This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher

The review above says this is not Crumb's best stuff, and not to buy anything from "This Publisher." This makes NO SENSE, because Fantagraphics is publishing THE COMPLETE WORKS of ROBERT CRUMB, in order, from his early years right up to the present. Crumb supervises each release and writes the introductions to each volume. Furthermore, Fantagraphics is one of the best publishers of quality comix in the world.

A high point of this volume is the Death of Fritz the Cat, killed off after the Bakshi movie which Crumb hated. Like all the volumes in this collection, there is good stuff, great stuff, and weak stuff, too. With a title like "The Complete Crumb Comix" what else would you expect??

The review above is sort of akin to someone blasting the Riverside Shakespeare because it includes stuff like Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsman. It's the COMPLETE WORKS, guy! It contains the BEST and the WORST, but everyone will disagree about which is which.

I would argue that Robert Crumb is the greatest livingcartoonist, that Fantagraphics is the best publisher of seriouscartooning, and that The Complete Crumb is the best reprint of Crumb. (I would also argue that anyone who seriously disparages The Complete Crumb is either woefully misinformed, has some kind of hidden agenda, or believes that eating fried dough while listening to his complete collection of The Captain and Tennille albums will inevitably lead him to spiritual enlightenment).

Which is not to say, that The Complete Crumb doesn't pose some problems for the completist collector. The prolific Crumb has published prolifically as well - everything from collections of doodles on restaurant placemats to sketchbook excerpts to Heroes of the Blues trading cards... There are collections of his letters on the market and an R. Crumb checklist, as well as a reprint of the classic anthology, R. Crumb's Head Comix, a coffee table art book, and R. Crumb's Carload o' Comix. What's the complete Crumb? Depends on how you spell anal-retentive.

But you won't go wrong with the Fantagraphics collections. They're well-designed and each contains an excellent introduction. And, Crumb participated fully in this endeavor, by the way. Tune in to the artist who critic Robert Hughes called "America's Hogarth". END

Crumb, as I got to know through the fantastic documentary of his life, is one messed up dude. His book, a collection of his relationship cartoons, is often quite funny and a little sick. It was a bit much to read in one sitting, but his strongest critic is himself and he does have some good insights into human nature. He is an odd dude, but it was worth a read.

Every man that just was the'sensitive intelligent boy' for women and had seen them then in love with the worst morons will recognize the given situations.

This book has about 80 pages of drawings that R. Crumb did at restaurants in France, while sitting around waiting for food. This is interesting to see the great talent that R. has even while being so casual, not really meant for publication; but there is very little insight or social commentary attached to these random works. There is no comic book story telling involved, and very seldom any word balloons, so don't expect the socially conscious and critical Crumb.

Familiar Crumb characters like Devil Girl, Snoid, Aline, and Crumb's daughter all make some cameo appearances, so those are pluses, but most of this book looks to be just Crumb sketching people in the restaurant?

Like any good French restaurant in the USA, you pay alot and get very little, but it is tasty. Unfortunately, American fans are used to getting alot more from a Crumb book compilation at this price. I think that this book is way too expensive for being so Crumb lite, no meaning or revealing of any kind of truths or statements. For a $30 hardcover, I really wanted some beefy Crumb material to digest! This is like a really big, sweet dessert, but nowhere near the main course of quality that I usually enjoy in a Crumb book.

absolutly great for every sketch artist

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

Perhaps best-known for his Janis Joplin Cheap Thrills album cover and the X-rated film adaptation of Fritz the Cat, R. Crumb is the man who in the sixties brought the comics underground to light--a fact which made many with weak stomachs and bad consciences want to close their eyes. But the sublime and grotesque black-and-white drawings insist that you look as Crumb gives play to his sexual fantasies and keen social observations. Crumb draws it as he sees it, lampooning hypocrites of every ilk, from university thinktank eggheads to brutalizing cops to wigged-out counter-culture types with their hippier-than-thou halos and hangups.

In volume five of the Complete Crumb Comics, the great artist continues to wittily dissect the body of 1960's American society. Broad parody ('Neato Keeno Time', 'Hamburger Hi-jinx') rubs shoulders with barbed social commentary ('MOTORCITY Comics' #1, the Fritz the Cat epic, 'Fritz The No-Good') and lighthearted sexual fantasies ('SNATCH Comics' #1 & 2, 'Dirty Dog'). There's also lots of rarities in this volume (ie: the original front cover for Janis Joplin's 'Cheap Thrills' LP, a previously unpublished alternate cover for 'ZAP' #3, a poster for 'The Zap Show' from 1968, comix from 'The East Village Other' and 'Chicago Seed', etc...). For those unfamiliar with Crumb's work, volume five presents a respectable cross section of the oeuvre of the grand old man of Underground Comix.

The best things in this collection were done by Crumb alone.I cannot understand why he chose to illustrate the Pekar stories-they are exceptionally dull .There is little of the unique view of the world that I love from Crumbs own tales Completists will want it but its not value for money..

A unique genius like Crumb is ill suited to collaborative work, the Pekar series is not representative Crumb.

I thought that this book was medioker. It can be better, but for what it was, it was good for the readin' but it's all up to you readers out there! happy crumbin'!

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

It's said that chairman Mao was going to put Mr. Natural on the cover of his little red book along with his quotations but Nixon nixed the deal saying it would reveal too many secrets about America.

Robert Crumb has an uncanny way of telling the absolute truth. Mr. Natural is as natural as we may all be if it were not for the hang-ups that our parents and teachers impose upon us as children. He tells the truth as it really is - and how is that you say? Well one of the most important truths is not to forget whatever it was you were supposed to remember... and if you do... well just make it up!

After all... twas ever thus!

Excellent collection of Mr Natural's adventures thru life - a must have for anyone who used to say cool but will probably go over the head of anyone who says kewl.

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

And Fantagraphics is saintly as well.

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

This series is called the "Complete Crumb" for a reason. It is a collection of his complete works. As a result, some people who enjoy some of his work might not enjoy all of his work, but different strokes for different folks. Only the most diehard fan will find 100% of Crumb's works enjoyable. However, anyone buying this series is most likely already a diehard fan, and more casual readers can try out his regular format books quite cheaply to get a taste of his style or buy a more thematic collection to play it safe. As usual, Fantagraphics has published a collection living up to its extremely high standards of quality with excellent printing and reproduction values that will be treasured by fans of the comic arts.

It's hard to explain, but this is a real worst-of in this series. Owners of the R. Crumb "Coffee Table Art Book" will find almost no new comix here, and everyone else save for the die-hard Crumb addicts will be brutally let down: the cartoon selections are poor and the majority of the book is comprised of illustrations for everything from jazz records -- admittedly quite nice, but -- to useless filler like covers from alternative newspapers. Total reading time: fifteen minutes. Buy this only if you suffer from the mania that compels you to complete a set, or similar.

The continuing underground comix by R. Crumb. Featuring the introduction of the Snoid and his classic "My Troubles With Women".

This is an okay look at what folks have said about Crumb, through the years; but it doesn't really dig up any terribly unique facts.Most other Crumb books already contain lengthy essays from Crumb himself, or close associates and friends of R. Crumb; so this book seems to be rather impersonal, by comparison. There are dozens of different contributors, but most of these pieces are reprints from earlier appearances. Most of these comments were not taken from fresh interviews, intended specifically for this book, which is unfortunate if you consider the resurgence of interest in Crumb, in the last few years. Updating the public record would have been much more interesting now.True Crumb addicts will probably enjoy this book, but feel like they did not really read anything that they haven't come across before.A lightweight compilation, to be sure.-Bryan LeedDayton, Ohio