King James Meets R. Crumb: This Ain't Your Mama's Bible

If you are a fan of the history of the 1960s, or American pop culture, or marijuana culture (don't pretend you didn't know there's such a thing), I am ready to gamble good money that you are taken aback by a new hardcover publication: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb.

Yes. THAT R. Crumb.

Mr. Crumb stands high (pun intended) among those whose art instantly translates in your brain as "1960's". Exhibit A is above. Exhibit B, the X-rated comic strip Fritz the Cat.

And my fave, Exhibit C, the cover of Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills album. Whoo yeah.
(The Goddess and Janis go WAY back.)

The task of turning the first book of the Bible into a graphic novel took almost five years. Mr. Crumb (Robert...but apparently he doesn't like his first name much) read several versions and commentaries of the Good Book as part of his personal research. He consulted with biblical scholars, especially feminist ones, to guide his drawings of stories told in Old Testament language.

Why would an atheist take on such a task? Mr. Crumb said, "The original is so strong and strange in its own right. There's so much in there that's lucid and lent itself to comic book adaptation."

Of course, this isn't the first time that Bible stories have been presented in a toon format, but make no mistake, Mr. Crumb's Genesis is for grown-ups. The world of the Bible starts with a whole lot of "begats" if you catch my drift, and this is one artist who's never been shy about toon sexuality.

Graphic novels are all about the blending of words and pictures, but this is no average novel. NY Times reviewer David Hajdu praises the book for having "narrative potency and raw beauty." That means that Mr. Crumb achieved a mighty goal, to tell a cohesive, interesting story.

But, Mr. Hajdu adds that the book lacks "a sense of the sacred." That's kinda critical, don'tcha think?

With no Higher Power concept of any kind, Mr. Crumb brought no dimension to his art. I mean, I know folks who believe that the stories of the Old Testament are fanciful moral fables, and yet they can get downright mushy over a child's toy Noah's Ark. They don't believe either, but they've retained a respectfulness that didn't have to be taught.

Surprisingly, I haven't found as much outrage against Bible-by-Crumb as I thought I would. I found several reviews like this one in Jewish media that seem to conclude that all in all, it's not so bad and may actually get more people interested in learning more about their faith.

I found some outrage in Britain, but not so much here. (A blog posted on Pat Roberson's CBN Network warned about demons living in your Halloween candy, so I guess R. Crumb is small potatoes.)

Bottom line? This new telling of the Creation story is ranked today at #13 on Amazon's bestseller list after 23 days on sale.

That's 9 slots ahead of Glenn Beck's book, which should prove to R. Crumb that there is a God.