Aline Kominsky-Crumb was a comics artist and a leader of the movement of women writing and drawing underground comics.
- Died: November 29, 2022 (Who else died on November 29?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in France of pancreatic cancer at the age of 74.
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Underground comics
Kominsky-Crumb began drawing comics in the early days of the underground movement, in the late 1960s as a student at the University of Arizona. She relocated to San Francisco to pursue her career in comics, where she met the legendary comics artist and “Zap Comix” founder, Robert Crumb. His character Honeybunch Kaminski, though her name was similar to Kominsky-Crumb’s, predated their meeting. The two began a relationship, marrying in 1978. Kominsky-Crumb began drawing for “Wimmin’s Comix,” an influential all-female underground comic anthology, in its early issues. Her comic for “Wimmins’ Comix,” “Goldie: A Neurotic Woman,” is thought to be the first autobiographical comic written by a woman. She later split from “Wimmin’s Comix” and co-founded “Twisted Sisters” alongside Diane Noomin (1947–2022). Kominsky-Crumb became known for her deliberately messy artwork and her raunchy themes and stories. She collaborated with her husband on “Dirty Laundry,” telling autobiographical stories of their life together. Kominsky-Crumb edited the comics anthology “Weirdo” and wrote “Need More Love: A Graphic Memoir” and “The Bunch.” She was featured in the 1995 documentary film about her husband, “Crumb.”
Notable quote
“My comics are more story-driven than art-driven: The art has to bow to the writing. When you have to coordinate the images with the writing, it’s complicated. When I get sick of doing comics, I paint, because it’s direct.” —from a 2022 interview for ArtForum
Tributes to Aline Kominsky-Crumb
Full obituary: The Washington Post
