Underground Comix

This may be one of my favorite areas of comics we will touch on in this class. If you were to look at my work and my own comics, you would never know how enthusiastic I actually am about the artists and artwork that came from the Underground Comix movement. A lot of people frown upon Robert Cumb's work. I completely understand the negative reaction his work gets most of the time. As feminist and anti-stereotyping/anti-racism/anti-'pretty much everything Crumb illustrates' I may be, I love every single, awful illustration he does.

Believe me... I wish I could say that I hate this, but I hate it so much I love it.

Half of my collection is made up of Crumb books, because not only do I appreciate the attitude in his work, I admire the flagrant obscenity in his style of drawing. It first reminded me a lot of album covers and show flyers I had always seen in my music collection.

 Along with comics, I grew up on a lot of punk rock and stoner-metal music. I have been totally desensitized to the crass and inappropriate imagery he depicts in his comics. The thing I loved about the Underground Comix was the liberal presentation of X-rated material. Hence the X in Comix. It was, in my opinion, the punk rock of comics. A middle finger to the publications that limited artists and their freedom to be gross and inappropriate. It was aimed at a much more mature and open minded audience, and although at that time, sex, drugs and rock and roll were heavily depicted in comics, Underground Comix took it to an extreme level. I love that!