View source for Fritz the Cat

{{Short description|Comic strip created by Robert Crumb}}
{{For|the film|Fritz the Cat (film)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox comic strip
|title=Fritz the Cat
|image=[[File:Fritz description.jpg|alt=Accompanying the title is a illustration of Fritz the Cat with arms folded and a satisfied smile on his face, and the words: "Fritz is a sophisticated, up-to-the-minute young feline college student who lives in a modern supercity of millions of animals ... Yes, not unlike people in their manners and morals.|280px]]
|caption = First panel from a 1968 strip
|author=[[Robert Crumb]]
|first=January 1965 <br/>''[[Help! (magazine)|Help! Magazine]]''
|last=September 1972 <br/>''[[The People's Comics]]''
|status=Ended
|genre=Humor
|preceded by=Animal Town
|followed by=
}}

'''''Fritz the Cat''''' is a [[comic strip]] created by [[Robert Crumb]]. Set in a "supercity" of [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] animals, it focused on Fritz, a [[tabby cat]] who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began drawing the character in homemade comic books as a child, and Fritz would become one of his best-known characters.

The strip first appeared in ''[[Help! (magazine)|Help!]]'' and ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'' magazines, and subsequently in publications associated with the [[underground comix]] scene between 1965 and 1972; ''Fritz the Cat'' comic compilations elevated it to one of the underground scene's most iconic features.

''Fritz the Cat'' received further attention when it was adapted into a 1972 [[Fritz the Cat (film)|animated film of the same name]]. The directorial debut of animator [[Ralph Bakshi]], it was the first animated feature film to receive an [[X-rated|X rating]] in the United States, and the most successful independent animated feature to date. Crumb ended the strip later that year due to disagreements with the filmmakers.

==Overview==
''Fritz the Cat'' was created in 1959 by [[Robert Crumb]] in a homemade comic book story called "Cat Life", based on the experiences of Fred, the family cat.<ref name="Pahls">{{cite book |last1=Pahls |first1=Marty |title=The Early Years of Bitter Struggle |edition=third |series=The Complete Crumb Comics |volume=1 |date=May 2003 |orig-year=1996 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=0-930193-42-3 |pages=vii; x–xi |chapter=Introduction: Right Up To The Edge }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Duin |first1=Steve |last2=Richardson |first2=Mike |title=Comics, Between the Panels |year=1998 |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |isbn=1-56971-344-8 |page=186 }}</ref> The character's next appearance was in a 1960 story entitled "Robin Hood". By this point, the cat had become [[anthropomorphic]] and had been renamed Fritz, a name derived from a minor unrelated character who appeared briefly in "Cat Life".<ref name="Pahls"/><ref name="Harvey"/> Fritz appeared in the early 1960s ''Animal Town'' strips drawn by [[Charles Crumb|Charles]] and Robert Crumb. Sometimes Fritz was accompanied by Fuzzy the Bunny, who served as an alter ego for Charles, his creator.<ref name="Pahls"/>

''Fritz the Cat'' is set in a "modern 'supercity' of millions of animals."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Crumb |first=Robert |title=Fritz the Cat |year=1968 |journal=Head Comix }}</ref> Stories begin simply and become increasingly chaotic and complex as the narrative responds to uncontrollable forces.<ref name="Pahls"/> The look of ''Fritz the Cat'' comics was characterized by the use of the [[Rotring|Rapidograph]] [[technical pen]] and a simple drawing style Robert Crumb used to facilitate his storytelling.<ref name="Mercier">{{cite book |last1=Mercier |first1=Jean-Pierre |editor1-first=D. K. |editor1-last=Holm |title=R. Crumb: Conversations |year=2004 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=1-57806-637-9 |pages=212–213 |chapter=Jean-Pierre Mercier/1999 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Bell |title=Robert Crumb |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/mar/18/robertcrumb.comics |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date =18 March 2005 | location=London |access-date= 23 March 2005}}</ref> Crumb states that much of the comic books he enjoyed as a child were [[talking animal]] comics, particularly those of [[Carl Barks]].<ref name="CrumbCoffee-3">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title= The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book |isbn=0-316-16333-3 |page=3; 6–18 |chapter= My earliest memory of comics is the way they smelled! |year=1998 |publisher=Little, Brown }}</ref> Crumb was later influenced by [[Walt Kelly]]'s daily anthropomorphic animal comic strip ''[[Pogo (comics)|Pogo]]'';<ref name="CompleteFritz">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Introduction |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=IV }}</ref> Crumb did not copy Kelly's comics directly, but states that he imitated his drawing style closely; Crumb admired Kelly's storytelling style, which "seemed [to be] plotless and casually done. The characters talked to each other and nothing much happened. Just a lot of foolishness takes place".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book |isbn=0-316-16333-3 |page=23 |chapter=I consider the best of the American media of the old days to be a classical education by today's standards! |year=1998 |publisher=Little, Brown }}</ref> Crumb said of his anthropomorphic work:

