In what could best be described as a mixed-media autobiography, underground comic author Aline Kominsky Crumb pieces together her real-life comics, written text, interviews, paintings and photographs to capture a life less ordinary in Need More Love: A Graphic Memoir. From chronicling her warring parents and emotionally abusive father ("you can't shine shit" he says of her use of makeup as a teen) to her sexually promiscuous early adulthood (which included getting pregnant and giving up the baby for adoption) to her non-traditional 30-plus year marriage to legendary comic writer R. Crumb (Fritz the Cat, Mister Natural), Aline Kominsky Crumb has plenty of material to fill the book's 400-plus pages.
Kominsky Crumb's childhood on Long Island obviously resonates deeply with her, as multiple comics discuss her father's poor treatment of her and his questionable business enterprises that seem to have included mob connections. While she continually draws herself as ugly and fat in these comics, pictures interspersed throughout show her to be a cute, normal girl quite unlike that of her imagination. Her father's death from cancer at 42 adds to the strange dynamics of her memories.
An early marriage, followed by a a move to Arizona, followed by an early divorce lead to Aline Kominsky's San Francisco advenure, where she falls in with a group of women chronicling their experiences through comics. Kominsky becomes part of the scene and meets R. Crumb during this period. Her relationship with him strains her relations with the women authors, as R. Crumb (and perhaps men in general) are seen as at best misogynist and at worst the enemy. Aline's not interested in going that route.
In many ways, Aline Kominsky and R. Crumb's life together from that point is traditional storybook, living out in the country, having a daughter - if it wasn't for that pesky open-marriage thing. She talks about or alludes to multiple affairs on both sides of the ledger that remind you the marriage isn't quite as traditional as it appears on its face. In fact, she describes having a "second husband" in France (where she and R. Crumb live), and tells of his dalliances when he returns to the United States for business reasons. Well, you wouldn't expect underground artists to be completely normal, would you?
Need More Love is an interesting ride for any reader, but will especially appeal to fans of R. Crumb and/or Aline or graphic novel fans in general. In addition to the many photos, you'll also get plenty of Aline's solo work and many of the combination comics that the husband-wife team created together. (Aline says R. Crumb fans complained about her artwork when put up against his in these collaborations.) But don't be surprised if your own life seems a bit dull in comparison.
Article comments
1 - Nukapai
Actually, her life sounds eerily like mine... apart from the Mob, maybe. :D
Great review!
2 - No Talent Hack
Whew. It's a good thing this review doesn't try to claim she can draw. And let's not even get into folks like her brother Alex, who lives with them in France. Sure do wish R. would come back home tho. He's grown soft in his old age, and his lack of inspiration (which he acquired from US society) shows.