book. It's easily worth the 25 bucks.
Oh, yeah - and it DOES make a wonderful coffee table book. :)
Amazon.com
From the mountains of Southern France where he currently lives and works, pop artist R. Crumb makes a grand entrance back to the publishing world with The R. Crumb Handbook. Part biography, part comic book, and part media critique, the latest Crumb book is a feast indeed. In addition to numerous reprints of Crumb comic hits like Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural, the book also features new works by Crumb, including a hilarious dialogue between the artist and his wife. (Both Crumb's wife and daughter are comic book artists.) Fans already familiar with Crumb's comic book work will rejoice at the glossy reprints of Crumb oil paintings and sculptures, complete with gallery-owner narratives about working with the artist. There are also record covers reprints that Crumb has drawn over the years, as well as a CD of songs by the artist's traditional band, R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders. But more important, the Handbook helps provide a window into the man himself.
In fact the more you read The R. Crumb Handbook the more you start to understand Crumb is really a political cartoonist, challenging stereotypes, cultural norms, and the media. U.S. media in particular has had a powerful and profound impact on Crumb. Readers will learn what TV shows and books inspired Crumb, the state of comics in the 1960s versus today, the media's effect on day-to-day life, and what other comics served as models for Crumb in his own work. Artists like Jack Davis, John Stanley, Carl Barks, and the late Will Eisner made powerful impressions on Crumb about what comics could achieve. Crumb offers up some interesting insight into comics during the Great Depression (e.g., Dick Tracy and Superman) and explains how many of these comics mirrored the era and encouraged readers to "fight on" even during tough times. The R. Crumb Handbook is a solid piece of work, not only giving us a glimpse into the artist, but serving as a great read for old and new fans alike. --Pat Kearney
Listen to an exclusive track from R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders
Read an interview with R. Crumb
Exclusive Images from the R.Crumb Handbook
Spoiler Alert: View at Your Own Risk!
Build Your R. Crumb Library
The Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 19 |
Complete Crumb Comics |
Your Vigor for Life Appalls Me: Robert Crumb Letters 1958-1977 |
The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat |
The R. Crumb Sketchbook Vol. 8: Early 1971 to Mid 1972 |
R. Crumb's Kafka |
Crumb in Other Universes
Crumb (DVD) |
The Confessions of Robert Crumb (DVD) |
The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book |
Book Description
This collection of original cartoons and never-before-published work takes readers on a unique journey through the life and times of one of the 20th century's most notorious and influential counter-culture artists.
Customer Reviews:
Rivetting autobiography.......2007-03-26
A fascinating man talks about his life. Plus lots of artwork, relevant cultural referents, photos -- you name it.
Buy it for the CD!.......2007-02-14
Includes a great CD Sampler with some hard to find Cheap Suit Serenaders songs, along with some of R. Crumb's other bands. Worth the price for the disc alone, and you get a great book as a companion!
ENDLESSLY HYSTERICAL (even if a little uncomfortably sick sometimes).......2006-12-04
I'm not vouching for the viewpoints taken or the commentaries on our bizarre human condition and culture necessarily, but this thick book (with a great cd of original and funny music) with its outrageous take on everything sacred is an inspiring dig into an artist's convoluted (but somehow eerily solid) psyche. I first saw many of these strips and characters in underground comics, tabs, independent newspapers, etc. back when I was a teen in the 70's and always was amazed at the hard-hitting art and dialogue. IT IS A TRIP! Sometimes, when the right frame of mind is brought around, this book will have you laughing more than you can barely stand. Just flow with it and forget your rigid alter-ego at the coat check. This is theater for the insane (with strong metaphorical realism). TAKE IT FOR FOR WHAT IT IS! A WINDOW INTO THE MIND OF A TRUE ARTIST. Makes a great gift for the moral majority members of your local PTA.
