Comments on: Robot reviews: Crumb’s Book of Genesis

By: James Weaver

James Weaver — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:47:49 +0000

My being a 67- y.o. artist/musician/writer, who still has a small stash of R. Crumb comics, as well as his Kafka book, after reading 80% of The Book Of Genesis, I’m still amazed at R. Crumb’s unique style of draftsmanship, as well as his original and , at one time, very relevant urban humor. However, for the life of me, I can’t understand what, except for money, was the incentive for him to spend five years, creating an entire sea of drawings on a book project that reads as flat as a gift shopping list.
Like yourselves, I’ve seen his drawings of bottles of mustard and ketchup,with more “personality” than all but 4-5 drawings that make up this book! Something is definitely…missing, which gets back to my question- realizing the agreed upon restrictions associated with producing this project, what was the point, and worse yet, what was actually achieved?

By: Genesis

Genesis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:37:08 +0000

I'd say some of us appreciate Crumb as a trend setter and yes, he did break through the wall of censorship that went up after the Congressional comic book hearings in the ’50s. I had a sneak peak of the book of genesis illustrated here and wanted to compare more independent opinions. For some of us it’s nostalgia—I was a horny, teen-age hippie when I first discovered undergrounds back in the ’60s. That being said, if you study his body of work you start to understand the point of view he brings to even the simplest illustration. Crumb is a self-aware, sexually immature, cynic who has few heroes (blues musicians, etc.). Sure, there are better illustrators but none that would deliver the Bible from his POV. I think of Crumb as the cartoonist’s Ivan Albright. He could draw/paint the loveliest subject and still make you wonder if there wasn’t something rotten just out of view.

By: Michael Thomsen

Michael Thomsen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:58:21 +0000

I’d say that Crumb’s music taste is the key to understanding his approach here… the traditional folk music he likes is to a large degree about doing versions of age old works in a traditional way. The differences between various versions of folk songs is bound to be fairly subtle, mostly based on small personal differences in phrasing betweem the artists. It’s an artistic opproach fairly different from the taboo breaking radical 20th century approach that Crumb embraced earlier in his career – but I DO think it’s a valid way of making art. You just have to get away from the 20th century ‘avantgarde’ way of thining. Not everything has to be ‘new’ or ‘radical’ all the time.

By: Chris Mautner

Chris Mautner — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:26:12 +0000

Terry — If we’re getting technical, it’s depicted as coitus interruptus.

By: T. LaBan

T. LaBan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:19:42 +0000

I haven’t read Crumb’s version, but it’s worth noting that despite centuries of insistence otherwise(and a well-known expression based on that insistence), an attentive reading of the text will suggest that Onan did not masturbate but rather practiced coitus interruptus. If Crumb in fact showed him choking the chicken, it’s another example of what I felt when I read the excerpt of the book printed in the New Yorker–that Crumb’s version wasn’t just traditional, it was needlessly so.

By: Robert Stanley Martin

Robert Stanley Martin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:33:50 +0000

Chris–

Knowing WW Norton, I think the reason Crumb stayed within the confines of R-rated imagery is that the publishing contract mandated it. Once you get out of the Garden of Eden section, you don’t even see a penis.

You and I are in agreement about the book in some respects, and in disagreement about others. If you’re curious, here’s the URL for my review of the book:

http://polculture.blogspot.com/2009/10/comics-review-r-crumb-book-of-genesis.html

The main thing I think you and I disagree on is the need for the book. If Crumb wasn’t going to provide any significant interpretive dimension to his treatment, I can’t understand why he bothered. If people want to read the Book of Genesis, they’ll read the translated scriptures. People who pick this thing up are looking for Crumb.

By: Chris Mautner

Chris Mautner — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:47:28 +0000

Hmm. Good question. I haven’t looked at the Kalfka book in awhile, but based on recollection I’d say Genesis is even more controlled and reined in.

I should really dig out my copy and compare the two.

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:23:29 +0000

How would you compare it to his work on Kafka? That’s the kind of approach I expected him to take for this adaptation.