Belly Button Comix #2
You would never think that a seemingly average art school student would be the offspring of the perverse R. Crumb, but that is what his daughter, Sophie Crumb seems to be.
Okay, so no offense to Sophie, but hey, she's the daughter of arguablly the most famous underground comics creator, and that's probably why she has snatched some acclaim (in the NY Times, for example). Right, so now that I've gotten my cynical opinion out of the way, I can report on her professional life.
Just last month, Sophie released Belly Button Comix #2, a collection of stories from her life in France to Berkeley. It looks pretty good, if you are into her kind of art. You can buy the comic at Last Gasp (and tell me about it!)
So I was definately too harsh on the young Ms. Crumb. She did win the Harvey for "Best New Series," so she has to pretty pretty good, eh? I would definately say so ...
I read Belly Button Comix #1, and I liked it. It was cute and light and more fun than her father's work. I have really grown tired of R. Crumb. His fame has given him an excuse to be as perverted as he wants. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but he thinks it's okay to just write stories about thick women for the rest of his life since his "new crowd" fo fans likes that (or seem to at least be fascinated with it ... ) And for some reason, the "new crowd" that is most interested in him (i.e. the NY Times, again), seem to view him in a sort of rapper-like fascination. He is so out there, so dirty, so strange, that no one can touch him. It really is like the white-man's rap, and it is, apparently, completely permissible.