Funny Aminals Explained

Publisher:Apex Novelties
1Shot:Y
Writers:Robert Crumb
Justin Green
Art Spiegelman
Shary Flenniken
Jay Lynch
Michael McMillan
Bill Griffith
Artists:Robert Crumb
Justin Green
Art Spiegelman
Shary Flenniken
Jay Lynch
Michael McMillan
Bill Griffith
Tpb:The Complete Crumb Comics #9: R. Crumb Versus the Sisterhood

Funny Aminals is a 1972 single-issue anthology underground comic book created by Robert Crumb and a collection of other artists. The work is notable for containing the first published version of Art Spiegelman's Maus, though the version that ran in Funny Aminals was aesthetically and thematically different from the series Spiegelman would publish in Raw Magazine and as a standalone book.

Publication history

Apex Novelties published the book in July 1972, and it had one print run of an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 copies.[1] The book was initially formulated by Terry Zwigoff after a scarring visit to a slaughterhouse as an anti-animal cruelty book, but the submitted stories departed from that narrative line. Zwigoff later relinquished all editorial control over the comic.

Contents

Stories in Funny Aminals!Story!Artist!Writer
"Forward"Justin GreenJustin Green
"What a World!"Robert CrumbRobert Crumb
"Maus"Art SpiegelmanArt Spiegelman
"The Working Girl"Shary FlennikenShary Flenniken
"Double Trouble"Jay Lynch/Robert CrumbJay Lynch/Robert Crumb
"Captain Flashlight Fights the Animal Cracker Zombies"Michael McMillanMichael McMillan
"The Toadette King"Bill GriffithBill Griffith
"The Bitter Earth"Justin GreenJustin Green
"Stinky the Pig"Jay LynchJay Lynch
"What a World! Part Two"Robert CrumbRobert Crumb
"Feelin' Glum?"Jay LynchJay Lynch

Reception

Underground comix database Comixjoint gave Funny Aminals a 9/10 ranking, calling the writing "solid" and the illustrations "exceptional", adding a four-star historical bonus for Maus. Summarizing his review, writer Steven Fox wrote "Funny Aminals is an uneven book, but its review score (especially the writing score) is boosted by "Maus", which also gets credit for the book's historical bonus. And if Crumb hadn't contributed his crafty penmanship and bawdy humor, even "Maus" wouldn't have been enough to earn Funny Aminals the total score of "9" I begrudgingly bestowed upon it".[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: GCD :: Issue :: Funny Aminals #1. www.comics.org. 2019-08-26.
  2. Web site: Funny Aminals at Comixjoint.com. comixjoint.com. 2019-08-26.