The Book of Mr. Natural

I'm on a mission to understand why Robert Crumb is considered such a genius. I read one of his other books and enjoyed the artwork, and the artwork wasn't the issue with this. The problem is that I don't see the point of it. After reading Mr. Natural it seemed like a waste of time. It did not offend or confuse me, it just seemed pointless.

Throughout the book, it's clear that Crumb uses Mr. Natural as a way to comment on our cultural and personal dilemmas, whether it's sexual desires, misogyny, feelings of misplacement, or our desire to fit in. However, Crumb has said that sometimes he makes up stories as he goes along, and it's a bit easy to see that here as most stories don't really go anywhere. It's obvious what's bothering Crumb about our society, but the stories don't really wrap up in the end, and we're left wondering where exactly he's going with all this. Perhaps Crumb just uses Mr. Natural as a way to vent?

Either way, it's so easy to get lost in the beautiful art (as always) with Crumb's great linework and his use of space, choosing to show you only the essentials of the environment and focusing instead on the dialogue between the characters.