Review of Whiteman by Robert Crumb

When I read Whiteman by Robert Crumb, I didn't know what to expect. It started out with a normal family going on a camping trip. But there was so much more to meet the eye. This story was about a man who wanted to be free from the responsibilities and burdens of city life to just enjoy the simple life in nature. I don't think anyone would have been able to anticipate how this would take place.

I think what is true with most underground comics and definitely Robert Crumb was the desire to not sugar coat information. Robert Crumb told this story with such acuteness that he could not help but get his point across. Even though this story came with quite a bit of shock value and utter rawness, I find Crumb's point of view very interesting. He told a very convincing story not so much about how man grew to love the Bigfoot, but more about the simplicity of life that it stood for. Now who could not relate to that? I think that reading this comic helped me to overcome some biases that I had about the comic book and see the story beyond its surface level.

I think that the gritty art style really helped evoke the mentality of the 60's to tell it like it is and I think that this story is on of the hallmarks for this era. I also think that this story was a trailblazer for the movements in comics that would follow. Because of its lack of censorship, storytellers could tell more true to life and convincing stories that could be relatable to the reader whether young or old. I think that this work really helped expel the notion that comics were just for kids, but were for anyone who was interested in stories.