Mr. Natural (Fred Natural) is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

character created and drawn by

1960s counterculture The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...

and

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

artist

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

. First appearing in ''

Yarrowstalks ''Yarrowstalks'' was an underground press, underground newspaper (and later a magazine), primarily based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that published 12 issues from 1967 to 1975. It is notable for being the first publication to publish the comix ...

'' (1967), the character gained a following during the emergence of

in the 1960s and 1970s, and has been extensively merchandised in various products.

Publication history

When he settled in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1967, Crumb began drawing

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

-inspired comics. The first Mr. Natural strip, "Mr. Natural: The

Zen Master Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authorizat ...

", appeared in the premiere issue of the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

-based underground newspaper ''

'' on 5 May 1967. When editor Brian Zahn proposed to Crumb to fill the entire third issue with his comix, Crumb created Flakey Foont and several other characters. Mr. Natural made appearances in other underground newspapers such as the ''

East Village Other ''The East Village Other'' (often abbreviated as ''EVO'') was an American underground newspaper in New York City, issued biweekly during the 1960s. It was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a New York newspaper so countercultural that it ma ...

'', which published the strips "Mr. Natural Meets God" and "Mr. Natural Repents" among others. He made his first official comix appearance in ''

Zap Comix ''Zap Comix'' is an underground comix series which was originally part of the youth counterculture of the late 1960s. While a few small-circulation self-published satirical comic books had been printed prior to this, ''Zap'' became the model for ...

'' #1 (Feb. 1968). Mr. Natural also appeared in early underground comix titles like ''

Bijou Funnies ''Bijou Funnies'' was an American underground comix magazine which published eight issues between 1968 and 1973. Edited by Chicago-based cartoonist Jay Lynch, ''Bijou Funnies'' featured strong work by the core group of Lynch, Skip Williamson, Robe ...

'', and '' Yellow Dog''. He was a regular in ''Zap'' for the balance of the 1960s until appearing in his own three-issue title, originally co-published by the San Francisco Comic Book Company and

Apex Novelties The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

. Crumb created original Mr. Natural strips for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' from February 2-November 29, 1976, which were first collected in ''Mr. Natural'' #3 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1977). After a ten-year hiatus, Mr. Natural returned in the pages of Crumb's solo series, ''Hup'' (Last Gasp), and then after another gap, in ''Mystic Funnies'' #1 (Alex Wood, 1997). The character hasn't made a new appearance since 2002. Mr. Natural's various appearances were collected in ''

The Complete Crumb Comics ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' is a series of collections from Fantagraphics Books which was intended to reproduce the entire body of People of the United States, American cartoonist and comic book artist/writer Robert Crumb's comics work in chrono ...

'' vol. 4, "Mr. Sixties!" (Fantagraphics, 1989), ''The Book of Mr. Natural'' (Fantagraphics, 1995), as well as ''The Complete Crumb Comics'' vol. 11, "Mr. Natural Committed to a Mental Institution!" (Fantagraphics, 1995).

Characterization

At first appearance, Mr. Natural is a mystic

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

who spouts

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

s on the evils of the modern world and the salvation to be found in mysticism and natural living. He has renounced the material world and lives off anything he can get in exchange for his nuggets of wisdom. Usually depicted as slightly overweight (although his size varies), he is bald with a long white beard, and wears a gown which makes him resemble "old man" depictions of God or a

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

. Crumb's bearded guru is too unapologetic to be called a

con man A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

. Despite his renunciation of the material world, he is an unrepentant sybarite. His straight talk, while refreshing, can get him into trouble, as when he was kicked out of heaven for telling God it's "a little corny" in "Mr. Natural Meets God". But he may be the only Crumb creation who is genuinely likable. Mr. Natural's advice is seemingly at odds with his image as a sage, and his inventions are at once brilliant and crackpot. Perhaps Mr. Natural's most famous aphorism is, "Mr. Natural sez, Use the right tool for the job" — spoken on seeing Flakey Foont unloading a truck full of bowling balls with a pitchfork. Asked, "What does it all mean?", he responds, "Don't mean sheeit..." Mr. Natural has strange, magical powers and possesses cosmic insight, but he is also moody, cynical, self-pitying, and suffers from various strange sexual obsessions. He is endlessly being accosted by would-be disciples seeking the truth (among them such long-running Crumb characters as Flakey Foont and Shuman the Human). He typically regards them with amused condescension and a certain grudging affection, although his patience often wears thin and he takes sadistic pleasure in making them feel like idiots. While he is typically very cool and in control, he sometimes ends up in humiliating predicaments like languishing for years in a mental institution. According to a biography written and illustrated by Crumb, "Fred Natural" had been a jazz musician and then

