A project like this is quite an ambitious one and I can't think of anyone that could bring it to life like R Crumb. The Old Testament is brutal, bold, and relentless so it only makes sense that R Crumb's style perfectly compliments it.This book has all 50 chapters of the Book of Genesis and it's quite honestly the most fun I've had reading the Bible. Crumb pulls no punches and illustrates every aspect in vivid detail with absolutely phenomenal and inspiring art. One can only imagine the kind of painstaking work that went into it, because sometimes, as Crumb himself confesses, it's a little hard to interpret what exactly the Book of Genesis is trying to say. Regardless, Crumb takes liberties and they look great.Also, at the end there is a little commentary by Crumb on certain chapters and his ideas of what ideas they are trying to convey. Along with this he points out several instances where matriarchy or patriarchy is being enforced. So, it's clear that what we have here is a labor of love by Crumb. The results are powerful and illuminating.There can be no doubt that Crumb is still at the top of his game. This was a really good way for me to read the Book of Genesis. (That is an atheistic guy who is/has been into 'underground comics', an R. Crumb fan, and who's knowledge of religion comes from the underpinnings of many, many novels, some plays, a few poems and not from actually like being exposed to a church or the guys who run them). Which isn't to say that there aren't religious people out there who wouldn't also appreciate this book, I'm just saying that my glowing review of this book comes from the above perspective, which might be more useful to know that my always muddled reflections on why something worked for me.Crumb creates a multitude of faces which does wonders for the number of lists of the begotten in this story. It was all about the seed and how this god dude was promising that his chosen ones would get to spread it all over the world and into their many wives. (God, who I figure is a puffed up portrait of Crumb - comparing the depiction of God to his self-portrait at the back of the book.) But while the text just blurs with all those names Crumb gives particular faces to each name - and faces that seem to fit the very particular part of the world they lived in. He talks in his notes about his early false starts over the clothes he used. That he needed to do a lot of research. And for all I know there are still many mistakes, but it did give me - at a glance - a context and grounding in this particular tribal world which made the text come alive for me.When I first heard that Crumb was illustrating the bible, I thought, oh yeah, the wild sexual guy has gotten all religious and conservative in his old age. This is going to be a minor, odd, tailing off a great artist. Instead I want more of the bible done by Crumb. Think of Job done by him! This is an artist still at the height of his powers, marrying his particular genius to one of the great mythopoetic works of our civilization.
What do You think about La Genèse (2009)?
Artist Robert Crumb does a straight take on the book of Genesis. It's all here from the creation to the death of Joesph in Egypt, beautifully illustrated by one of the greatest living American artists. Considering Crumbs background in underground comics, many people I am certain will just assume that Crumbs adaptation will be sacrilegious, and yet Crumb does his best to be honest to his source and doesn't at any time editorialize on the page. As odd as this sounds, Crumb even makes the Begots interesting by drawing beautiful ethnically accurate portraits of the bibles earliest characters. Highly recommend R Crumbs book of Genesis is a piece of work that will capture the imagination of both the firmest believer and the most serious skeptic with it's powerful interpretation of the one of the most important books in Western culture.
—roshnijmr
This is the best graphic novel version of any part of the Bible that I have ever read. Each illustration is a detailed and truly artistic presentation of its subject matter. Another thing different about the art work is that the characters don't look like Anglos from the set of a Biblical epic. They look like people living in a harsh environment.I reread this book while reading "The Silmarillion" because I wanted to imagine what a graphic novel version of Tolkien's book would be like. Crumb's "The Book of Genesis" goes the direction I would imagine such a project would go if done well. Both books portray a people besieged by evil but continuing to live their lives the best they can under the conditions.
—caolain
The commentary at the end was especially interesting.
—googlepants700
