Customer Reviews

The Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 8: The Death of Fritz the Cat

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

I would argue that Robert Crumb is the greatest living cartoonist, that Fantagraphics is the best publisher of serious cartooning, 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".

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.

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.