Among those who follow comics, either rabidly or casually, the name Robert Crumb strikes a chord. Even many who are out of that particular loop are familiar with him or his work thanks to Terry Zwigoff's 1995 documentary Crumb, the cover of the Big Brother And The Holding Company album Cheap Thrills, or the iconic '70s "Keep On Truckin'" poster. What is best known about Crumb the person is that he likes women with big butts and big legs, that he was the most normal of the three Crumb brothers, and that his work periodically evokes an (understandable) knee-jerk reaction. Cartoonist Joe Sacco once said that as a cartoonist, Crumb opened doors that others are afraid to go through, even today. Two new books delve a bit further into the influence and persona of Crumb, with The Life And Times Of R. Crumb concentrating mostly on the former. A collection of short essays by fans both in and out of the comics world, The Life And Times varies from revealing and well-written to dull and meandering. The book's main strength is that it should enable those unfamiliar with Crumb to better understand his importance. Some essays offer telling examples of encounters with Crumb, but most are reflections of how he shaped the contributors' own work. His influence, as exemplified by the essays, is wide-reaching, spanning mainstream successes (Matt Groening), inventive filmmakers (Terry Gilliam, Jim Jarmusch), alternative-comics luminaries past (Jay Lynch, Justin Green) and present (Dan Clowes, Dame Darcy), and pornographers (Screw's Al Goldstein). Ultimately, The Life And Times stands as a great testament to one of the most influential comics artists of the last half-century. Rather than toot the Crumb horn, Your Vigor For Life Appalls Me: Letters Of R. Crumb displays a different, significantly nerdier side of the cartoonist. Given that most of the letters were written between 1958 and '64, during which time he was 16 to 21, that's understandable. Still, it's disarming to read Crumb discuss comics like a drooling fanboy instead of a drooling iconoclast. While his early letters are often repetitions of lists of comics and records he has recently acquired, genuine insights into his character pop up with enough regularity to keep Vigor from growing too static. Unlike many teens, Crumb was given to great bouts of self-exploration, questioning the establishment and taboos that surrounded him. He even questions his huge ego (which he dubs a "greatness complex"), considering it a major factor in his unhappiness and alienation. Vigor isn't the stepping-off point offered by The Life And Times, but it is an invaluable tool for those looking for deeper insight into Crumb's twisted world.