The CRUMB-ling world around us...........2006-08-11
Before I got this a few weeks ago, I didn't think much of Crumb in comparison to the other 60's underground cartoonists that I read of in a book called "rebel visions". But that tome contained skimpy explainations on the featured artists, and really only contained Crumb's more "commercial" (crappy) work. But this handbook, with extensive artwork, photos, and narration by Crumb himself is a different, and oddly uplifting critique of the media illusion, personal failure and triumphs, family values, and of being left handed-I know, I'm one of em'-yes, were all perverts, yes, were all useless people with a knack for genius, and yes, were all attracted to music, concepts, and culture that few people can possibly comprehend or appreciate. Read it for all the gory details! The CD is okay. The cartoons are hilarious.
I guess there's a fan club for everyone........2006-07-02
This artwork is nothing more than cartooning, and he's not even that good at it. If you want to see great illustration, I recommend Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Joe Orlando, John Busema or Mike Esposito.
This book includes a CD where Crumb pretends to be a musician.
It doesn't reflect well on our culture when there exists people who believe this stuff is art. For example, the cartoon about the "Snoid" is quite revolting. Although, "snoid" is an apt description of anyone who has positive things to say about Crumb. For, plummeting those regions is tantamount to discovering the population that is enamored of Crumb and his socalled culture.
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
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.
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.
Book 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.
Customer Reviews:
Good ...but not essential........2006-12-30
Buying this, and rating it, depends on your level of dedication to all things Crumb -- bear in mind, that at least half of the book is taken up by glossy art work, comic covers, private sketches, and a peppering of his wife's artwork.
To some this will be a plus -- to me , it is a minus point. Much as I love Crumb's cover art/sketches, I buy his work to read his misanthropic,hateful, resentful, self mocking, self deprecating STORIES, and not to browse at his coffee table art.
This is not to denigrate his artwork -- I am simply saying that the buyer has their priorities.
Having said that there are some startling stories included here -- "Memories" the first tale in the book is written around the theme of his own self loathing and uncontrollable, self mocking, hateful lust.It's classic Crumb, and a tale of his seeking out dysfucntional women to "seduce". Though that may be the wrong word when we observe Crumb's inadequate fumblings.
"I am Grateful" is a tale of all the things Crumb is grateful for in life, and , Harvey Pekar style, investigates his love of rare rare vinyl, his love of everyday pleasures such as reading a good book, and seeking out girls, usually unsucessfully.
"Cave Wimp" is the peak of the book -- it's set in the stone age, with a lead character clearly representing Crumb.
The lead character is an alienated intellectual, a weak pathetic, sexually obssessed, awkward figure, who is rejected by the rest of the tribe.
So, it has it's excellent , outstanding moments -- but for those of you not particularly interested in his ( albeit beautiful ) artwork -- it may be wise to check out other books first.
If you are a Crumb completist, well you sure won't have a thing to complain about here.
Memories are made of this!.......2005-10-09
This volume of The Complete Crumb reprints comics from 1988 to 1992. Highlights include the great "Cave Wimp" and the last "Mode O'Day" story. Really good stuff here, fans of Crumb should get this book.
Better and BETTER!!!.......2005-10-04
Every volume of this series is a treasure. I missed out on Weirdo when it first came out, so to have those stories together in a few volumes is fantastic.
Crumb's writing and artwork are phenominal in this volume. "Cave Wimp" and (sadly) the last published "Mode O'Day" story are great.
The real treat in this book is the parody of Omaha, the Cat Dancer. Entitled "Wichita, The Rat Dancer", Crumb gives a dead-on portrayal of the artwork and rambling, beyond-trivial dialog. Absolutely HILLARIOUS!!
Can't wait for the next volume. Will they have the guts to have the cover portraying one of Crumb's best stories, "When the N****** Take Over America"? We shall see...
Books:
- Redoute's Finest Flowers in Embroidery
- Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 8 in 24 Hours (Sams Teach Yourself)
- Scrapbook Lettering:50 Fun to draw alphabets from the nation's most creative scrapbook lettering artists.
- SIGN with your BABY Complete Learning Kit: US DVD Version, Book, Training Video (DVD), Quick Reference Guide
- Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins
- Starting Your Career as a Freelance Illustrator or Graphic Designer
- Still Life: A History
- The Bible of Illuminated Letters: A Treasury of Decorative Calligraphy (Quarto Book)
- The Big Book of New Design Ideas (Big Book (Collins Design))
- The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College Dublin
Books Index
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