The widely anticipated “Book of Genesis Illustrated” penned by R. Crumb, the famous comic book artist and graphic novelist released yesterday and the backlash from Christian groups and churches has already begun.
I first heard about R. Crumb’s foray into turning Genesis into a graphic novel last spring at Book Expo America, the largest annual book fair in the US, where Norton (his publisher) was pushing it hard. The visual depictions they had available were stunning and made me pretty excited to see what the rest would be like. Then yesterday, I came across a very balanced, positive review of “Book of Genesis Illustrated” on Religion Dispatches. Gabriel Mckee writes not only about Crumb’s interpretive decisions with the text, but about how he was not playing around with this sacred book by any sense of the term:
“Far from the sharp satire that one might expect from the creator of Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural, Genesis is a remarkably straight, even reverent, adaptation. In his introduction, Crumb explains that he avoided adding interpretation or clearing up confusing passages, leaving the Bible as is “rather than monkey around with such a venerable text… I approached this as a straight illustration job, with no intention to ridicule or make visual jokes.” He notes the irony that devout, didactic Bible comics creators are more willing to play around with scripture by inserting “completely made up narrative and dialogue,” while he, a non-believer, lets the text speak for itself.”
Mckee goes on to add that, “The design of the book’s jacket belies the seriousness of its contents.”
Crumb’s serious, respectful intentions aside, Genesis is already causing controversy. On Speakeasy, a Wall Street Journal blog, yesterday Michelle Kung posted “R. Crumb’s Bawdy “Book of Genesis” Targeted by Christian Groups,” reporting that while “Book critics may be digging R. Crumb’s illustrated tome “The Book of Genesis,” that “several religious organizations have unsurprisingly taken offense to the comic artist’s titillating take on the Bible” because the book has an R rating of sorts on the cover that states: “adult supervision recommended for minors.”
Interesting, isn’t it? I can’t wait to take a look, and not just because of the warning for explicit content. I love graphic novels and one of my favorites of all time is “Blankets” by Craig Thompson, which is a spiritual memoir of sorts, about Thompson’s journey away from Christianity. And yes, some of his illustrations are rather explicit, too.
posted October 21, 2009 at 7:07 am
Crumb has stated that he started out to do his usual satirical take, but as he began to get into it, he realized that wouldn’t do. As he worked on it, he became more literal, and began to realize how amazing the language is.
Even before I became a Christian, I loved the pure English of the King James Edition. The KJV and Shakespeare are the two touchstones of the language; Shakespeare uses over 50,000 discrete words, the Bible only 8,000. James I wanted everyone to be able to understand it, as the then Catholic Church used the Latin Vulgate (ironically, Saint Jerome translated the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Bible into Latin so that all could understand it).
posted October 21, 2009 at 11:08 am
I love it when there are those who will slam something-anything-for having a different slant,however small the slant may be. I fully realize the inpact the Bible has ,yet I also realize that there are so many different sects,interpretations,etc..Can’t wait to see Crumb’s latest!
posted October 21, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I’m a big fan of Crumb’s but I was disappointed in this. Quite frankly, it’s boring and stodgy. Yes, there are some R rated scenes, but those are in the text (incest, threats of rape, Adam and Eve are naked etc.) and he usually underplays them. His napkin art in the “Waiting for Food” collections is much better.
posted October 23, 2009 at 1:20 am
Some of us appreciate Crumb as a trend setter and yes, he did break through the wall of censorship that went up after the Congressional comic book hearings in the ’50s. I had a sneak peak of the book of genesis illustrated here and wanted to compare more independent opinions.
For some of us it’s nostalgia—I was a horny, teen-age hippie when I first discovered undergrounds back in the ’60s. That being said, if you study his body of work you start to understand the point of view he brings to even the simplest illustration. Crumb is a self-aware, sexually immature, cynic who has few heroes (blues musicians, etc.). Sure, there are better illustrators but none that would deliver the Bible from his POV. I think of Crumb as the cartoonist’s Ivan Albright. He could draw/paint the loveliest subject and still make you wonder if there wasn’t something rotten just out of view.
posted October 23, 2009 at 7:15 am
Leave the Lord’s word alone.
posted October 23, 2009 at 9:26 am
Sorry, Tim S….
“Love is fine, for all we know…won’t you lissen to what the MAN said?”….Paul McCartney
We are to take this Gospel to every land and people.
If you want to know some stunning enlightening things about
history coming to fruition RIGHT NOW…get a copy of
“Great Controversy” by Ellen G. White.
If you can Read and Think and pay Attention,
it is Obvious that the Roman Satanic-Catholic “Church” is
the “Whore of Babylon, and the mother of Harlots”… and
a little more study shows you that those “harlots” are
all the follow-along “Protestant” denominations which still cling
to a Catholic model–especially the false-Sabbath Sunday, and
the Adoration and “Worship” and Idolatry and adherence to
ridiculous doctrines.
“By their fruits ye shall know them.”
Let’s get Right with the Most High.
Thank You, Yahshua…
posted October 23, 2009 at 12:39 pm
This work could be viewed as a great way for the folks who are interested in graphic arts, digital media and all of that new phase of book publishing to learn the bible. As stated, Crumb admits to being a “non-believer” and yet, he did not tamper with the word, although he could have chosen that route. Artistic interpretations of the bible have been hanging in museums all over the world for a long time. Crumb’s art is a unique style indicative of a specific time in history and that is okay. I’m a fan of his and I am a bigger fan of the bible, so I would love to see this book. Giving visual aid to words is a good way to open up the words. Poets and artists have been collaborating on this kind of work to help breathe life into both art forms, and bridge them. Creating the world was not always pretty. The fall of man and the expulsion from the garden of Eden is one of the saddest parts of Genesis, and depicted in art. I can’t believe that anyone reading Crumb’s book wouldn’t feel sadness seeing Adam and Eve in distress. Besides all of this, there is nothing wrong about inviting curiousity to the non-readers and non-believers as they might just go and read the actualy bible itself! Jesus cares about all lost sheep.
posted October 24, 2009 at 8:40 am
There goes the “Christian” right again, defaming ANYTHING that isn’t in their small world of what they think is Christianity. Who put the organized Christians in charge? Certainly not Jesus. I welcome anything that has to do with the Word of God. Please people, spend more time being like Jesus and less time being like the Pharisees.