The Book of Genesis Illustrated

This is a comic book version of the first book of the Bible, as done by famed cartoonist R. Crumb. Crumb's comments are in the back, and it becomes clear upon reading them that Crumb has done a lot of research to prepare himself for this task. His commentary helped me to get an interesting interpretation of B'reshit, one where a struggle in early Judaism (before it was Judaism) between patriarchy and matriarchy is encoded into the relations of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs. Why does Abraham ask Sarah to pretend to be his sister twice, and why does Isaac have Rebekah do the same thing once? What is with the oddly humorous contest between Leah and Rachel to see which one of their handmaids can give Jacob more children? Crumb's analysis on this is quite interesting.
Crumb did especially well for what could have been one of the slower parts of the book: the genealogies. Creating a picture for every single descendant must have taken a lot of effort, but it looks beautiful. It's also intriguing: I found myself wondering about the history of all of these people mentioned in passing and then never again. there are so many stories in the Bible hinted at but never explored, it's both frustrating and glorious.
Crumb's art style, stylized but realistic, really works. All of the people, buildings, and clothing look just right--again, he must have done a ton of research. He recreates a world that's been dead for milennia and makes it seem real and alive once again. His portrayal of God as a man with an enormous white beard is a little cliche, but it does capture the essence of God as a rather distant deity, who more dictates what he wants than consults with or ask his followers as to their needs.
This is a real treasure. Unless you are either an evangelical Christian or a rampant atheist, this book will almost certainly intrigue you for its interesting portrayal of the many stories of the first book of the Bible. I'm looking forward to Crumb's version of the Book of Exodus next!