Customer Reviews

The Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 9: R. Crumb versus the Sisterhood

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

 

 

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.

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.