Read Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural #1 CBR... and definitely not super into it.
I know time and culture is a massive aspect to consider, but it is incredibly distracting to focus when the depictions of anyone black is ridiculously racist, women are things, and everyone's an idiot.
With that acknowledgement aside, I couldn't find a purpose to Mr.Natural. There isn't enough ingenious slapstick or ridiculousness to keep me entertained ala Tom and Jerry, or mean in the way Goose Game manages to let you inconvenience people without being outright evil. It's not hilarious, it's just kind of sad to see that someone poured days and weeks of their life into something that has no meaning. I can see someone wanting to create something for the sake of crudeness and fun, but I'm probably too detached from the audience this was aimed at or even close to the person who's mind birthed it to see any fun in this. The funniest thing to come from it is the verbiage used by Mr. Natural.
The constant "Shiieeeet" as a punchline was the only thing that carried me through to the end.
Despite the comic being, for lack of a better word, bland, the backstory to it is much more exciting. The idea of creating a comic while under the influence of LSD is fascinating, and it's neat to see it have a place somewhere in comic book history, I just wish it was for something nicer to look at.
I hated Mr. Natural, but I actually enjoyed Fritz the Cat.
There's no beating around the bush, he's just an asshole who gets around with women for spouting non-sense about being mentally elevated, who thinks he understand the racial divide, but doesn't, who thinks he's some intellectual tortured soul, and is not.. The titular "Shee-it!" is used in the first issue and it brought me joy. Fun to see Robert Crumb having some nonsensical adventures that aren't too far out for the average joe like me to understand.
The rampant artwork is just downright horny, made for horny people, by horny people. Pushing the boundaries of what comics could show wasn't about a greater message, at least not in his earlier work, although to some it might've been, but from Crumb it felt like a challenge to slap as many taboo topics and penises on paper as possible. Who has ever written a book in which a baby gives a blowjob to an old man and then gets a movie deal? Probably only Crumb. It's incredibly crude but admirable. You can definitely see him go crazy with power, that was Mr. Natural. Like a child that just learned a curse word and can't help but use it endlessly without purpose regardless of context. Fritz the Cat emanates a more controlled understanding of the Underground Comix scene, a bit of commentary on pseudo intellectuals.
Fritz is a kid you're not supposed to look up to, and if you do, congratulations, you're being played for a fool.
I know time and culture is a massive aspect to consider, but it is incredibly distracting to focus when the depictions of anyone black is ridiculously racist, women are things, and everyone's an idiot.
With that acknowledgement aside, I couldn't find a purpose to Mr.Natural. There isn't enough ingenious slapstick or ridiculousness to keep me entertained ala Tom and Jerry, or mean in the way Goose Game manages to let you inconvenience people without being outright evil. It's not hilarious, it's just kind of sad to see that someone poured days and weeks of their life into something that has no meaning. I can see someone wanting to create something for the sake of crudeness and fun, but I'm probably too detached from the audience this was aimed at or even close to the person who's mind birthed it to see any fun in this. The funniest thing to come from it is the verbiage used by Mr. Natural.
The constant "Shiieeeet" as a punchline was the only thing that carried me through to the end.
Despite the comic being, for lack of a better word, bland, the backstory to it is much more exciting. The idea of creating a comic while under the influence of LSD is fascinating, and it's neat to see it have a place somewhere in comic book history, I just wish it was for something nicer to look at.
I hated Mr. Natural, but I actually enjoyed Fritz the Cat.
There's no beating around the bush, he's just an asshole who gets around with women for spouting non-sense about being mentally elevated, who thinks he understand the racial divide, but doesn't, who thinks he's some intellectual tortured soul, and is not.. The titular "Shee-it!" is used in the first issue and it brought me joy. Fun to see Robert Crumb having some nonsensical adventures that aren't too far out for the average joe like me to understand.
The rampant artwork is just downright horny, made for horny people, by horny people. Pushing the boundaries of what comics could show wasn't about a greater message, at least not in his earlier work, although to some it might've been, but from Crumb it felt like a challenge to slap as many taboo topics and penises on paper as possible. Who has ever written a book in which a baby gives a blowjob to an old man and then gets a movie deal? Probably only Crumb. It's incredibly crude but admirable. You can definitely see him go crazy with power, that was Mr. Natural. Like a child that just learned a curse word and can't help but use it endlessly without purpose regardless of context. Fritz the Cat emanates a more controlled understanding of the Underground Comix scene, a bit of commentary on pseudo intellectuals.
Fritz is a kid you're not supposed to look up to, and if you do, congratulations, you're being played for a fool.
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