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Library Journal
Crumb's work essentially defined the "underground comix" of the 1960s and 1970s, loaded with sex, drugs, and over-the-top tragicomedy. As his hilariously cynical introduction makes clear, this collection invites those deterred by his visually and politically outrageous portfolio to appreciate a master draftsman's skill. Rather than a graphic narrative, it's an art book centering on portraits, landscapes, interiors, cameos from the past, and several tasteful nudes. Crumb's far-from-simple line art imparts a visceral reality to his subjects. Drawings of his French neighborhood seem more hauntingly real than a photograph. Portraits of musicians and entertainers of various ethnicities let you smell the cheap perfume, musty upholstery, and hard-earned sweat of a footlights life. And while Crumb's infamous raunch is toned down, his trademark women—voluptuously sturdy, powerfully statuesque—all but take over the collection; a grinning 1920s flapper dances closely with a Crumb look-alike; wife Aileen poses with sardonic comments in designer dresses; young women spring to life from trains and streets. A few brief narrative cartoons of home life with daughter Sophie lend the sweetest touch. Yet the closing, heartbreaking image shows two starving Sudanese children. Not sweet. Recommended for art and how-to-draw collections.—Martha Cornog
Overview
The "nasty, negative, misanthropic" comic genius proves he has a sweet side.
Cute little kittens, angels, and babies? Flowers, ice cream cones, and German boy bands? Coming from, supposedly, the creepiest and most pessimistic artist of his generation? Yes indeed, there is a "sweeter side" to R. Crumb. These delectable illustrations—whether depicting Bernie the Cat pawing for his master's affection, the timeworn beauty of a French village cul-de-sac, or a quiet night chez ...