Customer Reviews

A Complete Lowlife

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I was expecting another slice-of-life Autobiographical comic mixing the mundane with the humorous. The opening story delivers that, and I was laughing myself sick.....then the REAL story began....

A Complete Lowlife is author Ed Brubaker's true story of petty crime, drug addiction, murder and redemption. The book gets darker and darker with each story, and there were parts that just broke my heart.Since this is a true story, things don't get wrapped up neatly; the main character doesn't always know the right thing to say, or when to say it. He doesn't always do the right thing.

Like you and me.

Anyone who hasn't always been proud of things they've done or said will be able to identify. Brubaker is now a successful comic book writer, currently doing a wonderful job on DC's Batman. All the more impressive considering what he's been through. There's just no way you won't be touched in some way by this book. Give it a try.

This is an autobiographical comic by Ed Brubaker who writes for such comics as Batman and the revamped catwoman. After reading Alex Robinson's comic Box Office Poison I wanted to read other comics that were in the slice of life vein. This book was recommended to me. I did not know until after purchasing it that it was an autobiographical comic which game the book an added punch. It was an extraordinary but sad read. The characters are both likeable and dislikeable at the same time, and because they are based on actual people the realism is top notch. so it back for a ride in booze, drugs, bad sex, and used book stores.

Quite a sad little self-examination piece that got me thinking as well.

Some of the situations in that book were like another world to me... I've never been into the drug scene, and there's a lot of that in there. I think it's an interesting subculture, which leads to my fascination with films like <I>Pulp Fiction</i> or <I>Trainspotting</i>, but it's nothing I'd ever get involved with in my wildest dreams.

But then, despite so much of the book centering on the author's old drug habits, there was a lot of coverage on his romantic problems / troubles, which is a world that I consider all too familiar. It's pretty funny... I've only ever had three steady girlfriends in my life, a couple strong mutual attractions that never added up to much, and a couple dates out of left field to round things out a bit. I'm far from a professor on the subject, but whenever I read or see something that deals with hearbreak, I instantly sympathize with the author.

The art's perfectly fitting to the mood of this story, and as a couple others have pointed out, it really progresses over time. An emotionally charged story, with more than a couple situations I'm sure you'll recognize if you've finished growing up. Proof that even the nicest kids can turn to crap in the right environment.

If you have ever been lonely, depressed, single, young, broke, and experienced the on-again, off-again joy of on-again, off-again relationships, then join the club. For those of us who have managed to get beyond those years, Brubaker manages to bring it all back to life in a way that makes it real again, though thankfully less painful than having to go through it all again. A must-read for those who like intelligent commentary on the human condition.

no punches are pulled straight and honest. a great read for those rainy days or snowed in nights. brings back memories. i remember r.crumb used to put out stuff like this during his creative and insightfull stages.

"A Complete Lowlife"
Written & Illustrated by Ed Brubaker
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These black-and-white strips, originally published in single-issue form in the early 1990s, are the early work of Ed Brubaker, who has gone on to become one of the best and most important mainstream comicbook writers of the 2000s decade. Here, Brubaker faithfully mines the then-booming black-and-white confessional/autobiographical genre spearheaded by Joe Matt, Julie Doucet and others, with a series of warts-and-all stories about various unpleasant aspects of his youth. The strongest story is the first, in which he examines a grueling, drug-fueled moral implosion; other stories, about his love-life and various crappy jobs, are a little less compelling, but certainly bring to mind the work Charles Bukowski and of cartoonist Joe Matt, who similarly indulges in an carnival of flamboyant self-loathing. Ultimately, your attention may wander, but this book is quite good for the genre and will be of interest to Brubaker fans who want to explore the development of his narrative skills. Definitely worth checking out. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

I was quite surprised how good this comic was, as I had never before heard of the artist. Complete Lowelife reminds me of Peter Bagge's and Will Eisner's works, because it has humour in it and it tells about the sadness in life. And of course, the Hernandez Brothers' impact to Brubaker's work is quite visible. At some points the art is somewhat clumsy, but it really doesn't bother, although more personal way of drawing could be a good thing. The artist's improvement is clearly shown, as the this is a compilation of years work. I could relate to some of the characters very well and it's nice to know that problems regarding girls, drinking and money are quite global!