Robert Crumb

It amazes (and dismays) me that there's no serious secondary work on the art of R. Crumb. He's one of the most important artistic voices to come out of late twentieth-century America. His satiric comix offer social criticism, invite us to rethink sexual and racial taboos, and delight us with their skillful and beautiful artwork. Crumb's influence on a whole generation of artists, literati, musicians, cultural commentators, and ordinary guys like me is undisputed. Yet the scholars insist on ignoring him, and this is bothersome. That's why D.K. Holm's little book is refreshing, even though inadequate. It's relatively up to date, appearing merely five years ago, and ends with a 2002 interview with Crumb (which is also reprinted in Holm's R. Crumb: Conversations, University of Mississippi Press). Moreover, the book provides a decent overview of Crumb's life and career, although curiously the biographical chapters get thinner as the book progresses and Crumb ages; you'd think just the opposite ought to happen. Finally, Holm offers pretty good synopses of some of Crumb's most pivotal work, including (somewhat uncritical) evaluations of it. Along the way, Holm briefly discusses some of the influences on Crumb, a few of the themes in his work, and the phases his work has gone through: from greeting card stuff to the LSD-inspired breakthrough to the years of despair, to the move toward realism to the latest (although only mentioned) "mystic" stage. All this is to the good, and Holm is to be thanked. But it's all too brief, too impressionistic, too sketchy. What we really need is someone (Robert Hughes, perhaps?) either to put together a collection of critical essays on Crumb the artist/thinker/iconoclast, or to write a booklength critical examination of him. But until that time comes, Holm's little book is at least something.

Reading about this notoriously "sexist" and "racist" comic book artist, I was gratified by Holm's unpacking of these controversies in terse prose, while supplying abundant facts in fleshing out Crumb's work and fascinating story. This thin paperback gets a lot covered and defends Crumb's artistic and life choices without suffering from sycophantic dribbling. Bravo!

I can't imagine a better book for becoming acquainted with one of our national treasures. I'd read others of the Pocket Essentials series, and this is one of the best. For those looking for fully-illustrated narratives, they'd best look elsewhere. But bang-for-the-buck'ers (like me) are well served. Especially liked the interview.