The R. Crumb Handbook
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 withThe 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 likeFritz the CatandMr. 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, theHandbookhelps provide a window into the man himself.In fact the more you readThe R. Crumb Handbookthe 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 lateWill Eisnermade 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 Handbookis 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 KearneyListen to an exclusive track from R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit SerenadersRead an interview with R. CrumbExclusive Images from theR.Crumb HandbookSpoiler Alert: View at Your Own Risk!Build Your R. Crumb LibraryThe Complete Crumb Comics Vol. 19Complete Crumb ComicsYour Vigor for Life Appalls Me: Robert Crumb Letters 1958-1977The Life and Death of Fritz the CatThe R. Crumb Sketchbook Vol. 8: Early 1971 to Mid 1972R. Crumb's KafkaCrumb in Other UniversesCrumb(DVD)The Confessions of Robert Crumb(DVD)The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book