Robert Crumb – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Robert Crumb — NYAHH!

February 13, 2025 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Motor City Comics #1, April 1969

Boingy Baxter is a classic early peak Crumb story that originally sold complete in 2017. Broken up in 2024, I managed to acquire a great page late last year. Here’s the description of the story from the original auction sale at Heritage:

“Speed freak Milton “Boingy” Baxter gets tranked out in Detroit and has to bounce his way out of a marriage and on to China, in this crazy five-pager. Motor City Comics was R. Crumb’s most straight-forward series from his early peak period, with less emphasis on sex and drugs (although not completely lacking in that department). It’s fun stuff with a lighter touch, particularly this story, with a 1940s-style title character reminiscent of slick deadbeat Al from the radio comedy My Friend Irma, who always called his girlfriend “Chicken.”

Motor City Comics #1 appeared at almost the exact same time as Zap #4 (see below), most infamously known for “Joe Blow”, a Crumb story that ultimately resulted in an obscenity conviction for some Zap retailers, and a long-term decline in the availability of outlets for underground comics.

It is definitely cool to check off a Crumb page from the original art bucket list, especially a terrific early one that is suitable for display in any setting.

Peter Kuper — Underground Heatwave

August 15, 2024 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

The Dib, July 2022

Peter Kuper original cartoon art paying homage to Robert Crumb. From the collection of Greg Goldstein.

Peter Kuper creates a pitch perfect homage to Robert Crumb’s “Stoned Agin,” with his “Stunned Agin”, a commentary on increasingly intense heatwaves — as opposed to drug (over) use.

Kuper’s brilliant cartooning appears in the New Yorker, The New York Times, Charlie Hebdo and countless other publications. He has illustrated Mad’s “Spy vs. Spy” strip for more than 20 years. Other notable works include “Sticks and Stones,” “The System,” and his adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”

“Stoned” is among Crumb’s most famous cartoons; it was a ridiculously ubiquitous poster in the 70s, and continues to be in print today, at such “alternative outlets” as Wal-mart.com. The times, they have a-changed. (Or, if as I suspect, he’s not getting his fair share of royalties, maybe they haven’t changed all that much.)

The Original art for Crumb’s cartoon from 1971.

***Original posters : Two-color version and blacklight edition.***

***Modern posters : full-color version and blacklight edition.***

Pete Poplaski — Family Affair

September 8, 2020 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Batman: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Vol. 3 (1969-1972), November 2016

Pete Poplaski has been called an “artist’s artist” by many creators. His name might not be known as well as other artists, but his talent is unquestionable.

Pete, who broke into comics in the 70s underground community, ultimately became Kitchen Sink Press’ art director, and among many accomplishments helped give some of Robert Crumb’s projects just the right design touch.

Kitchen had the rights to reprint the DC Batman and Superman comic strips in the early 1990s, and Pete created brand new covers that evoked the classic style of those strips.

When we acquired those reprint rights at IDW in 2012, we went back to Pete to see if he would be interested in picking up where he left off, and fortunately he was.

Wayne Boring. Dick Sprang. Al Plastino. Carmine Infantino. You name a classic artist, and Pete can replicate the style.

And perhaps most astonishing of all is this giant wraparound cover for Batman Silver Age Volume 3. Featured on these covers are nearly everyone in the Bat family from that era. Good guys and villains alike. All the type is hand lettered.

And when I say giant, I’m not kidding. When combined, the two pieces are nearly four-feet wide.

I’ve never seen another piece of comic art quite like it.

September 19 is “Batman Day,” so we’re going to ride the Bat-train for a few weeks and post some additional theme-appropriate art. No “Bam or “Pow” included.