faith healer Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

in the 1920s,Crumb, R. " "The Origins of Mr. Natural", ''Mr. Natural'' #1 (San Francisco Comic Book Company, Aug. 1970) which would mean that he was "born" in the early years of the 20th century, and by the time of his first encounters (set in the San Francisco area) in the 1960s, was a 60-year-old man. However, in Crumb's illustration of the 1920s faith healer, Fred Natural looks approximately fifty, which would make him one hundred years old in the earliest Flakey Foont encounters. Mr. Natural's own father is featured in a 1973 ''Zap'' story, where he is represented as a rugged frontier type living in a rundown tenement-style apartment building.untitled I'm taking you to see my ol' man..." ''Zap Comix'' #6 (Print Mint, 1973). In the "biography", "Fred Natural" leaves America and travels for many years in Asia, which is where he picks up his unique combination of wisdom and chicanery. For a time he worked as a

taxicab driver A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

.Crumb, R. ''The Book of Mr. Natural'', Fantagraphics Books (December 27, 1995) p.5 He returns to the U.S during the Beat era of the 1960s, and is drawn to the San Francisco Bay area by nubile girls and people willing to listen and pay for his improvisational spirituality. He exhorts his disciples to eat only his own line of "Mr. Natural Brand Foods", and to listen to his broadcasts on the fictional WZAP Radio. A theme in Mr. Natural is the inability of generations in the United States to connect, with each generation rejecting the one before it. Mr. Natural is a "grandfather", and not a "father", to the clueless Foont. In one strip, Mr. Natural's father finds Foont so decadent that he attacks him. In the 1980s and 1990s he entered into a tempestuous relationship with Devil Girl, another popular Crumb character.

Inspiration

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared ...

writes that Mr. Natural is a lampoon of

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918

. In the film ''

Comic Book Confidential ''Comic Book Confidential'' is an American/Canadian documentary film, released in 1988. Directed by Ron Mann and written by Mann and Charley Lippincott, the film is a survey of the history of the comic book medium in the United States from the 193 ...

'', Crumb says that he was inspired to draw the character when he heard then radio DJ David Rubenstein, jokingly calling himself "Mr. Natural". A conscious model for Mr. Natural would be various louche and disreputable

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

survivors who'd gone through the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in various capacities such as war correspondent, and who'd volunteered for service in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, only to discover, in the

McCarthy era McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origina ...

of the 1950s, that their background made them unemployable and who developed various sorts of scams to prey upon the postwar

Baby Boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. Th ...

' search for enlightenment. Crumb has acknowledged that one inspiration for Mr. Natural was a character called The Little Hitchhiker from a comic strip called ''The Squirrel Cage'' by

Gene Ahern Eugene Leslie Ahern (September 16, 1895 – March 6, 1960) was a cartoonist best known for his bombastic Major Hoople, a pompous character who appeared in the long-run syndicated gag panel ''Our Boarding House''. Many of Ahern's comic strips took ...

, which ran from 1936 to 1953. An homage is sometimes read into this. Mr. Natural also somewhat resembles an

E. C. Segar Elzie Crisler Segar (; December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known by the pen name E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip ''Thimble ...

character, Dr. O.G. Wotasnozzle. Mr. Natural's one-piece yellow outfit bears a resemblance to

Richard F. Outcault Richard Felton Outcault (; January 14, 1863 – September 25, 1928) was an American cartoonist. He was the creator of the series ''The Yellow Kid'' and ''Buster Brown'' and is considered a key pioneer of the modern comic strip. Life and career ...

