First Appearance of Feminist Revolutionary Lenore Goldberg in Robert Crumb's "Motor City Comics", 1969

Robert Crumb Comix

First Edition

[Counterculture] [Robert Crumb] Motor City Comics. San Francisco: Rip Off Press, April 1969. First printing. Staplebound in original wrappers. A landmark in underground comix and countercultural publishing, Motor City Comics showcases iconic cartoonist Robert Crumb’s anarchic satire and radical political voice. Featuring the debut of Lenore Goldberg and her Girl Commandos, this issue exemplifies the genre's revolutionary, anti-authoritarian spirit and explicit critique of gender roles, capitalism, and police violence during the height of the Vietnam War era and second-wave feminism.

Crumb’s cover art features a militant, buxom Lenore Goldberg punching a grotesquely exaggerated police officer while shouting, “Join the world-family revolution or DIE!”—a powerful symbol of female rebellion against patriarchal and state power. Within, stories like “The Desperate Character,” “Deep Meaning Comics,” and “Boingy Baxter” blend absurdist humor with sharp social commentary. Themes of class struggle, generational alienation, and existential despair saturate the panels, often punctuated by Crumb’s signature grotesque figuration and text-heavy reflections. Especially notable is the comic’s feminist satire, which—while controversial in its depiction—elevates Goldberg as a rare radical female figure in a male-dominated genre. On the back cover, Crumb's “Workers of the World Arise!” offers a proletarian call to arms, parodying Marxist propaganda while sincerely addressing labor exploitation and alienation in late-capitalist America.

Light wear consistent with age, overall clean and well preserved. Overall very good condition. Motor City Comics remains an excellent example of the underground comix movement, 1960s political art, and gender in countercultural media.

Item #21962

Price: $225.00