<blockquote>I can express something [with animals] that is different from what I put into my work about humans ... I can put more nonsense, more satire and fantasy into the animals ... they're also easier to do than people ... With people I try more for realism, which is probably why I'm generally better with animals.<ref name="Pahls"/></blockquote>

In 1964, when he was not working at [[American Greetings]], Crumb drew many ''Fritz the Cat'' strips for his own amusement. Some of them were later published in ''[[Help! (magazine)|Help!]]'' and ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'' magazines and in [[underground comix]].<ref name="Maremaa">{{cite book |last1=Maremaa |first1=Thomas |editor1-first=D. K. |editor1-last=Holm |title=R. Crumb: Conversations |year=2004 |orig-year=1972 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=1-57806-637-9 |pages=28–31 |chapter=Who Is This Crumb?}}</ref> Fritz also appears briefly in Crumb's [[graphic novel]] ''Big Yum Yum Book: The Story of Oggie and the Beanstalk'', drawn in 1964, but not published until 1975.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holm |first1=D. K. |title=Robert Crumb |year=2005 |publisher=Pocket Essentials |isbn=1-904048-51-X |page=44 }}</ref> Several characters from the anthropomorphic universe of ''Fritz the Cat'' appeared in another Crumb comic strip, ''The Silly Pigeons'', drawn in 1965 and intended for ''Help!''<ref name="CrumbCoffee-65">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book |isbn=0-316-16333-3 |page=65 |chapter=I wanted to be on my own so bad ... and just worry about no one but myself |year=1998 |publisher=Little, Brown }}</ref> In 1970, Crumb redrew an early Fuzzy the Bunny story written by Charles Crumb in 1952; it was published in ''[[Zap Comix]]'' #5.<ref name="CrumbCoffee-3"/>

==Characters==
Marty Pahls, Crumb's childhood friend, describes Fritz as "a [[poseur]]", whose posturing was taken seriously by everyone around him.<ref name="Harvey"/> Fritz is self-centered and [[Hedonism|hedonistic]], lacking both [[Morality|morals]] and [[ethics]].<ref name="Harvey">{{cite book |last1=Harvey |first1=Robert C |title=The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History |year=1996 |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |pages=[https://archive.org/details/artofcomicbookae0000harv/page/198 198–199; 200; 217–218] |chapter=The Lonely Hearts Club Band |isbn=0-87805-758-7 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/artofcomicbookae0000harv/page/198 }}</ref> Thomas Albright describes Fritz as "a kind of updated [[Felix the Cat|Felix]] with overtones of [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Candide]], and [[Don Quixote]]."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Albright |first1=Thomas |title=Fritz the Cat |type=liner notes |year=1972 |publisher=[[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]] 9406 }}</ref> Fritz had a "glib, smooth and self-assured" personality, characteristics Crumb felt he himself lacked.<ref name="Barrier-3">{{cite web |url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/FritzPartOne/FritzThree.htm |title=The Filming of ''Fritz the Cat'': Crumb, His Cat, and the Dotted Line |access-date=2 March 2007 |author=Barrier, Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier (historian) |date=Spring 1972 |publisher=Funnyworld, No. 14 }}</ref> According to Pahls, "To a great extent, Fritz was his wish-fulfillment ... [the character allowed Robert to] do great deeds, have wild adventures, and undergo a variety of sex experiences, which he himself felt he couldn't. Fritz was bold, poised, had a way with the ladies—all attributes which Robert coveted, but felt he lacked."<ref name="Barrier-3"/>

