Comments on: 365 Reasons to Love Comics #122

By: Apodaca

Apodaca — Sun, 06 May 2007 01:26:03 +0000

Sometime last night, I was reading the Adrian Tomine Scrapbook and I came across this little sketch of Chester Brown.

And for some reason, I vividly remembered the post and realized I had mixed them up. I am ashamed.

By: MarkAndrew

MarkAndrew — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:58:25 +0000

Actually, I wasnâ€™t.

I know. I thought you were thinking of Joe Matt who’s schtick is “I’m a total asshole.”

And that worried me.

Yeah, I like most of Jeff’s stuff alright, but there’s nothing I’d enthusiastically recommend to anyone over 18. Chester, conversely, is really good.

By: Apodaca

Apodaca — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:06:24 +0000

Actually, I wasn’t. I confused Chester Brown with Jeffrey Brown.

By: MarkAndrew

MarkAndrew — Sat, 05 May 2007 03:11:10 +0000

Apodaca?

WHAT now?

Brown’s autobiographical stuff is almost all set in early adolescence. So if he acts like he’s fifteen that’d make him mature for his age.

His other major works are historical biography, dark surrealism and a kind of FAQ on schizophrenia.

Hard to apply your comments to any of those.

You sure you’re referring to the right guy?

By: Apodaca

Apodaca — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:35:53 +0000

I hope to god we DON’T see Chester Brown up here. His comics remind me of myself when I was fifteen and I didn’t know a single thing about the world. I was pretty selfish and stupid.

But Brown’s not fifteen, which makes it even less interesting to me.

By: DubipR

DubipR — Fri, 04 May 2007 15:45:43 +0000

Thank you for posting an entry about Seth.
He’s one of my favorites in the the smaller press scene. Each story he weaves is a little nugget of great storytelling and brilliant draftsmanship. We need more creators like him.

By: MarkAndrew

MarkAndrew — Fri, 04 May 2007 04:32:20 +0000

The tension (and I don’t know if it’s dramatic or not)

in Good Life is the narrator/Seth’s tryin’ to reconcile the past (or ideals of the past) and present. There wasn’t any “Oh Nos! Captain Evil has kidnapped the president’s daughter and he’s got a bomb!” kind of tension, but there was definitely conflict.

It’s also very… I didn’t think it was SLOW, but very deliberately paced and introverted book.

And if that’s not your thing, Wimbeldon Green was this big bouncy adventure story.

(And, conversely, Clyde Fans makes Good Life look like a Schwarzenegger Movie. Be warned.)

By: The Kirbydotter

The Kirbydotter — Fri, 04 May 2007 00:49:33 +0000

Just a week is not enough for all the good Canucks!

Seth is a great entry (I love the Wimbledon Green book myself). But favorites are still missing!

Joe Matt (Peepshow) and Bernie Mireault (the Jam!)!!!

By: Bill Reed

Bill Reed — Thu, 03 May 2007 20:17:24 +0000

Awesome column, Bry. Thanks for pitching in (even if you are a Shifty Canadian).

By: Bry Kotyk

Bry Kotyk — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:26:47 +0000

Well, obviously Seth isn’t for everyone. But that’s okay! Fortunately the industry’s wide and diverse enough that it’s got damn near every taste and sensibility well-covered. And that’s a reason to love comics in itself!

I’d like to see an entry on Chester Brown as well. I was just better-suited to write one on Seth, and that’s who I harassed/threatened Bill to feature. (But y’know, the year’s still young, so I’m sure there’s always a chance.)

By: paul houston

paul houston — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:59:51 +0000

Yeah Seth is a bit of a snorefest. Interesting, solid artwork I guess. I’ve only read two issues of Palookaville and the collected Clyde Fans book. And while somewhat interesting, I gotta say I’ve no interest to read much else from him. I might if I had nothing else to read, but otherwise, no.

By: Graeme Burk

Graeme Burk — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:34:54 +0000

I love that 1930s-style use of a single spot colour, too

Yes, I know that it dates earlier than that, by the way, but the way he uses it reminds me of the frontispieces in books from that era.

By: Graeme Burk

Graeme Burk — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:30:17 +0000

I have a term for the artier end of the comics spectrum, “McElhatton Comics”– named after my friend Greg McElhatton (whose comic review website http://www.readaboutcomics.com should be bookmarked by everyone–he’s a brilliant reviewer) who has tirelessly reminded me over the years that comics are way more than superheroes and adolescent power fantasies.

I bought Wimbledon Green on the grounds that I felt I needed more McElhatton Comics and so I could at least impress Greg with my erudition (or at least have a conversation about comics that didn’t involve how keen I thought the latest creative team on Batman was) next time I saw him. And I absolutely loved it. It’s so charming and funny and fascinating.

What I love about Seth is his sense of design. The packaging of his books are as important as the content. They’re really gorgeous. I love that 1930s-style use of a single spot colour, too.

Greg also got me to read Louis Riel, which I am VERY DISAPPOINTED is not a candidate for Eh-pril, Mr. Reed. (Or Canadian Whites. I could have written three whole articles on those).

By: Ryan Day

Ryan Day — Thu, 03 May 2007 13:32:03 +0000

Speaking of “challenging the ways in which mainstream audiences look at comics”, it’s worth noting that Seth recently (last year, I think?) had an exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Pretty darn impressive.

I keep meaning to read more of his work, but never manage to get around to it. I must say, though – an entry on Seth, but not fellow alt-comix icon Chester Brown? (unless you’re saving him for Canada Day, or Louis Riel’s birthday)

By: J To The AAP

J To The AAP — Thu, 03 May 2007 08:14:13 +0000

Stealthwise, what have you read besides ‘Itâ€™s a Good Life if you Donâ€™t Weaken’? True, Seth’s books aren’t what I’d call tense but they do have a fair share of drama.

By: Anthony Strand

Anthony Strand — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:44:19 +0000

New *York* Times Magazine, obviously.

By: Anthony Strand

Anthony Strand — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:43:57 +0000

I read George Sprott (1894-1975) every week in the New Times Magazine, and I thought it was just amazing. That was the first stuff by Seth I ever read, but man – it made me into a fan. Every strip was just a perfect, self-contained little story, and they all built in this great portrait of a bittersweet, kind of pathetic life.

By: stealthwise

stealthwise — Thu, 03 May 2007 04:51:24 +0000

Seth’s work for me is just zzzzzz… It’s a Good Life if you Don’t Weaken was beyond excruciating to get through. His work really lacks any semblance of dramatic tension from what I’ve read.

By: Levantine

Levantine — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:01:04 +0000

How do you decide how long the themes will run? As much as I loved Ape-ril and Eh-pril/M-eh, can we have some random reasons to love comics for a little while?