Gotta Have 'em: Portraits of Women

by Robert Crumb

He's been called a genius and a "world-class malcontent." R. Crumb, the visionary founder of the underground comics movement and unwilling hipster to multiple generations, celebrated for his viciously funny take on modern America, is also lauded as a draughtsman on par with Breughel. For the first time ever, his drawings of women are collected in one brilliantly offensive yet hilarious volume, in chronological order, spanning the 38 years since his pen-and-ink beginnings. The usual fetishes are on display, natch--the built-from-the-ground-up body type, the lovingly fixated-upon solid thighs and buttocks--but so is Crumb's heart, on his sleeve, in the great tenderness with which he has rendered the women in his life. They're all here: his high-school crushes, his paramours, the girls and women who tormented him--and to whom he gave it right back--or who caught his eye on the street, and, of course, his wife and fiery sometime collaborator, Aline, and their daughter Sophie. Add to this his mistress of fifteen years, and you have not only a catalogue raisonne of Crumb's portraits of women but also a revealing record of a passionate life. Crumb calls it "an autobiography of sorts" and it is--these aren't just portraits of women but the most intimate portrait of Crumb's life in love.

Genres: Art, Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Robert Dennis Crumb (born August 30, 1943)— is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.

Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded as its most prominent figure. Though one of the most celebrated of comic book artists, Crumb's entire career has unfolded outside the mainstream comic book publishing industry. One of his most recognized works is the "Keep on Truckin'" comic, which became a widely distributed fixture of pop culture in the 1970s. Others are the characters "Devil Girl", "Fritz the Cat", and "Mr. Natural".

He was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1991.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Crumb drawing ladies - many are of his wife Aline. Nothing fancy, but it's always a treat to get more sketchbook drawings by Crumb.

[Karie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, not only because I am a Crumb-o-phile and because the man I usedta love bought it for me, but I relish the autobiographical nature of his drawings and the stories they tell about the women in his life, his daughter, his wife, his lover, his models...it is a telling glimpse into the life and loves of Crumb, the man, not the mythologized comic anti-hero..

[Luke Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THIS !!!!!!! THIS IS GOOD SHIT !!!!!!! Robert Crumb showing his true feelings abt women ????? Despite some of the (albeit satirical) VERY misogynistic flavours in his comix ? Hell yeah !!!!! Robert Crumb actually LOVES women !!!!!!!!! Me too dude !!!!!!!!! Hell yeah !!!!!! Love a good "hey here's all the lovely women in my life" from any guy ever :))

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotta Have 'Em is Crumb's sketchbook of drawings of women - mostly of his own wife and fellow cartoonist, Aline Kominsky-Crumb. It's rather subdued stuff for Crumb's sensibilities, so it really just pares this down to Crumb's base level cartooning which is mostly appealing. It's a tasteful collection and serves as an interesting supplementary piece in any collection of Crumb works.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that makes you see everything in the style of the artist after you look at it. I was seeing big boots and massive legs everywhere. It's not too sleezy to look at in public like some R Crumb books.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma ode gráfica às mulheres que Robert Crumb amou, no seu inconfundível estilo. Fortemente intimista, este é um longo diário gráfico cuja história subjacente se envolve com a vida do autor.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Retratos de mujeres de Crumb, con prólogo de Gaiman.

[Halina Hetman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Арт-альбом від любителя жінок з сильними ногами. Рекомендується іншим любителям та звісно ж жінкам, що комплексують через свої плотні стегна та литки.