CRAZY MEN DELUXE

CRAZY MEN DELUXE

32-page black-and-white digest-size comix with Color Covers
Published by Thru Black Holes Comix and XEX Graphix
Published May 1985
Copyright © 1985 by Michael Roden
1st Printing 1500 copies
$2.00

Up until "Plain Loon's Cosmic House" I was trying to get a message across. But after "P.L. Cosmic House" I felt the job had been done. So I decided to lighten up and have some fun. I think the C.M. are almost child-like. They're always happy or having fun even when they're scared. MICHAEL RODEN: letter to DLC dated 3/5/86

And having fun is what this comix is all about. This is one of those rare comix that requires hours of reading and rereading (and just plain staring at the pages) in order to grasp the wealth of detail and general craziness that is packed into every panel. Everything about this comix is amazing. It truly qualifies as one of the classic comix of all time.

cover MICHAEL RODEN and BOB X untitled drawing
This wonderfully zany collaboration features two dorky-looking BOB X Crazy Men and the most delightfully far-out logo ever.

page 2 BOB X and MICHAEL RODEN untitled drawing (It Hurts!)
This wonderful drawing features a painfully funny BOB X Crazy Man set against a mind-boggling MR background. MR stated that his goal with this book was "to blend 60s 'Big Daddy' type stuff with some of the outrageous sub-cultures of today like Punkers." (MR: undated letter to DLC) That goal was admirably achieved!

page 3 MICHAEL RODEN and E.H. DORN Crazy Men Village
This cool page features some outrageously crazy Crazy Men along with a stunning psychedelic sky and a great haunted house.

pp 4-7 MICHAEL RODEN and BOB X Crazy Men Miniature Golf
Totally awesome four-page extravaganza that is essentially an MR solo strip with three cool BOB X Crazy Men in the final two pages. This is one amazing story, loaded with incredible detail and some of the wackiest Crazy Men ever!

page 8 BOB X and MICHAEL RODEN untitled drawing
These Crazy Men are stoned! This is one of the few MR drawings openly depicting marijuana consumption.

page 9 MICHAEL RODEN and BOB X untitled drawing (Comix Store)
In this full-page eyeball-busting panel, a BOB X drunk stumbles through a super detailed MICHAEL RODEN background. The two very different styles of these artists work wonderfully well together.

page 10 BOB X untitled drawing
Cool BOB X solo page depicting a slobbering Crazy Man ogling an indifferent prostitute.

page 11 BOB X untitled drawing (Club X)
In contrast to the previous detail-laden page, this is a rather minimalist BOB X drawing.

page 12 MICHAEL RODEN and BOB X untitled drawing
This is a freaky horror-military drawing featuring a BOB X rotting zombie Crazy Man taking on an army of MICHAEL RODEN Crazy Man soldiers. I think that NOSTRADAMUS may have predicted this particular page but I could be mistaken.

page 13 BOB X and MICHAEL RODEN untitled drawing (Milton)
This cool page depicts a one-eyed BOB X soldier set against a plain but very effective MICHAEL RODEN background.

page 14 BOB X untitled drawing (Bob's XEX Gas)
Wacky drawing of a distraught BOB X Crazy man pumping gas. Lots of interesting detail on this page.

page 15 BOB X and JOHN E. untitled drawing
This full-pager depicts a spaced-out BOB X doctor set against a scary JOHN E. background of knives and syringes. Yow.

pp 16-17 MICHAEL RODEN Crazy Men Turnpike
This two-page panel was originally slated for publication in WEIRDO No. 13 (where a completely redrawn version appeared as The Crazy Men Roller Coaster and Turnpike). Is that JERRY GARCIA in the lower right-hand corner?

pp 18-30 MICHAEL RODEN and BOB ARMSTRONG, PETER BAGGE, BOB X, R. WILLIAMS, DENNIS WORDEN, and JIM RYAN Crazy Men on Parade
This is one ultra-amazing totally mind-bending multi-artist mega-jam comix that has so much stuff going on in it that it would be utterly impossible to even begin to see it all without spending hours just staring at the pages. Not only has MICHAEL RODEN done a masterful job of effectively bringing together a wildly diverse group of contributors, but this story also contains some of his best Crazy Men work ever! This truly must be seen to be believed!

page 31 JIM RYAN and MICHAEL RODEN untitled drawing
The inside back cover is a one-panel monster by JIM RYAN set against a detailed MICHAEL RODEN background.

bc ED ‘BIG DADDY’ ROTH and MICHAEL RODEN untitled drawing
I suppose the only possible way to wrap up such a stunning comix as this would be to feature Rat Fink on the back cover.

This (really) is one of the most amazing comix to be published during the small press comix explosion of the 1980s. There simply are not words to describe how cool it is!

Resource Notes:
Thanks to MICHAEL RODEN for providing copies of this timeless classic.
Publication date per MR: letter to DLC dated 5/28/86.

Available From:
Thru Black Holes Comix and Collectibles eBay Store

History:
Page added to the online Michael Roden Catalog 16 July 2006.