Need More Love: A Graphic Memoir

When I first got Need More Love I was a little skeptical. Firstly it was a huge book, and flipping through I could see that it wasn't actually a graphic novel, but more of an autobiography utilizing comic strips, prose, art, and photos. And I saw that it was 383 pages of that. But, I managed to read it all anyway, probably because the life of Aline Kominsky Crumb is a surprisingly fascinating read.

Going in to this I had no prior knowledge of Aline or her husband Robert, so I was a little lost when in the beginning of the book Aline talked about having a famous husband and how that affects how she is perceived as an artist. I had no idea who Robert Crumb was so I was going into the whole deal blind. However, as I started to read I understood more and more of things she had alluded to in earlier chapters. She repeats a lot of stories and phrases (specifically her father telling her “You can't shine shit.”) and each time a specific event is mentioned she adds a new layer to it, giving greater perspective in to her life.

One thing about Aline that is very clearly evident throughout her work is her lack of self-confidence. She constantly puts herself down in terms of her physical appearance, her artistic skill, her personality, her parenting skills, everything she does really. Even the way she draws herself makes her seem hideous, overweight with a big nose and awful skin, when in reality the pictures of her show a beautiful woman, very thin and attractive. But in her own mind Aline is hideous, a monster of a person. As the book goes on her depiction of herself improves for short phases as she goes through periods of higher confidence, especially after she moves to France. But still, her persona as “The Bunch” is not the most attractive thing to look at.

But that's the thing about Aline's art, it's not attractive. Nothing in the entire book could really be described as beautiful, her art is intentionally crude and scratchy. And perhaps that's done to evoke a feeling of discomfort in the reader and perhaps Aline does it as a way to portray the world as she sees it, but it's the way she draws regardless. And some people have trouble getting over that. Some people would look at the cover of the book with it's gaudy drawing of Aline eating a heart and immediately put it back down. But if you get past the art you come to appreciate the person behind it, the blunt honesty and self deprecation of the person that is Aline Kominsky Crumb.

And maybe you'll be better for it.