Funny Misshappen Body

Comic reviews, here I come! I have a million other things to do right now, so it may not be long, but I really do want to talk about this one. You'll probably have to keep in mind, I'm no professional at this. Just an Art student talking about what they dig.
This was the first book I bought in Seattle, and it was also the first comic I finished reading that I got. I had it with me in line for ECCC, so I'd have something to do while we waited. I did read a little of it, but I was so excited for my first con, I didn't get very far. That being said, waiting in that line was probably the only time I wouldn't want to read this thing. It's the first book by Jeffrey Brown I've ever read, and I'm sure it will not be the last.
It's so genuine. The story is human, and real. This is what I love about indie comics. It made me laugh aloud as much as Deadpool can, and it also made me think, and even to tear up a little. I hesitate in my own work to do straight up autobiographical stuff, because I worry that it's boring. But this is defiantly not boring. It's these kind of stories that show what we are as humans.
As an artist that wants to go into comics, there was lots of stuff in here for me to think about. I love seeing things I have in common with other artist, especially good ones. I don't know how anyone else would have reacted to the line "I tend to make the expressions I'm drawing" but I kind of jumped up in my seat, thinking "He does that too?" That wasn't the biggest one, though. Right off in the introduction, I knew I had something in common with Jeffrey Brown, more than that my last name was almost his first. The one constant desire in life was to be an artist. The first things remembered are drawing. Although most things I had in common with him were art related, it made me happy.
My favorite moment was what I have pictured here on the left, his depiction of when it all "clicked". The book is mostly about his evolution as an artist, and it's moments like this that make it all worthwhile. It helped me to realize that the good stuff is coming, whether I've figured out exactly what I want to do or not. I think for me personally, that click came a little sooner, but I'm still not exactly sure. Once again, I find something in common with him when it comes to art, and it makes the book something wondrous for me.
I don't know how anyone that doesn't do art would read this book. It's great for artists. I would think it would be fairly entertaining for others, but I just don't know. That sort of commonality is what really made the book for me. I guess a former binge drinker, or someone who had dealt with Crohn's Disease, or someone who wasn't attractive as a kid, or someone who was kind of obsessed with the opposite sex could get a similar sort of joy in finding someone else like them, I can't really say. All I can be sure of is that I absolutely loved it, and whether you're an artist or not, I'd recommend giving these book a shot. It's an impressive and unique beauty.
I haven't even talked about the art yet! It may seem crude or messy to some, and I'll admit that was my first reaction to Jeffrey Brown's drawings, but the more I look at it the more I love it. Knowing the process helps. I can't imagine doing an entire book like this without penciling things out. Now I look at the art and think it's really one of the best things about the book. I esspecially love the drawings of things I recognize, the Art History pieces and comics on the shelf have such an exciting feel when recreated in this style. He says it's for the immediacy, and it certainly feels that way. It's not overworked or glossy the way so much comic book artwork today is. It's a little funny looking and misshapen, and that's what makes it so beautiful.