Fritz, One Cool Cat

Some of you may remember the comix movement associated with the underground press and hippie counterculture of the 60's and 70's. I, for one, had the privilege of experiencing this phenomenon as it made its way into the head shops across America first hand. Now, those were the days.   

One of the most prominent artist of this movement was founder Robert Crumb. Known for his distinctive style, R. Crumb was recognized for his critical, satirical and subversive view of American mainstream. He has said that his extensive use of LSD led to the development of his characters and their adventures which included Devil Girl, Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat.

I was an enthusiastic fan of all these revolutionaries and their comx of this era; however, my favorite was the glib, smooth and self-assured Fritz the Cat. Man, I coveted each any every comix and freaked out when Fritz jumped off the pages and onto the screen in 1972. Rated X, my underaged  friends and I had to sneak into the local drive-in theater to watch our comix book hero who had become animated.

Two films were produced before R. Crumb finally put Fritz to rest, Fritz the Cat and The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat, which the later can be found in its entirety on YouTube.  Take a little trip, take a little trip, take a little trip with me.