Happy 69th Birthday, Robert Crumb!

R. Crumb, who took cartoons underground and then nudged underground closer to the surface, turns 69 years old today. While he has worked entirely outside of the mainstream of the comic book industry, his best known works - such as the hedonistic "Fritz the Cat" and the "Keep on Truckin'" images that became hippie icons - have certainly entered the pop culture. His "Mr. Natural" character became a familiar figure, spouting philosophical aphorisms while almost tripping over his beard. Crumb drew many album covers, including a famous one for Big Brother & the Holding Company's "Cheap Thrills." Fittingly, he was the subject of an underground 1994 documentary that went mainstream.