Funny Misshapen Body delivered not just the Brown I love, but a more mature and reflective Brown. A balance of stories, in his usual anti-chronological way that swirl together to create a full novelistic image of people, places and developments, working with new themes, and yet tied to the old and magnifying the scope of his storytelling. There’s also a greater range in the artwork, combining the early simple scrawl with the burdened later ink. We see the rest of Brown’s protagonist’s life (I realize that is cumbersome, but I differentiate between an author and his alter ego): his childhood experiences, his life with art, his schooling, a troubled medical history, his jobs, his solo adventures. We see the Brown who isn’t simply hung up on a girl. And it is captivating.All of brown’s stories always have to do with a shortlist of topics—loneliness, connection, love affairs, struggle and confusion, strife and understanding. His recent stories paint a vivid portrait of the young man as an artist rather than the artist as a young man and that has added a dimension to the tale. It is certainly to Jeffrey Brown's credit that he can critically examine the most embarrassing details of his life and share them on paper in what appears to be a refreshingly honest way. And the fact that those details are about his anxieties creating art and finding his artistic path seem to speak almost to an older and wiser Brown than his stories about early relationships.I really enjoyed seeing Brown's evolution as an artist, his challenges with binge drinking and Crohn's Disease, and his acceptance with the kind of art he does best, which is honest, crude, and autobiographical. I think one can't helped but get sucked into his story, it's just so genuine. As an added bonus, I shared something in common with Brown in that Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes really changed the way I saw real life reflected in comics, and I loved the story of his ongoing mentorship with Chris Ware. I'm glad Brown is doing this type of work now.
What do You think about Piltrafilla (2009)?
The drawings are crude and it has no plot, but it's still mildly entertaining and easy to read.
—Madisen
I really enjoy these autobiographical cartoons....they are just really different and engaging.
—Kenzie
Nightmare before Christmas is the greatest drunken sing-along!
—Chelsea
My love for Jeffrey Brown knows no bounds.
—craftyjo