Crumb denied any personal attachment to the character, stating, "I just got into drawing him ... He was fun to draw."<ref name="Barrier-3"/> As Crumb's personal life changed, Fritz's did too. According to Pahls, "For years, [Crumb] had few friends and no sex life; he was forced to spend many hours at school or on the job, and when he came home he 'escaped' by drawing home-made comics. When he suddenly found a group of friends that would accept him for himself, as he did in Cleveland in 1964, the 'compensation' factor went out of his drawing, and this was pretty much the end of Fritz's [[Wiktionary:impetus|impetus]]."<ref name="Barrier-3"/>

An early untitled 10-page story, drawn in 1964 and released in 1969 as part of ''R. Crumb's Comics and Stories'' ([[Rip Off Press]]), depicts Fritz as a beatnik caricature who has an [[incest]]uous tryst with his sister.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Glaubitz |first1=Nicola |editor1-first=Ladina |editor1-last=Lambert |editor2-first=Andrea |editor2-last=Ochsner |title=Moment to monument: the making and unmaking of cultural significance |year=2009 |publisher=Verlag |isbn=978-3-89942-962-6 |page=201 |chapter=Crumb and popular cultural memory }}</ref> In "Fred, the Teen-Age Girl Pigeon," Fritz is portrayed as a pop music star.<ref name="Canaday">{{cite journal |last=Canaday |first=John |date=11 November 1968 |title=Schuman the Human as Shock Therapy |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |volume=1 |issue=32 |page=57 |issn=0028-7369 }}</ref> The strips "Fritz the Cat" and "Fritz Bugs Out" portray him as a hip poet and college dropout in the [[hippie]] scene.<ref name="Barrier-3"/><ref name="Hodgetts">{{cite journal |last=Hodgetts |first=Vicki
|date=22 June 1970 |title=America's Best-Loved Underground Cartoonist |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |volume=3 |issue=25 |page=40; 43 |issn=0028-7369 }}</ref> "Fritz Bugs Out" uses anthropomorphic characters to comment on race relations, with [[Jim Crow (character)|crows representing African Americans]].<ref name="Dowd-Hignite">{{cite book |editor1-first=Douglas |editor1-last=Bevan Dowd |editor2-first=M. Todd |editor2-last=Hignite |title=Strips, Toons, and Bluesies: Essays in Comics and Culture |year=2006 |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |isbn=1-56898-621-1 |page=79 |chapter=Robert Crumb }}</ref> Fritz is portrayed as a self-conscious hypocrite, obsessed with his racism and associated guilt, while crows are portrayed as "hip innocents".<ref name="Dowd-Hignite"/> "Fritz the Cat, Secret Agent for the C.I.A.," inspired by the popularity of the [[James Bond]] series, portrays Fritz as a member of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref name="Barrier-3"/><ref name="Hodgetts"/> "Fritz the No-Good" depicts him becoming involved with terrorist [[Revolutionary|revolutionaries]]; he also [[Sexual abuse|abuses]] and rapes one of the group members’ girlfriends.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz the No-Good |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=98 }}</ref>

Fritz has an on-again/off-again relationship with a female fox named Winston; they break up at the beginning of "Fritz Bugs Out".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz Bugs Out |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=29 }}</ref> Later in the story, she attempts to convince him not to "bug out", but eventually agrees to go on a road trip with him.<ref name="CompleteFritz-41">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz Bugs Out |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |pages=41–48 }}</ref> When her car overheats and stalls in the desert, Fritz abandons her. Winston is also a character featured in the 1972 film, as is this storyline—Fritz's [[Volkswagen Beetle]] dodging big rig trucks on the highway in the middle of the night and later running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.<ref name="CompleteFritz-41"/> She reappears in "Fritz the Cat Doubts His Masculinity"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz the Cat Doubts His Masculinity |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=75 }}</ref> and in "Fritz the No-Good", where they reunite after Fritz is thrown out of his wife's apartment.<ref name="CompleteFritz-92">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz the No-Good |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |pages=92–94 }}</ref> Fuzzy the Bunny, who appeared in the early ''Animal Town'' strips, reappears as a college student in "Fritz Bugs Out"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz Bugs Out |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=30 }}</ref> and as a revolutionary in "Fritz the No-Good".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Fritz the No-Good |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=96 }}</ref>

