Rife With Intrigue, Deception, Scheming, Incest, and, yes, Brutal Violence

[lame54]

http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/exegesis/crumbs-genesis/

For the last five years, Robert Crumb has been laboring over a graphic retelling of the first book of the Bible, using multiple translations, primary source materials, Sumerian mythology, even movie stills from Hollywood Bible epics to inform his work. This might seem odd considering his predilection for drawing large-breasted Catholic schoolgirls in short skirts, but not when you consider Crumb’s primal instinct as a storyteller. The opportunity to render Genesis pictorially was the chance to tackle the great tropes of Western culture. The result is a sensitive and comprehensive exegetical approach, depicted without a trace of irony. It turns out that when divorced from theology, and instead treated as an historical text, the story of Genesis is a political story first and foremost, rife with intrigue, deception, scheming, incest, and, yes, brutal violence. It pivots around several polarized motifs—monotheism vs. polytheism, matriarchy vs. patriarchy, tribalism vs. civilization—themes that emerge graphically in a way they rarely do with the written word alone.

[gratuitous]

1. I had a buddy undertake this task

But then we turned 13 and got out of junior high, and it suddenly seemed kind of childish.

[lame54]

2. thanks for the kick