Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0878164030, Paperback)

For better or worse--it depends who you're talking to--Robert Crumb's comics come barreling out of his acid-drenched id. Basic desires, racial stereotypes, and blinding rage are all poured into little panels. While that form of expression's not as novel (or liberating) as it once was, Crumb is still one of the 20th century's true American originals, and Carload O' Comics is an excellent overview of his work.

This funny, grotesque book trots out all the old favories--Mr. Natural, the Snoid, Dale Steinberger Jewish Cowgirl, and of course, Crumb himself. Some strips are, um, gynecological, some are self-indulgent, and others are just plain weird. Crumb's a faithful mirror of his times: he depicts two guys smoking dope while floating down the river in a barrel--when else but the 1960s?

Crumb may not be for kids, but he is funny in a way that a lot of his underground cronies never were. In this age of market studies and focus groups, Crumb oozes authenticity; he's an unrepentant nerdy pervert, but he's just being honest. Bless him for that, at least.