==Publication history==
''[[Help! (magazine)|Help!]]'', a magazine published by former ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' editor [[Harvey Kurtzman]], published two stories featuring Fritz, including the character's first public appearance in January 1965, "Fritz Comes on Strong".<ref name="Choron">{{cite book |last=Choron |first=Sandra |author2=Harry Choron |author3=Arden Moore |title=Planet Cat |year=2007 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |location=Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-618-81259-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/planetcatcatalog00chor/page/96 96] |url=https://archive.org/details/planetcatcatalog00chor/page/96 }}</ref> In this debut story, Fritz brings a young female cat home and strips all her clothes off before getting on top of her to pick fleas off of her. Preceding the publication of the story, Kurtzman sent Crumb a letter which read, "Dear R. Crumb, we think the little pussycat drawings you sent us were just great. Question is, how do we print them without going to jail?"<ref name="CompleteFritz"/><ref>{{cite video |people=Crumb, Robert |date=1987 |title=The Confessions of Robert Crumb |medium=documentary |time=32:42 }}</ref><ref name="CrumbCoffee-48">{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book |isbn=0-316-16333-3 |page=48; 52–53 |chapter=When I left home my father bought me a bus ticket to Cleveland and loaned me $14 |year=1998 |publisher=Little, Brown }}</ref>

Although Kurtzman agreed to publish the story, he requested that Crumb alter the final two panels; the published version depicted Fritz standing next to her.<ref name="CrumbCoffee-48"/> Crumb later recalled that the original ending "wasn't that dirty ... only slightly risque by today's standards".<ref name="CompleteFritz"/> In May 1965, ''Help!'' published a second Fritz story, "Fred, the Teen-Age Girl Pigeon". In this episode Fritz is a guitar-playing pop idol and he brings Fred, a female pigeon groupie, to his hotel room and proceeds to eat her.<ref name="Skinn-84">{{cite book |last1=Skinn |first1=Dez |title=Comix: The Underground Revolution |year=2004 |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |page=84 |chapter=The Two Lives of Fritz the Cat |isbn=1-56025-572-2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-link1=Maurice Horn |last1=Horn |first1=Maurice |title=The World encyclopedia of comics, Volume 1 |year=1976 |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |isbn=0-87754-042-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldencyclopedi00horn/page/266 266] |chapter=Fritz the Cat |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/worldencyclopedi00horn/page/266 }}</ref> [[John Canaday]]'s ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine review of ''Head Comix'' describes this [[punch line]] as "outrageous brilliance [that] is rivaled only by [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s last lines in ''[[The Loved One (book)|The Loved One]]''."<ref name="Canaday"/>

"Fritz Bugs Out" was [[Serial (literature)|serialized]] in ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'' from February to October 1968.<ref name="Harvey"/> In the summer of 1968, ''Fritz the Cat'' strips appeared in the [[Viking Press]] compilation titled ''Head Comix'', which focused exclusively on Crumb's material.<ref name="Harvey"/> In 1969, [[Ballantine Books]] paid Crumb a $5,000 advance for the publication rights to a compilation of three stories featuring Fritz. Crumb used the money to purchase a three-acre lot.<ref name="Hodgetts"/> In 2017, Crumb's original cover art for the Ballantine collection sold at auction for $717,000, the highest sale price to that point for any piece of American cartoon art.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/37554/new-record-price-american-comic-art | title=New Record Price for American Comic Art| first= Milton |last=Griepp |author-link=Milton Griepp| work=[[ICv2]] | date= May 19, 2017|access-date= May 21, 2017| archive-date= May 21, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521131525/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/37554/new-record-price-american-comic-art |url-status=live}}</ref>

