TALES OF PARANOIA - ROBERT CRUMB (ONE SHOT)

Crumb in top form, as expected.

As a long-time reader, collector and follower of R. Crumb's various phases and style shifts in both content and drawing technique I think he is at the top of his game now. "Tales of Paranoia" is most definitely NOT for the casual "Fritz" or "Keep On...etc." comic reader in the same way the band Devo's biggest "hit" (yes, "Whip It") was certainly not the best representation of their much deeper message, hard as that might be for some folks to swallow. I applaud Mr. Crumb for the intense scrutiny he's applying the current state of the USA, albeit from the relative safety and apparent comfort of his home in France. Upon first glance when flipping through this "comic" I was stunned by the verbiage to artwork ratio present (yes, I know they're both art since he hand letters every single line of dialogue) on the pages of this book, and I knew right then and there I was in for a challenging and eventually rewarding read. His self doubt and introspection coupled with an extremely strong suspicion of all things corporate and/or political (if there's even a difference) is refreshing and never feels like he's trying to convince anyone of anything, just positing HIS particular take on the way things are. I sincerely hope he's busily working on a follow up or even something in a completely different direction now that this one's finished but even if he's not it's a definite "must have" for anyone who truly appreciates the scope and sheer talent this man shares with us mere mortals. He's got WAY more tricks up his sleeve than funny, "dirty" or otherwise socially unacceptable illustrated tales but I can never get enough!