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The Book Of Genesis Illustrated By Robert Crumb

james bond

Well-Known Member
I became interested in this book because George Lucas of Star Wars fame bought the original art. It will become part of his new, yet to be built, billion-dollar, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Be forewarned that Robert Crumb isn't a Christian, but an atheist so his depiction of Genesis may be life-like, but not one of sacredness. He is a good illustrator in my opinion based on his comic book and graphic novel art. It's interesting that he plays this one straight or else I would not have bought it. However, his text descriptions disavows the story so be forewarned.

A sample of this work is here:

61ME3143M7L.jpg


61FPLJCegcL.jpg


(click on the Look Inside)
The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb: R. Crumb: 9780393061024: Amazon.com: Books
 
Last edited:

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Interesting. I'm not sure that I'd buy it, but I do appreciate the translation of the first few verses of Genesis.
 

viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
I became interested in this book because George Lucas of Star Wars fame bought the original art. It will become part of his new, yet to be built, billion-dollar, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Be forewarned that Robert Crumb isn't a Christian, but an atheist so his depiction of Genesis may be life-like, but not one of sacredness. He is a good illustrator in my opinion based on his comic book and graphic novel art. It's interesting that he plays this one straight or else I would not have bought it. However, his text descriptions disavows the story so be forewarned.

A sample of this work is here:

61ME3143M7L.jpg


61FPLJCegcL.jpg


(click on the Look Inside)
The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb: R. Crumb: 9780393061024: Amazon.com: Books

I like that.

Especially the parental guidance warning.

By the way. Are there no shaving razors in Heaven?

Ciao

- viole
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
It wasn't mine, but I remember seeing this in the original. This was probably back in the 70's.
I recall being struck by how essentially accurate and respectful it was, coming from Crumb. That wasn't his forte. But I liked it.
Tom
 

james bond

Well-Known Member
It wasn't mine, but I remember seeing this in the original. This was probably back in the 70's.
I recall being struck by how essentially accurate and respectful it was, coming from Crumb. That wasn't his forte. But I liked it.
Tom

Was it published in the 70s? In comic book form? I got the 1st edition of the hardcover published in 2009.
 

viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
Not heaven, but the Middle East. It appears that facial and body hair is still popular there.

Well, Adam looks shaved.

God less so. But I expect He shaves, too. Otherwise His beard would be several parsecs long.

Ciao

- viole
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Was it published in the 70s? In comic book form? I got the 1st edition of the hardcover published in 2009.
I wouldn't swear to anything. It was all a long time ago.
It seems to me that it was softcover, and the possession of a frat brother. There was a lot of that stuff going around in the ancient of days(pre internet)
Tom
 

james bond

Well-Known Member
Here's the text of an interview of Robert Crumb discussing the book on NPR radio -- 'Genesis': R. Crumb Illustrates The Bible .

Snippet:
"NEAL CONAN, host:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington.

R. Crumb may still be best known as one of the fathers of underground comics like "Zap" and "Despair," for characters like Mr. Natural, Devil Girl and Fritz the Cat. But his latest project may change all that. He spent the past several years in an ambitious effort to illustrate the book of "Genesis," and he leaves nothing out, all 50 chapters from Eden to Egypt with every single begat.

Those who remember their Bible will recall there's a lot of sex and violence in "Genesis." That's in there, too. This edition recommends adult supervision for minors. The approach is neither satirical nor subversive, but given the material, it's almost certain to draw charges from irreverence to blasphemy. If you want to talk with R. Crumb about this project, his signature style or his body of work, give us a call: 800-989-8255. Email us: [email protected]. You can also join the conversation on our Web site. That's at npr.org. Click on TALK OF THE NATION.

We know R. Crumb has plenty of fans out there. He knows that, too. So with that in mind, we'd really like your questions. Later this hour, the first marriage. Jodi Kantor joins us to talk about her cover story on the Obamas in yesterday's New York Times Magazine.

But first, R. Crumb and "The Book of Genesis Illustrated." Robert Crumb joins us now from a studio at KQED, our member station in San Francisco. And it's great to have you today on TALK OF THE NATION.

Mr. ROBERT CRUMB (Comic Book Writer, Illustrator): Hey.

CONAN: First thing I wanted to say is thank you. It's been a long time, I realized, since I had read the book of "Genesis," and it's a wild story.

Mr. CRUMB: From Eden to Egypt - I wish I'd thought of that. That's a great cover line - from Eden to Egypt. Damn.

CONAN: You can have it at no charge.

Mr. CRUMB: Too late now.

CONAN: Well, maybe the paperback.

Mr. CRUMB: I was listening to the little preview blurb that was told about me before, like, a few minutes ago.

CONAN: Mm-hmm.

Mr. CRUMB: And it talked - it quoted me saying something about how crazy the Bible was.

CONAN: Yeah.

Mr. CRUMB: Where is that from, that quote? Where did I say that?

CONAN: I think that's from the news conference you had in Paris.