Crumb abandoned the character the same year as the Ballantine collection,<ref name="Maremaa"/> but previously unpublished stories appeared in ''Promethean Enterprises'' No. 3 and 4 in 1971 and ''Artistic Comics'' ([[Golden Gate Publishing Company]]) in 1973.<ref name="CompleteFritz-Editor">{{cite book |author=J.B.R. |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |chapter=Editor's Note |date=February 1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 |page=II }}</ref> "Fritz the Cat 'Superstar'" — featuring the death of the character — was the last new story released; it was published in ''The People's Comics'' (Golden Gate) in 1972.<ref name="Estren">{{cite book |last1=Estren |first1=Mark James |title=A History of Underground Comics |year=1993 |publisher=Ronin Publishing |isbn=0-914171-64-X |page=283 |chapter=Cycling and Recycling }}</ref>

In 1978, Bélier Press published ''The Complete Fritz the Cat'', which brought together all the published stories featuring Fritz, as well as previously unpublished drawings and unfinished comics. At the artist's request, a 10-page story drawn in 1964 and previously published in ''R. Crumb's Comics and Stories'' (Rip Off Press) in 1969 was excluded from this collection.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Complete Fritz the Cat |year=1978 |publisher=Belier Press |isbn=978-0-914646-16-7 }}</ref> In April 1993, [[Fantagraphics Books]] published ''The Life & Death of Fritz the Cat'', compiling nine major strips, including the 1964 story previously excluded from ''The Complete Fritz the Cat''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Life & Death of Fritz the Cat |date=April 1993 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=1-56097-117-7 }}</ref> ''Fritz the Cat'' strips also appear in ''[[The Complete Crumb Comics]]'' series.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Early Years of Bitter Struggle |series=The Complete Crumb Comics |volume=1 |year=1996 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=0-930193-42-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=Some More Early Years of Bitter Struggle |series=The Complete Crumb Comics |volume=2 |year=1996 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=0-930193-62-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=Starring Fritz the Cat |series=The Complete Crumb Comics |volume=3 |year=1996 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=0-930193-75-X }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Crumb |first1=Robert |title=The Death of Fritz the Cat |series=The Complete Crumb Comics |volume=8 |year=1998 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books |isbn=1-56097-076-6 }}</ref> An unpublished page featuring Fritz that had been intended for ''Help!'', as well as comics featuring other characters related to the anthropomorphic universe of ''Fritz the Cat'', appeared in ''The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book'' in 1998.<ref name="CrumbCoffee-3"/><ref name="CrumbCoffee-65"/><ref name="CrumbCoffee-48"/>

=== List of appearances ===
'''These Fritz comics were intended for publication:'''
* "Fritz Comes on Strong," ''[[Help! (magazine)|Help!]]'' #22 (Jan. 1965)
* "Fred, the Teen-Age Girl Pigeon," ''Help!'' #24 (May 1965)
* ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'' (Feb.–Oct. 1968) — two storylines:
** "Fritz Bugs Out"
** "Fritz the No-Good"
* untitled ["Fritz is a sophisticated, up-to-the-minute young feline who lives in a modern "supercity"..."], ''R. Crumb's Head Comix'' ([[Viking Press]], November 1968) — originally intended for a never-published comic book titled ''Fug''
* "Special Agent for the C.I.A.", ''R. Crumb's Fritz the Cat'' ([[Ballantine Books]], Oct. 1969)
* "Fritz the Cat: 'Superstar'," ''The People's Comics'' (Golden Gate Publishing, Sept. 1972)

