A short life of the author
Aline Kominsky-Crumb (1948–2022) was born Aline Goldsmith on 3 August 1948 in Long Island, New York. She studied art at the University of Arizona and moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, where she became part of the underground comix scene. She was married to Robert Crumb from 1978 until her death.
Life and Career
Kominsky-Crumb was a founding contributor to Wimmen’s Comix (1972) — the first all-women underground comic — and edited Twisted Sisters (1976–1994). Her autobiographical strips — which she described as “Bunch” stories, after her alter ego the Bunch — are raw, confessional, and deliberately anti-virtuosic in their drawing style.
Love That Bunch (1990) and Need More Love: A Graphic Memoir (2007) collect her life’s work. Drawn Together (2012), a collaborative comic with Robert Crumb, is a unique document of a marriage between two artists.
Major Works and Themes
Kominsky-Crumb wrote about sexuality, body image, Jewish identity, family dysfunction, and the experience of being a woman in the male underground. Her drawing style is intentionally rough — a rejection of slick virtuosity.
Key Works
- Love That Bunch (1990)
- Need More Love (2007)
Collecting Kominsky-Crumb
Original Wimmen’s Comix issues bring $20–$50. Love That Bunch (Fantagraphics, 1990) brings $30–$60. She died in 2022.