The Book of Weirdo

The Book of Weirdo is the definitive ― and hugely entertaining― examination of Weirdo magazine, renowned underground comix cartoonist Robert Crumb's legendary humor comics anthology, which was originally published throughout the 1980s.

A "low-brow" counterpoint to Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouley's rather high-faluttin’ RAW comix publication, Weirdo influenced an entire generation of alternative and neo-underground artists, as well as creative refuge for the underground comix veterans, and this book features the complete story of the well-recalled comics magazine, along with testimonials from over 130 of the publication's contributors, including interviews with Weirdo’s three editors ― R. “Keep on Truckin’” Crumb, Peter “Hate” Bagge, and Aline “The Bunch” Kominsky-Crumb ― and publisher “Baba Ron” Turner.

As much a history of the alternative comics scene of the 1980s ― from New York City punk to Seattle grunge ― this exhaustive retrospective includes rare and unseen artwork from that era, as well as new comics from modern-day artists celebrating their love for the great oddball magazine. In its time, the periodical featured the finest work of many artists, particularly the best material by Robert Crumb himself, Weirdo's founder and best known for ZAP Comix, Fritz the Cat, and Mr. Natural, and a man widely heralded as the greatest cartoonist of all time.

In 1981, amidst a reactionary shift to the right in the country, R. Crumb responded to by unleashing the savagely funny and satirical Weirdo magazine onto the great multitudes. It was an irreverent, outrageous, often politically-incorrect, and taboo-challenging comics anthology that showcased not only Crumb's finest ― and most controversial ― work, but also spotlighted outstanding comics by two generations of superb comic book storytellers. Most of all it was gut-bustingly, hysterically, and frequently offensive... most of all it was FUNNY!

Weirdo was a ground-breaking and iconoclastic cult favorite throughout the go-go ‘80s (and it’s status remains the stuff of legend today), an in-your face, angry, and riotous response to the that decade of “Greed is Good.” Though it finally gave up the ghost by 1990 (with a final International issue in ‘93), in its time, Weirdo was considered one of the very best of its kind… a showcase for outsiders, freaks, and (naturally) weirdoes. In fact, it’s likely the ONLY of its kind!