'''These Fritz comics were from Crumb's sketchbooks and/or were not originally intended for publication. They are presented here in approximate chronological order of creation:'''
* Sept. 1959–Feb. 1960: "Cat Life," ''The Complete Fritz the Cat'' (Bélier Press, 1978) — story drawn on composition notebook paper
* March 12, 1960: "Robin Hood," ''[[The Complete Crumb Comics]]'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987) — signed and dated<ref name=GCD01>[https://www.comics.org/issue/580412/#913721 "The Complete Crumb Comics #1 - The Early Years of Bitter Struggle,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed June 1, 2018.</ref>
* March 22–April 3, 1960: untitled Animal Town story ["Darn! That last town I got chased out of didn't have a train to New York"], ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987) — signed<ref name=GCD01 />
* Dec. 10, 1960: "A Christmas Tale," ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987) — signed<ref name=GCD01 />
* May 1961: untitled Animal Town story ["Well, sir, after nine years of isolated study and meticulous labor"]," ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987)<ref name=GCD01 />
* May 4, 1961: "R. Crumb's Animal Town Comics," ''Prime Cuts'' #3 (Fantagraphics, May 1987) — sign and dated<ref name=GCD01 />
* May 22, 1961: untitled Animal Town story ["Attention, ladies and gentlemen! Your attention please!"]," ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987)<ref name=GCD01 />
* June 8, 1961: untitled Animal Town story ["What's going on here? What is this congregating on the streets?"]," ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #1 — ''The Early Years of Bitter Struggle'' (Fantagraphics, Oct. 1987)<ref name=GCD01 />
* April 1964: untitled ["R. Crumb's Comics and Stories"], ''R. Crumb's Comics and Stories'' #1 (Rip Off Press, [June] 1969)
* Aug. 1964: "Fritz the Cat, Ace Salesman," ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' #3 — ''Starring Fritz the Cat'' (Fantagraphics, Nov. 1988)<ref>[https://www.comics.org/issue/580414/#895367 "The Complete Crumb Comics #3 - Starring Fritz the Cat,"] Grand Comics Database. Accessed June 1, 2018.</ref>
* 1965: untitled ["Oh Fritz! This is marvelous! I'm in love with your car! I really am!"], ''The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book'' (Little, Brown, 1997) — unpublished page from ''Help''
* summer 1965: "Fritz the Cat, Magician," ''Promethean Enterprises'' No. 3 (1971)
* c. 1967: "Fritz the Cat Becomes a Drug Addict," ''The Complete Fritz the Cat'' (Bélier Press, 1978)

'''Creation dates unknown''':
* ''Promethean Enterprises'' No. 4 (fall 1971)
* ''Artistic Comics'' (Golden Gate Publishing, 1973)
* "Fritz the Cat Doubts His Masculinity,"''The Complete Fritz the Cat'' (Bélier Press, 1978)

==Cultural impact==
Following the publication of the compilations ''Head Comix'' and ''R. Crumb's Fritz the Cat'', Crumb received increased attention and ''Fritz the Cat'' became one of the most familiar features on the underground comix scene<ref name="Skinn-84"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Horn |first1=Maurice |title=The World Encyclopedia of Comics |year=1983 |publisher=University of Michigan |isbn=0-87754-323-2 |page=266 }}</ref> and Crumb's most famous creation.<ref name="Mercier"/> The strip's association with the 1960s counterculture is so strong that for example the 1975 song ''Motorcycle Mama'', being a nostalgic remembrance of the 1960s, by Swedish singer-songwriter [[Harpo (singer)|Harpo]] mentions Fritz the Cat among other cultural icons of the decade such as ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Ravi Shankar]], ''[[Easy Rider]]'', [[Woodstock]], [[Bob Dylan]], and [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]], and according to Dez Skinn, author of ''Comix: The Underground Revolution'', the strip served as an inspiration for ''[[Omaha the Cat Dancer]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Skinn |first1=Dez |title=Comix: The Underground Revolution |year=2004 |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |page=71 |chapter=Can't Get Enuff |isbn=1-56025-572-2}}</ref>

Like many other of Crumb's creations, Fritz the Cat has remained not without detractors. In ''Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics'', D. Aviva Rothschild criticized the stories printed in the collection ''The Life & Death of Fritz the Cat'' as being misogynist, racist, and violent. He felt that, "They also tend to ramble, as if Crumb were making them up as he went along."<ref name="Rothschild">{{cite book |last1=Rothschild |first1=D. Aviva |title=Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics |year=1995 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |isbn=1-56308-086-9 |page=110 |chapter=Funny Animals }}</ref> Rothschild concluded that, "Even though ''Fritz the Cat'' is a classic, there are better, more coherent Crumb books around."<ref name="Rothschild"/>

