| Complete Crumb Comics | |
| Schedule: | irregular |
| Genre: | Underground comix |
| Publisher: | Fantagraphics Books |
| Startyr: | 1987 |
| Endyr: | 2005 |
| Issues: | 17 |
| Artists: | Robert Crumb |
| Editors: | Gary Groth, Robert Fiore |
| Creators: | Robert Crumb |
| Sort: | Complete Crumb Comics |
| Nonus: | n |
The Complete Crumb Comics is a series of collections from Fantagraphics Books which was intended to reproduce the entire body of American cartoonist and comic book artist/writer Robert Crumb's comics work in chronological order, beginning with his fanzine work from as early as 1958.
While the series was intended to be complete, there is some material missing (most notably The Yum Yum Book, the copyright of which is owned by Crumb's ex-wife Dana,[1] but which has otherwise been in print as Big Yum Yum Book: The Story of Oggie and the Beanstalk).
Its publication is considered to have brought more serious attention to Crumb's oeuvre, and was one of the earliest attempts to collect a cartoonist's full body of work. The series lasted 17 volumes and was published up until 2005 (covering Crumb's work up to 1992). After this, Crumb's work was to be collected in individually titled collections, and not be part of the official numbered series.[2]
All volumes have been published at some point in both softcover and hardcover editions. Two box sets have also been produced, collected Volumes #1–5 and #6–10, with a slip case and signed plate, limited to 400 sets each.
Vol #1 had a revised edition in 2011 to include an additional 66 pages, mostly consisting of the reprint of Arcade #22 (1962). Even with the expansion of this first volume, it failed to additionally include some of the rarest earliest strips, such as Perry Messin, a 4.5 page MAD comics style parody of the Perry Mason TV show, only found in the fanzine EChhhh! #3 (Ken Winter publ., 1959)
Vol #6 also had a revised edition that appeared in 1997, with an additional 12 pages of material, and the removal of one image that involved Robert Williams.
The first two volumes contain material going back as far as Crumb's teenage years, from before he had had his comics professionally published. Some consider this material to be non-essential, and that it would be better for a newcomer to start with later volumes.
| Vol | Year | Title | Period | ISBN | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 1987 | The Early Years of Bitter Struggle | 1958–1962 | Introduction by Marty Pahls Expanded in 2012 | ||
| 2 | May 1988 | Some More Early Years of Bitter Struggle | 1959–1964 | Introduction by Marty Pahls | ||
| 3 | 1988 | Starring Fritz the Cat | 1960–1966 | 1989 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project[3] Introduction by Marty Pahls | ||
| 4 | Dec 1988 | Mr. Sixties! | 1966–1967 | Reproduces Zap Comix #0 and #1, as well as Crumb's contributions to the underground newspaper Yarrowstalks | ||
| 5 | 1990 | Happy Hippy Comix | 1967–1969 | Reprints stories from East Village Other (1967–1968), Zap #2–3 (1968), Bijou Funnies #1 (1968), Motor City Comics #1 (1969), and other publications (1968–1969) | ||
| 6 | 1990 | On the Crest of a Wave | 1969–1970 | Reprints stories from Big Ass #1, Zap #4, Snatch #3, Jiz #1, Despair, and Motor City #2. Also includes 16-page color section (with covers from Gothic Blimp Works) 1991 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project[4] Includes the notoriously X-rated Joe Blow | ||
| 7 | 1991 | Hot 'n' Heavy | 1970–1971 | 1992 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project[5] | ||
| 8 | 1992 | Featuring the Death of Fritz the Cat | 1971–1972 | |||
| 9 | 1992 | R. Crumb versus the Sisterhood | 1972–1973 | Introduction by Crumb Features work from XYZ Comics Zap #6, Tales from the Leather Nun, and others; as well as collaborations with Harvey Pekar, and illustrations from the 1972 cookbook Eat It, written by Crumb's ex-wife Dana. | ||
| 10 | 1994 | Crumb Advocates Violent Overthrow | 1973–1975 | 1995 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project[6] | ||
| 11 | 1995 | MR. NATURAL COMMITTED TO A MENTAL INSTITUTION! | 1975–1977 | 1996 Eisner Award for Best Archival Collection;[7] 1996 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project[8] | ||
| 12 | 1996 | We're Livin' in the "Lap o' Luxury"! | 1976–1979 | |||
| 13 | 1998 | The Season of the Snoid | 1976–1980 | |||
| 14 | 2001 | The Early 1980s and Weirdo Magazine | c. 1981–1983 | earliest Weirdo comics | ||
| 15 | 2001 | Featuring Mode O'Day and her Pals | 1983–1985 | Introduction by Peter Bagge | ||
| 16 | 2002 | The Mid-1980s: More Years of Valiant Struggle | 1985–1987 | |||
| 17 | 2005 | Cave Wimp, Mode O'Day, Aline 'N' Bob, R. Crumb Goes to the Academy Awards | 1988–1992 |
| Year | Organization | Volume | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Harvey Awards | 3 | Best Domestic Reprint Project | |
| 1991 | 6 | |||
| 1992 | 7 | |||
| 1995 | 10 | |||
| 1996 | Eisner Awards | 11 | Best Archival Collection | |
| 1997 | Harvey Awards | 12 | Best Domestic Reprint Project |