D8

By JOHN ROGERS
The Associated Press

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LOS ANGELES - His religious upbringing might well be as unorthodox as the psychedelic-inspired comic-strip characters that have made R. Crumb the most famous underground artist of his time.

Which, come to think of it, may have made Crumb the perfect artist for his latest project, an illustrated, comic-book version of The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Raised in a secular household that was headed by a rigidly strict, ex-marine father who was actually a closeted atheist, Crumb was sent off to Catholic school at age six because his father had always admired the discipline Catholic nuns were famous for instilling in their students.

Sixty years later, the creator of comic book characters like the R-rated Fritz the Cat and the bizarre Mr. Natural has finally put that religious training to good use.

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb has stunningly detailed, beautifully crafted black-and-white drawings that make up its 201 pages

"The Bible! Incredible," Crumb says in a voice filled with awe as he reflects on the project that has consumed the last five years of his life.

Indeed, the project does raise an obvious question: Why would the guy famous for drawing voluptuous women and nerdy-looking, well-endowed men, who put the phrase "Keep on Truckin'" into the vocabulary with his posters of a big-footed oddball out for a walk, and who by his own admission owes much of his artistic inspiration to his extensive use of LSD in the 1960s, take on the Bible?

"I don't think Genesis is a good place to look for spiritual guidance or moral guidance," he continues.

"At the same time," he continues, "I think the stories are very powerful. I'm not out to ridicule them or belittle them."

Although done in the same unmistakable style that Crumb has brought to such comic books as Zap, Weirdo and Dirty Laundry, Genesis is also surprisingly respectful, as well as faithfully loyal to the Bible's original text.

Which is not to say Crumb hasn't added his own unique touch here and there.

While historical characters like Noah and the Pharaoh don't look that much different from how they have been portrayed by other artists, God and the serpent are another story.

Crumb's Creator is one mean-looking old dude, an angry, finger-pointing father figure with a flowing white beard and no sense of humour. The serpent, meanwhile, looks as much like a snake-oil salesman as a snake.

"He's a con man," Crumb says of the reptile that got Adam and Eve booted from the Garden of Eden. "The serpent represents that part of cleverness and persuasion and deception and flattery, all those qualities which humans are so good at but that we don't consider our finest virtues."

It was teachings like those that fascinated him and drew him to the project, Crumb says. He spent a couple of years doing the research before setting to work, secluding himself in a cabin in the mountains for weeks at a time so he could draw uninterrupted.

Not an atheist like his father, Crumb describes himself as a Gnostic, a member of that ancient movement searching for spiritual enlightenment.

"I've spent a lot of time studying different religious traditions and I meditate," he says. "I think that all humans have that need for some spiritual meaning."