The stories served as the basis for a pair of film adaptations produced by [[Steve Krantz]], ''[[Fritz the Cat (film)|Fritz the Cat]]'' (1972), directed by [[Ralph Bakshi]],<ref name="PM">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/160872-american-pop-matters-ron-thompson-the-illustrated-man-unsung-2495833587.html|work=[[PopMatters]]|date=2 August 2012|title='American Pop' ... Matters: Ron Thompson, the Illustrated Man Unsung|author=Maçek III, J.C.}}</ref> and ''[[The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat]]'' (1974), directed by [[Robert Taylor (animator)|Robert Taylor]]. The first film adaptation of ''Fritz the Cat'' was ranked 51st on the [[Online Film Critics Society]]'s list of the top 100 greatest animated films of all time<ref name="OFCS">{{cite web|url=http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com/pages/pr/top100animated |title=Top 100 Animated Features of All Time |access-date=2 March 2007 |publisher=[[Online Film Critics Society]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211035405/http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com/pages/pr/top100animated |archive-date=11 February 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> and 56th on [[Channel 4]]'s list of the ''100 Greatest Cartoons''.<ref name="Channel4">{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/cartoons/results.html |title=Top 100 Cartoons |access-date=28 January 2008 |publisher=Channel 4 }}</ref>

===Animated adaptations===
{{main|Fritz the Cat (film)|The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat}}
[[File:RalphBakshiJan09.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Head and shoulders of a bearded older man in glasses. Smiling, with eyes nearly closed, he is wearing a plain sweater and holding a microphone.|Animator Ralph Bakshi directed a film adaptation of ''Fritz the Cat'', released in 1972 to much success.]]
In 1969, New York animator [[Ralph Bakshi]] came across a copy of ''R. Crumb's Fritz the Cat'' and suggested to producer Steve Krantz that it would work as a film.<!--this is a bit redundant, see above --><ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62">{{cite book |last1=Gibson |first1=Jon M. |last2=McDonnell |first2=Chris |title=Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi |year=2008 |publisher=Universe Publishing |isbn=978-0-7893-1684-4 |pages=58; 62–63; 80–81 |chapter=''Fritz the Cat'' }}</ref> After meeting with Bakshi, Crumb loaned him one of his sketchbooks as a reference,<ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/> but was unsure of the film's production and refused to sign the contract.<ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/> Bakshi and Crumb were unable to reach an agreement after two weeks of negotiations but Krantz secured the film rights from Crumb's wife, Dana, who had a power of attorney.<ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/> Crumb received $50,000, distributed over the course of production, and ten percent of Krantz's proceeds.<ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/>

''Fritz the Cat'' was the first animated feature film to receive an [[X-rated|X rating]] from the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA).<ref name="Barrier-1">{{cite web
|url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/FritzPartOne/FritzOne.htm |title=The Filming of ''Fritz the Cat'': Bucking the Tide |access-date=2 March 2007 |author=Barrier, Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier (historian) |date=Spring 1972 |publisher=Funnyworld, No. 14 }}</ref> The film's distributor capitalized on the rating in the film's advertising material, which touted the film as being "X rated and animated!"<ref name="Barrier-1"/> Released on 12 April 1972, it opened simultaneously in Hollywood and Washington, D.C.<ref name="Barrier-3"/> The film became a worldwide hit, grossing over $100 million (USD) and was the most successful independent animated feature ever.<ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/> Crumb disliked how the film presented the sexual content and politics, denouncing Fritz's dialogue in the final sequences of the film, which includes a paraphrased quote from [[The Beatles]] song "[[The End (Beatles song)|The End]]", as "red-neck and fascistic."<ref name="Maremaa"/><ref name="Barrier-3"/><ref name="Barrier-5">{{cite web |url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/FritzPartTwo/FritzFive.htm |title=The Filming of ''Fritz the Cat'': A Strange Breed of Cat |access-date=2 March 2007 |author=Barrier, Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier (historian) |date=Fall 1973 |publisher=Funnyworld, No. 15 }}</ref> Nonetheless, the film is credited with extending Crumb's reputation beyond the underground comix scene.<ref name="Skinn-84"/>

