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A 'Handbook' to Robert Crumb

R. Crumb, a pioneer of underground comics, got his start drawing illustrations for greeting cards.
R. Crumb, a pioneer of underground comics, got his start drawing illustrations for greeting cards.

Underground comic book artist Robert Crumb began drawing comics more than 40 years ago. Crumb, creator of Zap Comix, is the artist behind such 1960s and '70s icons as Mr. Natural, Fritz the Cat, and Keep-on-Truckin.

Despite the frustrated and obscure qualities of his cartoon alter-ego, Crumb has enjoyed a renewed fame in recent years. In the 1990s, he was the subject of an award-winning documentary by director Terry Zwigoff. Now a new book, The R. Crumb Handbook, written with Peter Poplaski, offers a visual biography of Crumb's life. It also includes a CD of his musical performances with various groups.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Terry Gross is the host and executive producer of NPR's Fresh Air.