A Tribute to Robert Crumb #[nn]

Published by Edition 52 in 2013, this German-language anthology — subtitled "80 Künstler ehren den Meister der Comix" (80 artists honor the master of comix) — gathers a remarkable range of contributors paying homage to one of underground comics' most distinctive voices. Charles Burns's cover sets the tone beautifully: a bespectacled, fedora-wearing everyman in an orange jacket navigates a crowded city street, surrounded by a leering red devil clutching a tiny pig, a cat-headed figure, a woman with a rooster's head, and onlookers peering from building windows — all rendered with that tight, confident linework Burns does so well. At 20 EUR from Edition 52, it's a warm and wildly entertaining celebration of Robert Crumb's sprawling influence on comics art.