Following the film's release, Crumb  quickly produced the story "Fritz the Cat 'Superstar',"<ref>Crumb, R. "Fritz the Cat 'Superstar'," ''The People's Comics'' (Golden Gate Publishing, Sept. 1972).</ref> in which he satirized Bakshi and Krantz. Crumb portrayed Fritz in a script conference for ''Fritz Goes to India'', a fictional sequel to the film.<ref name="Estren"/><ref name="Gibson-McDonnell-62"/> Crumb's story ends with a neurotic ex-girlfriend killing Fritz. She murders him by stabbing him in the back of the head with an ice pick due to Fritz's overt sexism.<ref name="Estren"/>

After the film's release, the American humor magazine the ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]'' published a comics story written by mordant humorist [[Michael O'Donoghue]], and drawn by [[Randall Enos]] in a parody of Crumb's style, called "Fritz the Star in 'Kitty Glitter.'"<ref>Michael O'Donoghue and Randall Enos, "Fritz the Star in 'Kitty Glitter,'" ''National Lampoon'' (January 1972).</ref> The four-page piece portrayed the Fritz character as a jaded and complacent Hollywood star going through the motions of celebrities of the day: appearing on talk shows, commercials, and telethons mouthing vaguely liberal platitudes, before cynically guiding the conversation over to promoting his next movie. Other comics cats make appearances, including [[Felix the Cat]], [[Krazy Kat]], and [[underground comix]] cats Pat (from [[Jay Lynch]]'s Nard n' Pat)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lynch|first1=Jay (Jayzey) |title=Nard n' Pat #1 |year=1978 |publisher= [[Kitchen Sink Press]] }}</ref> and [[Kim Deitch]]'s Waldo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deitch|first1=Kim |title=All Waldo Comics |date=March 1, 1992 |publisher= Fantagraphics Books, Seattle, WA }}</ref> The strip ends with a nightmarish full-page vista of "Crumbland", where all of Crumb's countercultural icons have been turned into commercial commodities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Donoghue|first1=Michael |author-link=Michael O'Donoghue |title=The Best of National Lampoon |volume=3 |year=1972 |publisher=Twenty First Century Communications|location=New York }}</ref>

In 1974, Krantz produced a sequel, ''[[The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat]]'', without participation from either Bakshi or Crumb.<ref name="Harvey"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Estren |first1=Mark James |title=A History of Underground Comics |year=1993 |publisher=Ronin Publishing |isbn=0-914171-64-X |page=259 |chapter=Into the Overground }}</ref>

==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|United States}}
*{{Portal-inline|Comics}}
*{{Portal-inline|Comedy}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110317032935/http://rcrumb.com/history/history5.htm Fritz the Cat] – [[Robert Crumb]] Official Website
* [http://toonopedia.com/fritz.htm Fritz the Cat] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527221512/https://www.webcitation.org/6jOtYLNrL?url=http://toonopedia.com/fritz.htm Archived] from the original on July 30, 2016.
* Tony Sokol. [http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/fritz-the-cat/257295/fritz-the-cat-a-look-at-r-crumbs-x-rated-animation-masterpiece "Fritz The Cat: A Look at R. Crumb's X-Rated Animation Masterpiece,"] ''Den of Geek'' (Apr 12, 2018).

{{Fritz the Cat}}
{{Robert Crumb}}
{{Underground comix characters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz The Cat}}
[[Category:Fritz the Cat| ]]
[[Category:Adult comic strips]]
[[Category:1965 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1972 comics endings]]
[[Category:American comic strips]]
[[Category:American comics adapted into films]]
[[Category:American comics characters]]
[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic cats]]
[[Category:Comedy film characters]]
[[Category:Male characters in comics]]
[[Category:Comics about anthropomorphic cats]]
[[Category:Comics about anthropomorphic crows]]
[[Category:Comics about anthropomorphic foxes]]
[[Category:Comics about talking animals]]
[[Category:Comics adapted into animated films]]
[[Category:Comics by Robert Crumb]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1965]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Fantagraphics titles]]
[[Category:Fictional con artists]]
[[Category:Fictional poets]]
[[Category:Fictional rapists]]
[[Category:Fictional revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Humor comics]]
[[Category:Satirical comics]]
[[Category:Underground comix]]
[[Category:Black comedy comics]]