Unlikely [Paperback]

Jeffrey Brown (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

The follow-up to Jeffrey Brown's self-published debut hit, Clumsy. The bittersweet story of how Jeffrey Brown lost his virginity. A full-length graphic novel drawn in a simple and elegantly awkward style that heightens the emotional impact of the work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown's second autobiographical graphic novel mines similar territory to his debut, Clumsy. It tells of Brown losing his virginity at age 24 and the relationship that precedes and follows the event. Brown meets Allisyn at a party and they begin a slow courtship, culminating in a confused and uncomfortable sexual relationship, which then begins to eat away at their relationship in general. As with Clumsy, Brown makes an otherwise straightforward tale compelling. Unlikely is composed of vignettes, each isolating a moment in their relationship-a conversation, a party, hanging out-that deliver essential bits of thematic and emotional information. This allows readers to see the relationship as Brown experienced it, without the false strictures of quotidian continuity. We see the pair only in the context of their togetherness; there are no subplots or narrative detours. Brown's dialogue is perfect, lending the proceedings an unerring sense of authenticity. His drawing, ragged at first glance, is minimal, nuanced cartooning, using a minimum of lines for maximum effect. And remarkably, the work avoids the usual pitfalls of autobiographical comics: Brown never asks readers for pity, nor does he offer up a confession. There are no lyrical interludes, and the unsparing documentation ensures that voyeurism never enters into the mix. Through careful editing and scene selection, he lets the story unfold as though, in a sense, it didn't happen to him. Readers are left with only the exterior facts, and must make up their own minds about the characters based solely on what Brown shows.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Brown's deceptively simple, autobiographical comic depicts the brief romance of two young, slackeresque types: Jeff, a needy, clingy virgin, and Allisyn, a troubled free spirit. One is too naive, the other too oblivious, to see that the relationship is doomed from the beginning. Brown portrays the couple's developing closeness with heartbreaking tenderness and their inevitable breakup with unflinching frankness. There is a naked (frequently literally) honesty to it all, and the drawings' awkward appearance reflects the couple's callowness. Brown's disarmingly casual, scratchy style makes Jeff and Allisyn seem innocent and childlike, even when they are having sex or taking drugs, while his narrative skill makes them sympathetic and endearing, even when their behavior is at its worst. If alternative-comics fans who have followed Brown's brief career will find the denouement more inevitable than unlikely--they know the relationship portrayed in Brown's Clumsy (2003) follows much the same trajectory--they as much as Brown's new readers may wind up hoping that his future relationships fare better for his personal happiness and his artistic development. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Top Shelf Productions (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891830414
• ISBN-13: 978-1891830419
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After growing up in Michigan, a 25-year-old Jeffrey Brown moved to Chicago in 2000 to pursue an MFA at the School of the Art Institute. By the time he completed his studies, he had abandoned painting and started drawing comics seriously. His first self-published book, Clumsy, appeared seemingly out of nowhere to grab attention from both cartoonists and comics fans. Established as an overly sensitive chronicler of bittersweet adolescent romance and nonsense superhero parody, Brown's current direction remains split between more autobiography examining the minutiae of everyday life and whatever humorous fiction he feels in the mood for. His most popular works include Clumsy, Unlikely, AEIOU, and Every Girl is the End of the World For Me, comprising the so-called "Girlfriend Trilogy" and its epilogue. More recently his autobiographical work has included Little Things and Funny Misshapen Body. His parody The Incredible Change-Bots, the Ignatz Award winning I am going to be small and humorous cat book Cat Getting Out Of A Bag all stand out amongst his humor work, while his Sulk series continues to take on a variety of subjects with satire. Jeffrey's work has appeared in a host of anthologies from McSweeney's to The Best American Comics, as well as mainstream books like The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror and Marvel's Strange Tales. His original artwork has been exhibited in New York, Paris, and Chicago. Brown has been featured on NPR's This American Life and even created a short animated music video for the band Death Cab For Cutie. He lives in Chicago with his wife and son.
Visit jeffreybrowncomics.blogspot.com for news and drawings, and you can write to him at: PO Box 120, Deerfield IL 60015-0120, USA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than Likely, May 20, 2004

By 

bookaddict (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unlikely (Paperback)

Unlikely is the second Jeffrey Brown book I have devoured (Clumsy being the first), or perhaps nibbled upon relentlessly is more apt. Like Clumsy, Unlikely is a collection of little episodes, slices of life. Brown has an unerring eye for the little inanities that make up real life... the tiny little moments that real relationships are made up of: when she looked at you from across the room the first time, when she went out to have a toke with your friends instead of staying to watch the end of the video with you, when she didn't pick up the phone because she was sleeping instead of showing up for your date... . There are no huge plot turns here, just the unrelenting incremental buildup and later crumbling of an unlikely love affair. Reading the dialogue (there is really no narrative) and body language drawn in his innocent scratchy childlike lines, we nod our heads in understanding. We have all been there. I love reading Jeffrey Brown. Try it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read all three. See all three., October 2, 2005

By 

J. MacAyeal (libertyville, illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unlikely (Paperback)

This is the kind of graphic novel that actually inspires. While not as beautiful to look at as a typical noir, horror, sex, or superhero GN this series (with AEIOU and CLUMSY) is like having a buddy spill his guts to you while drawing pictures on napkins at a bar. It's intimate and unflinching but not overdosed on self-anything. Not grim, not sensational. I can see that many GN enthusiasts would be bored or unimpressed with the simplicity of the art and the unmelodramatic narrative, but something tells me that Brown is not aiming to convert fans of GNs or to get revenge by virtue of dirty laundry. This is not a dirty diary with airbrushed pictures. This looks and feels more like a series of emotional microscope slides.

4.0 out of 5 stars upping the game just a hair, January 18, 2012

By 

angeltread (Peoria IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Unlikely (Paperback)

decided to delve more into Jeffery Brown. this is book 2 of his self called "girlfriend" book triliogy. although since he said that i think he released a forth. so anyway. similar to Clumsy... but not. the drawings are the same. rough and not very good. but honest and sincere for what they are. i think if he could just nail certain expressions just a hair better people wouldnt complain about most the art as much, but still, he does alright, his lettering is pretty atrocious still. anyway... its similar in that its telling the story of the relationship in exact moments of time. precise little cartoons telling the conversations and actions that took place with no narration. its different cause this time its linear. goes from the pre-beginning of the relationship to its bitter end. no jumping around in time this time. also different is the relationship is not really all that good this time. in clumsy i saw a mostly good, loving relationship with a sorta quick and unfortunate downward spiral at the end. it was alot of cute moments that you relate to and realize why us as humans are social creature. this book on the other hand tells of a mostly frustrating relationship that you can tell is just doomed to fail. there are a few moments cute and honest loving moments... but mostly, unlike in clumsy, where she is mostly sweet most the time, this time shes moody and selfish and overall just not that good of a person. she likes drugs and alcohol pretends she doesnt for him, sorta, well sometimes she doesnt even pretend. she seems to have more personality that the prior girl (who is actually the latter girl in the scheme of time, but im saying book publishing, but i digress) but mostly she is pretty unlikeable. the sex is much less frequent this time and its always awkward and bad. it sucks cause cause i can relate to those moments as well. and it sucks for him especially. cause this was his first times. poor dude, yep this is the story of him losing his virginity. anyway. its another good look into his life. it all feels super honest and not fairy tale spun for any more drama or anything. just real life unfolding before your eyes. jeff brown is a nice person. a sensitive person, but ultimately a needy person. nowadays girls dont really seem to be the girls in a relationship anymore. thats right im saying it. girls are the guys in relationships now. they are the butt holes.