's early comic strip ''

The Yellow Kid The Yellow Kid (Mickey Dugan) is an American comic strip character that appeared from 1895 to 1898 in Joseph Pulitzer's ''New York World'', and later William Randolph Hearst's ''New York Journal''. Created and drawn by Richard F. Outcault in th ...

''.

In popular culture

In 1978, a

pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...

called '' Up in Flames'' was made, featuring Mr. Natural and

Gilbert Shelton Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', '' Fat Freddy's Cat'', and ''Wonder W ...

Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' is an Underground comix, underground comic about a fictional trio of Cannabis culture, stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in ''The Rag'', an u ...

. The film was made without the knowledge or permission of Crumb or Shelton. Mr. Natural appeared, unauthorized, stamped on the blotter paper of a popular form of LSD in the 1970s. A

Martin Rowson Martin Rowson ( ; born 15 February 1959) is a British editorial cartoonist and writer. His genre is political satire and his style is scathing and graphic. He characterises his work as "visual journalism". His cartoons appear frequently in ''The ...

cartoon in the July 24, 2008, edition of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' featured the recently arrested

Radovan Karadžić Radovan Karadžić ( sr-cyr, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Bosnian Serb politician, psychiatrist and poet. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tr ...

in the guise of Mr. Natural. In the ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

'' season 5 episode " Confessions", the criminal lawyer

Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his trade name, business name Saul Goodman, is a character (arts), character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad (franchi ...

calls

Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...

"Mr. Natural" upon Jesse lighting a joint in Saul's office. On the television sitcom, ''

Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American sitcom that aired from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014, on Fox. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Plimpton was nominated for Outstanding L ...

'', a recurring outfit for the main character Jimmy Chance, was a "Mr. Natural" T-shirt. Mr. Natural makes a cameo in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film '' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'', as one of the toons operating on Main Street's hidden black market. He is voiced by the film's director

Akiva Schaffer Akiva D. Schaffer (; born December 1, 1977) is an American film director, comedian, actor, and writer. He is a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island along with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. He began his career with The Lonely Island maki ...

.Johnston, Rich
"Robert Crumb's Mr Natural, The Strangest Cameo In Chip 'n Dale"
''Bleeding Cool'' (May 30, 2022).

List of appearances (selected)

Solo titles

* ''Mr. Natural'' #1 (San Francisco Comic Book Company/Apex Novelties, Aug. 1970) — "Mr. Natural's 719th Meditation", "Om Sweet Om" (with Shuman the Human), "The Origins of Mr. Natural", "The Mr. Natural Drawing Contest", "On the Bum Again" * ''Mr. Natural'' #2 (San Francisco Comic Book Company, Oct. 1971) — "A Gurl in Hotpants" (with Flakey Foont), "Sittin' Around the Kitchen Table" (with Flakey Foont), "The Girlfriend" (with Flakey Foont), "Have you seen 'um lately?", "I am the greatest! Make way! Make Way!" (with the Snoid), "On the Bum Again, part two" * ''Mr. Natural'' #3 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1977) — essentially 43 one-page stories (originally published in the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

'') * ''Mystic Funnies'' #1 (Alex Wood, 1997) — (all stories co-star Flakey Foont) "Who Are You?", "Look and See!", "Ah Yes, So It Goes", "Big Man", "Omen in the Gloamin'", "The Saints"

Other appearances

* ''Yarrowstalks'' #1 (David Auten and Brian Zahn, May 5, 1967) * "Hey Boparee Bop", ''Yarrowstalks'' #2 (July 1967) — with the Snoid, Gar, Jesus Christ (unnamed), and Angelfood McSpade * "Mr. Natural Encounters Flakey Foont", ''Yarrowstalks'' #3 (Aug. 1967) — with Flakey Foont * "The Old Pooperoo Pauses to Ponder", ''

'' vol. 3, #2 (December 1–15, 1967) — with Flakey Foont, the Snoid, and

Angelfood McSpade Angelfood McSpade is a comic book character created and drawn by the 1960s counter culture figure and underground comix artist Robert Crumb. The character first appeared in the Philadelphia-based underground newspaper ''Yarrowstalks'' #2 in July ...

