Mr. Natural

R. Crumb’s two-issue series for San Francisco Comic Book Company, Mr. Natural (1970–1971), introduced readers to the iconic, bearded guru of the underground comix scene and his foil, the childlike Big Baby. A cornerstone of the counterculture movement, Crumb both wrote and drew every page, channeling his satirical, psychedelic sensibility into a character who became a symbol of the era’s spiritual and social contradictions. Though brief, this series cemented Mr. Natural as one of the most recognizable figures in alternative comics.