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NEED MORE LOVE
A Graphic Memoir
Aline Kominsky Crumb
MQP 364 pages
Aline Crumb, the better half of
(in)famously freaky cartoonist R. Crumb,
has come up with a genuinely enjoyable
memoir of her wild and varied life.
From an attention seeking child in a
dysfunctional Long Island 50s family,
through her tortured school years to her
emergence as a counter-culture warrior,
and of the first women graphic
cartoonists, there is much here that
even a slightly rebellious Baby Boomer
can relate to.
The cartoon panel at left depicts her
attempt to whisk Beatle George
Harrison of his feet-literally-as he arrives
at JFK airport in 1965, and then being
dragged away by the police.
The book goes into great detail of how
Crumb struggled with male relationships
throughout her teen to mid life period,
and wonders if "free sex" was really so
"free" after all.
She gets married to her boyfriend of the
time, Carl Kominsky, and moves to San
Francisco, but then meets R. Crumb,
whose work she adores.
Soon, Carl is history, and R. Crumb and
Aline marry and have a daughter, and
eventually move to France. (Of course.)
The book is lavishly illustrated with quite
stunning colour reproductions of some
of A. Crumb's original art work, family
photos, as well as many cartoon panels
from Crumb's work as a ground breaking
cartoonist for "Wimmen's" and "Twisted
Sister," underground comics.
Finally, there is an excellent interview
conducted by Crumb's book publisher,
Zaro Weil, with Aline, explaining
Crumb's philosophy, which she
interestingly calls, "Kominsky's Code."
Crumb, pictured at left at age 58, used
to have weight issues and always
illustrated herself as rather grotesque
and tubby in her cartoons.
Obviously, that's no longer an issue, or
the reality.
A Graphic Memoir
Aline Kominsky Crumb
MQP 364 pages
Aline Crumb, the better half of
(in)famously freaky cartoonist R. Crumb,
has come up with a genuinely enjoyable
memoir of her wild and varied life.
From an attention seeking child in a
dysfunctional Long Island 50s family,
through her tortured school years to her
emergence as a counter-culture warrior,
and of the first women graphic
cartoonists, there is much here that
even a slightly rebellious Baby Boomer
can relate to.
The cartoon panel at left depicts her
attempt to whisk Beatle George
Harrison of his feet-literally-as he arrives
at JFK airport in 1965, and then being
dragged away by the police.
The book goes into great detail of how
Crumb struggled with male relationships
throughout her teen to mid life period,
and wonders if "free sex" was really so
"free" after all.
She gets married to her boyfriend of the
time, Carl Kominsky, and moves to San
Francisco, but then meets R. Crumb,
whose work she adores.
Soon, Carl is history, and R. Crumb and
Aline marry and have a daughter, and
eventually move to France. (Of course.)
The book is lavishly illustrated with quite
stunning colour reproductions of some
of A. Crumb's original art work, family
photos, as well as many cartoon panels
from Crumb's work as a ground breaking
cartoonist for "Wimmen's" and "Twisted
Sister," underground comics.
Finally, there is an excellent interview
conducted by Crumb's book publisher,
Zaro Weil, with Aline, explaining
Crumb's philosophy, which she
interestingly calls, "Kominsky's Code."
Crumb, pictured at left at age 58, used
to have weight issues and always
illustrated herself as rather grotesque
and tubby in her cartoons.
Obviously, that's no longer an issue, or
the reality.
