The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat

Robert Crumb’s first great character — in fact, his second-best-known character next to Mr. Natural — was Fritz the Cat, the horny, hip-talking feline whose success (especially after the release of the animated movie, which Crumb loathed) caused Crumb to kill him off. The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat, back in print as an inexpensive hardcover as a companion to The Book of Mr. Natural, contains all the Fritz stories from the earliest sketchbook-drawn tales (“Hey, Ol’ Cat!” and “Fritz Comes On Strong”) to the wild adventure stories (“Special Agent for the C.I.A.”) to the classic “peak” Fritz stories (“Fritz the No-Good”) all the way to the despairing “Fritz the Cat, Superstar” with its infamous ice-pick ending. Plus an introduction by Crumb, sketchbook pages, and more.