I'm not sure how I feel about this: Vans Shoes has, according to the Los Angeles Times, teamed up with legendary cartoonist Robert Crumb to release special edition footwear with some of his more famous characters emblazoned on them:

Four different R. Crumb shoes are due to hit store shelves on Oct. 1; two in the Vans Classics collections -- including the Mr. Natural deconstructed SK8-Hi pictured above ($60) and a classic slip-on featuring Fritz the Cat ($52) -- will be available through regular Vans vendors.

Two additional higher-end styles (using suede and leather) will be sold through Vans Vault accounts; a "Modern America" Chukka boot ($95) and a "Keep on Truckin' " Authentic ($90).

I hate to sound like a grumpy old man here or accuse Crumb of being a sell-out -- if this deal nets him much-earned coin or helps him bring his work in front of the eyes of younger consumers, more power to him. I guess I'm just a bit surprised that someone who's been as protective of his material as Crumb has been (t-shirts and Devil Girl candy bars aside), not to mention bitter toward those big-industry types to tried to ride on the R.Crumb gravy train, would join forces with an international clothing firm like this. But perhaps that just underscores my own naiveté and half-baked assumptions. (found via Tom)