Genesis 1 Makes the Comics: God and (Wo)men in the Natural

The same master cartoonist who got into Franz Kafka’s head with stunning penetration has tried his hand at putting the book of Genesis to comics. I’m referring to Robert Crumb, of course, and if that name means nothing to you, you know nothing about comics. This interview will get you started on the Crumby take on life.

For a modern and post-modern interpreter of the biblical narrative no less than for a pre-modern interpreter, the narrative is capable of illumination at the interface of mimetic representation and text. That’s how we think; that’s how we learn: through visual representation. Crumb would like to think that the biblical authors were just as off the wall as he is. That’s not actually the case, though I'm happy he makes that the premise of his art. Below the fold, two samples (Genesis 1 only is from his new book). Paul Buhle offers an insightful introduction to the life and opus of Crumb. Note that the translation of the book of Genesis Crumb relies on is that of Robert Alter.