Robert Crumb. 2004. "Thanksgiving Special" [Cover]. The New Yorker, November 29.
The origins of Thanksgiving date back to the early 1600s when the Pilgrims, assisted by the local Indians, celebrated their bountiful harvest. Crumb's stinging cover harks back to this with the portraits of Pilgrims and Indians on the left border. But then it is updated to present day New York, urban, densely packed. In the middle of the cover is a down-and-out Indian looking like he is about to cry wearing a signboard advertising a restaurant's "Thanksgiving Special". The menu is an ode to hip yuppie tastes with range-fed turkey, couscous and even a vegetarian alternative. America seems to have forgotten the origins of the holiday with the poor Indian looking miserable. Crumb draws himself on the right walking towards the left (a political statement?) and looking quite astounded at the scene. The evocation of busy urban New York is sizzling, the details impressive (a discarded cigarette butt on the sidewalk, a large bead of sweat on a man's forehead) and the coloring and overall feel quite different than Crumb's more typical cartoon-like covers. There is also something curious about the people with glasses: you cannot see their eyes.