Mr. CRUMB: Ooh, boy. That's going to get me killed.

(Soundbite of laughter)

CONAN: It is. But these are amazing stories that are being told in the book of "Genesis."

Mr. CRUMB: Yes, they are. And that's why I decided just to do a straight illustration job, because the stories themselves are so strange that it doesn't need satirizing. It doesn't need, you know, making fun of or taking off on or anything. It just stands up on its own as a lurid, you know, comic book. So�

CONAN: A comic book. I'm not sure anybody would have said that before. There are�

Mr. CRUMB: It's a comic book.

(Soundbite of laughter)"

CONAN: Your definition of comic book is probably a little broader than most other people's.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. CRUMB: Well, comic books have many possibilities, you know. Comic books can illuminate a text, you know, break it down into panels, illustrate everything. And suddenly, it brings to light things that people might pass over in a - just in a written text, you know, that adding pictures is a whole other dimension. And yet it's not exactly like a movie, either. Because in movies, you have actors, and it's a whole other thing. So...

CONAN: I was fascinated - I'm sure other people are going to call with questions about why. I fascinated with how. This is a gigantic project. Even the�

Mr. CRUMB: Yes.

CONAN: �layout must have taken you a long time to figure out.

Mr. CRUMB: Four years.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. CRUMB: Four years of work.

CONAN: How did you decide to do it? How did you go about it?

Mr. CRUMB: Well, I started out - for years, I was playing around with this kind of satire of Adam and Eve. I did a lot of sketches and preliminary stuff, and I wasn't satisfied with it. So I decided, well, this story is so interesting on many levels in and of itself and lends itself to lurid illustration, I just decided to go ahead and do it straight. But then once I got into it, I realized I had taken on a huge task. You know, once I got past Adam and Eve, the flood and, you know, Sodom and Gomorrah, I thought, oh, my God. Now I'm in for it.

(Soundbite of laughter)
 

james bond

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't swear to anything. It was all a long time ago.
It seems to me that it was softcover, and the possession of a frat brother. There was a lot of that stuff going around in the ancient of days(pre internet)
Tom

Ha ha. Too much weed?
 

james bond

Well-Known Member
I read the Furry Freak brothers or something like that. What I remember was my friend had those marijuana and 60s-70s black light posters all over his walls and ceilings in his basement room.
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
It wasn't mine, but I remember seeing this in the original. This was probably back in the 70's.
I recall being struck by how essentially accurate and respectful it was, coming from Crumb. That wasn't his forte. But I liked it.
Tom
I bought it went in came out but that was 2009. Confirmed by the inside of the book, First Published, etc.
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Ha ha. Too much weed?

Well, there was lots of that. But there was a ton of Crumb and Crumb-style graphic literature that was only available on sheets of dead tree. I really don't remember where I saw all of it, or when.

I think R. Crumb also did an illustrated Legend of the Christ which was less orthodox. In it, Jesus was crucified in lurid detail. More lurid than Gibson could put on the big screen. While in hell, Satan's playground, He rescued humanity. He did this by giving Satan divine oral sex, which was also luridly illustrated. While Satan was distracted by pleasure, Jesus dispatched him. Then Rose from the Dead, and all the True Christians who appreciated His Sacrifice lived happily Ever After.

Yeah, there was a lot of that stuff in the olden days.
Tom
 

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
I bought it went in came out but that was 2009. Confirmed by the inside of the book, First Published, etc.
II'll take your word for it. There was mountains of such things, and I liked them. But I didn't keep track of the details, such as what century.
Tom
 

fantome profane

Anti-Woke = Anti-Justice
Premium Member
I became interested in this book because George Lucas of Star Wars fame bought the original art. It will become part of his new, yet to be built, billion-dollar, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Be forewarned that Robert Crumb isn't a Christian, but an atheist so his depiction of Genesis may be life-like, but not one of sacredness. He is a good illustrator in my opinion based on his comic book and graphic novel art. It's interesting that he plays this one straight or else I would not have bought it. However, his text descriptions disavows the story so be forewarned.

A sample of this work is here:

61ME3143M7L.jpg


61FPLJCegcL.jpg


(click on the Look Inside)
The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb: R. Crumb: 9780393061024: Amazon.com: Books
Does anyone else thing Adam and Eve on this cover look like sisters? Is it just me?
 

james bond

Well-Known Member
Does anyone else thing Adam and Eve on this cover look like sisters? Is it just me?

It's supposed to represent what a perfect man and women looked when they were created. It's not a sanitized version of the story illustrated in other novels and comic books. I do not know of any other graphic novel this complete. The true story is so incredible that even William Lane Craig does not believe it. He believes in an old earth and evolution. That God caused evolution. Nothing of the sort. Even Crumb could not top the story (he threw his other sketches away) so he drew it like it was. It took him over four years to complete. Reviewers say what's missing is the sacredness. Otherwise, it's a good representation. If it was changed, then I'm sure Crumb would've been chastised all over the world like Martin Scorcese.
 
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