clumsy

i am obsessed with "this american life." i've downloaded countless episodes to my ipod and have been listening to them on my commute. the show is so wonderful... i sometimes find myself crying in the car, or --more often-- laughing to myself. my time on the road is now an experience and is wholly rejuvenating.

on one particular episode, artist/author jeffrey brown "reads" some of the comics in his graphic novel, "clumsy." i fell in love with his book instantly, just hearing him describe the frames. (here are three pages from the book: 1, 2, 3.) his stories so touched me that at the end of that particular commute i ran in the office and went straight to his website and ordered the book.

i've never been a big comic book fan. about 10 years ago i had a mild interest in "hate", but other than that comics have been largely off my radar. i feel weird even calling "clumsy" a comic book... each page is one simple autobiographical vignette, focusing on the smallest moments of his relationship with his girlfriend. it is one of the most straightforward, lovely things i've read in a long time. his drawings are a bit crude, which makes the poignancy really hit home; you feel like it could be your story, because you draw that badly, too.

but it's not really bad drawing... it just looks like it. he's actually quite the artist, beautifully capturing pained expressions and feelings of joy.

i'm going to stop talking about this now, because i feel myself on the verge of getting too mushy. i hope you'll order a copy of "clumsy", or at least ask to borrow mine. it's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.