R. Crumb's Genesis

This graphic-art translation of Genesis has only been out a short while, but already it is selling like hot-cakes. At a New Year's Eve party, my friend Colin was showing me a copy he bought a few days ago. The work is distinctive on several fronts, including Crumb's inclusion of every word of Genesis (based on KJV and Robert Alter) along with his determination to illustrate everything, including the difficult and R-rated parts. Noteworthy is Crumb's interpretations of the inner emotions of characters, which the biblical text tends not to comment upon. Note the careful work he does on Joseph's expression here as he fills with emotion upon seeing how his brother Judah really has changed for the better over the years (end of Gen 44; click image to enlarge):