Customer Reviews

Funny Misshapen Body: A Memoir

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I've not read much of Jeffrey Brown's autobio work - I'm a big fan of his humor books (Bighead, Miniature Sulk, I Am Going To Be Small, Incredible Change-Bots), but as a rule I often avoid the indie/autobio comic genre unless specific titles are recommended to me.

This one was recommended, and it's not difficult to see why. It's always interesting to me to see how cartoonists found themselves on the path to making comics, and this book does that with an excellent narrative flow, taking many seemingly disparate vignettes from Brown's life and weaving them together to make a clear, emotionally impacting story.

There's a reason that Brown is so highly regarded in the indie comics scene, and this book clearly displays it.

I've been a sucker for Jeffrey Brown since my partner gave me copies of his books, "Clumsy" and "Unlikely," which were autobiographical collections of comic strips recording two lusty, doomed relationships. I immediately became smitten with the intimacy and honesty Brown showed, and have been following him ever since.

With "Funny Misshapen Body," Brown focuses his attention on yet another love of his love: art. Like his previous books, Brown embraces the D.I.Y./zine aesthetic, with line drawings that are disarmingly simplistic and storylines that seem (at first) randomly chosen. But the more the reader invests into the book, the more we see how seemingly random events -- positive attention, leveling criticism, books handled to Brown at the right moment -- all lead Brown to the path he is on right now.

What I liked most about this book are not the triumphs, but the stumbles. We see Brown experiment and flouder, drinking and smoking his way through his education, embracing and abandoning projects. Brown shows every awkward inch of his uneven journey, and even a bit of regret about some of his other passions (painting, poetry, etc...) which fell to the wayside when his vision of doing his own comics became clearer.

Like James Kochalka's "Cute Manifesto," Brown's "Funny Misshapen Body" is a fascinating look into the creative mind of an comics artist, alive and working today. Not to mention, it's another solid addition to any Jeffrey Brown collection.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Clumsy from a friend anout two years ago. It immersed me into his world and i found so much of it to be relatable. I laughed, cried, cheered along, and read it over and over again. Buy this book. While it is not my favorite of his books it is a great read and a great introduction to the most modest and genius writer out there.

Brown's first book for Touchstone, "Little Things," seemed unfocused. It was his first book for a new publisher, but was a far cry from his best work. Thankfully, this new book is a return to form.

In "Funny Misshapen Body", Brown turns in a highly entertaining 300-page look at his evolution as an artist. Brown's earlier work focused on relationships, and, having nearly exhausted that topic, he's moving on to other themes. The good news is that it's just as heartfelt as his romantic chronicles.

Aspiring cartoonists will especially appreciate Brown's experience in art school--being a cartoonist amongst "serious" artists led him to eventually find his own way.