* "Mr. Natural 'Visits The City'", ''

'' #1 (Apex Novelties, Feb. 1968) — with Flakey Foont * "Mr. Natural's School of Wisdom", '' Yellow Dog'' #1 (Print Mint, May 1968) * "Hm!! Some of these students of mine haven't been making their monthly payments of late!", ''Zap Comix'' #2 (Apex Novelties, July 1968) * untitled Can the Mind Know it?" ''East Village Other'' vol. 3, #47 (Oct. 25, 1968) — with the Snoid * "Mr. Natural in Death Valley", ''Zap Comix'' #0 (Apex Novelties, late 1968) — with Flakey Foont * "Street Corner Daze", ''Zap Comix'' #3 (Apex Novelties, Fall 1968) * "Hey Boparee Bop", ''R. Crumb's Head Comix'' (Viking Press, Nov. 1968) — with Angelfood McSpade * ''Yellow Dog'' #8 (1969) ** ""Mr. Natural! Mr. Natural! I want you to come and look at my sore bunion" — with Flakey Foont ** "Mr. Natural Falls in Love" * "Mr. Natural Takes a Vacation", ''Zap Comix'' #4 (Print Mint, 1969) — with Flakey Foont * "@**!!!! I gotta remember to cancel my subscription to that rag..." (later retitled "Let Mr. Natural do your thinking for you!!"), ''Zap Comix'' #5 (Print Mint, 1970) — with Flakey Foont * "Smogville Blues", ''

Slow Death Funnies ''Slow Death'' is an underground comix anthology published by Last Gasp, the first title published by the San Francisco Bay Area-based press. Conceived as an ecologically themed comics magazine (in conjunction with the first Earth Day), the title ...

'' #1 (Last Gasp, Apr. 1970) — with Flakey Foont * "Mr. Natural —The Zen Master", ''

'' #4 (Print Mint, May 1970) * "Angelfood McSpade", ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' vol. 17, #7 (July 1970) — with Angelfood McSpade and

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

* ''Uneeda Comix'' (Print Mint, Aug. 1970) ** "Mr. Natural Goes to a Meeting of the Minds" — with Flakey Foont and Shuman the Human ** "It's a Workaday World" — with Flakey Foont * "Mr. Natural Stops Talking", ''Your Hytone Comics'' (Apex Novelties, Feb. 1971) * "I'm taking you to see my ol' man...", ''Zap Comix'' #6 (Print Mint, 1973) — with Flakey Foont * "Mr. Natural Meets 'The Kid'", ''Zap Comix'' #7 (Print Mint, 1974) * "Once I Led the Life of a Millionaire", ''Carload o' Comics'' (Bélier Press, Dec. 1976) — with the Snoid * ''Hup'' #1 (Last Gasp, 1987) ** "Uh Oh! He's Back! Who's Back? You'll Find Out!" — with Flakey Foont ** "Here He Comes Again!" — with Flakey Foont and Devil Girl * "The Meeting", ''Hup'' #2 (July 1987) — with Flakey Foont and Devil Girl * "He's A Natural Man!", ''Hup'' #3 (Last Gasp, Nov. 1989) — with Flakey Foont and Devil Girl * ''Hup'' #4 (Last Gasp, 1992) ** "Distractions, Distractions!!" — with Flakey Foont and Devil Girl ** "A Bitchin' Bod!" — with Flakey Foont * "Mr. Natural Wants to Talk to You!" ''Mystic Funnies'' #2 (Last Gasp, Apr. 1999) * "Don't Fuck With Him", ''Mystic Funnies'' #3 (Fantagraphics, Mar. 2002)

References

External links

*
Toonopedia article on Mr. Natural

Gallery of Mr. Natural humorous postcards

on Robert Crumb {{DEFAULTSORT:Mr.Natural 1967 comics debuts Natural, Mr. Comics by Robert Crumb Natural, Mr. Natural, Mr. Natural, Mr. Male characters in comics Underground comix Satirical comics Comics set in the 1960s Comics set in the 1970s