Fans of underground comics god R. Crumb know that he started his career in greeting cards, but few have seen examples of his earliest work. Forty years of his commercial and otherwise unpublished output is collected in Odds & Ends, a lovely companion piece to his better-known work in Zap Comics, Weirdo, and the rest. Including advertisements and announcements done for friends and family, magazine illustrations, and some surprisingly sensitive portraits, the book is essential for those who want to see how the man's work evolved in private, parallel to his published work. Odds & Ends shows Crumb at his silly, geeky best. --Rob Lightner

From Publishers Weekly
Called "the Brueghel of the last half of the 20th century" by no less a skeptic than establishment art critic Robert Hughes, cartoonist R. Crumb has produced some of the smuttiest yet piercingly affecting and quintessentially American art since the 1960s. Fans of Mr. Natural, the Monkey Wrench Gang, Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl and Crumb's agonized self-portraits won't want to miss Odds & Ends, a new, chronologically organized collection of unpublished doodles, Valentine cards drawn during his employment at American Greetings, covers for underground newspapers, advertisements for porn theaters and bike shops, and record album covers. Crumb selected the myriad b&w and color drawings here, all displaying his dark and hilarious vulgarity. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This is a collection of Crumb's less celebrated but by no means inferior works, including some previously unseen by the public. Beginning in 1960, the book treats us to a chronological look at unpublished sketches, greeting cards, magazine covers, and many other, more marginal selections from Crumb's oeuvre. There are brief blurbs about every selection, explaining whether they have appeared previously and, if so, where a useful feature, considering the somewhat peripheral nature of these pieces. Like all of Crumb's work, this is a bizarre collection (including the short-lived "Devil Girl Choco-Bars" and Crumb's take on the Bill Clinton scandal of a few years ago) that will offend some but delight others. A fascinating glimpse at a previously unknown side of one of the most prolific artists of his time, this is proof that he rarely sacrificed quality, no matter how trivial or commercial the purpose. Vincent Au, New York Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Although its compilers have striven admirably, the ongoing project, published by Fantagraphics, that aims to be the complete works of underground comics artist Crumb somehow has missed quite a bit of the prolific cartoonist's output during the past four decades. But Crumb completists need not despair, thanks to this handsome roundup of hundreds of little-seen drawings for greeting cards, advertisements, books, and magazines; a handful of short comics stories; and--the rarest items here--drawings made for friends and relatives, such as portraits, birthday cards, and wedding invitations. The predominance of individual drawings rather than comics stories emphasizes Crumb's sometimes underrated prowess with a pen, and his meticulous yet expressive style is enhanced by the book's handsome design and high-quality reproduction. Taken individually, the works in this miscellany may not have the impact of Crumb's best comics stories, but taken as a body of work, they show that even Crumb's crumbs can amount to a feast. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Robert Hughes
'Crumb is the Brueghel of the last half of the twentieth century.'

Hunter S. Thompson, 1969
'It wouldn't surprise me a hell of a lot if we all look back in ten years to say, yes, Robert Crumb was the Henry Ford of a new art form.'

Book Description
A never-before-compiled collection from the most influential underground artist of our time.
Robert Crumb is a cartoonist with an instantly recognizable style who emerged in the 1960s with strips in the underground press. He founded Zap Comix in 1968 and created Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl, Mr. Natural, Keep on Truckin' and hundreds of other characters that instantly struck a nerve with people everywhere.

Odds & Ends is a unique book of Robert Crumb's previously unpublished, autobiographical, favorite, and most successful strips. It also contains photographs, portraits, and text by the man himself.

With a jacket designed by the artist, Odds & Ends is beautifully produced and filled with color artwork-a great introduction to one of our most important cartoonists, as well as an invaluable addition to any fan's library.


About the Author
Robert Crumb lives in France, where he spends his time drawing and playing the banjo for his band Les Primitifs du Futur.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Robert Crumb is famous for his underground Zap Comix, which he founded in 1968, not to mention unforgettable characters such as Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl and Mr Natural amongst many others." "But how many fans know about The Silly Pigeons, his portrait of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, or his fantastic cover art for Winds of Change?" "Odds & Ends is a unique collection of all these and more . . . It includes many portraits and drawings done for family and friends, chosen by Crumb himself."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Robert Hughes

'Crumb is the Brueghel of the last half of the twentieth century.'

Hunter S. Thompson

'It wouldn't surprise me a hell of a lot if we all look back in ten years to say, yes, Robert Crumb was the Henry Ford of a new art form.'

Publishers Weekly

Called "the Brueghel of the last half of the 20th century" by no less a skeptic than establishment art critic Robert Hughes, cartoonist R. Crumb has produced some of the smuttiest yet piercingly affecting and quintessentially American art since the 1960s. Fans of Mr. Natural, the Monkey Wrench Gang, Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl and Crumb's agonized self-portraits won't want to miss Odds & Ends, a new, chronologically organized collection of unpublished doodles, Valentine cards drawn during his employment at American Greetings, covers for underground newspapers, advertisements for porn theaters and bike shops, and record album covers. Crumb selected the myriad b&w and color drawings here, all displaying his dark and hilarious vulgarity. ( May 3) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal