I Never Liked You: A Comic Book by Chester Brown (.CBR)

The graphic novels loved by children and adults alike
Apr 6th, 2012, 6:08 pm
#1014065 by Ojay
I Never Liked You: A Comic Book by Chester William David Brown
Requirements: CBR Reader, 165 MB
Overview: In one of the best graphic novels published in recent years, Chester Brown tells the story of his alienated youth in an almost detached, understated manner, giving the book an eerie, dream-like quality.

    Image

I Never Liked You: A Comic Book
    Chester William David Brown pencil, story
    Published by Drawn & Quarterly Publications. 1994.

      I Never Liked You is an autobiographical graphic novel by Chester Brown, dealing with Brown's introversion and difficulty talking to others, especially members of the opposite sex.
      It was originally published in issues #26-30 of Brown's comic book, Yummy Fur, between October 1991 and April 1993, and was published in book form by Drawn and Quarterly in 1994. A "New Definitive Edition" was released in 2002, with the original black background of the pages changed to white, panels slightly rearranged on the page, and with two pages of notes appended.

      The autobiographical story takes place during Brown's adolescence, growing up in Châteauguay, Quebec in Canada. Notably absent in the story are "the normal staples of teen life," such as sex and drugs, due to Brown's life being shaped by his strictly religious parents.

      Brown ("Chester" or "Chet" throughout the book) depicts his introversion and his difficulty talking to people. He has trouble talking with girls, even though he is interested in them, and they express their interest in him. He constantly, and inexplicably, turns them away.

      Chet's mother takes a hard line with him with regards to swearing. As a result, he has a hard time bringing himself to use such language, a fact that is picked up by his classmates who tease him for it and repeatedly try to trick him into swearing. This was the source for the original title of the story (Fuck) when first serialized.
      He also has difficulty expressing affection for his mother (except in his imagination), who is suffering from schizophrenia and has herself hospitalized towards the end of the narrative.


      Quiet, Touching, Sad, Wonderful. Reviewed by Chiang Hai Tat (Jupiter), July 17, 1998
        Chester Brown's seemingly simple graphic novel is actually a brilliantly written and drawn tale about adolesence that touches deep into your heart. Brown's ability to go deep into his past and dig up the things that haunt him most is simply incredible - it all seems so subtle, yet it's so personal and powerful. Like the recurring biscuit-eating scenes which might not mean anything but provoke so much feelings, of melancholy, loneliness, simple joy, etc.

        Brown's art is as much a joy to look at as his writing. The freely (yet skillfully) drawn brush work, together with the loosely (yet cleverly) laid-out pages complement the story almost to perfection.

        I have read and re-read the book a number of times on different occasions and personally I feel it's best when you read it in a quiet afternoon when you're all alone.

        Together with 'It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken' by Seth, 'I Never Liked You' is one of those rare graphic novel that will let you feel as if you k! now the author personally after reading it.

      Review by Publishers Weekly
        Brown's latest autobiographical work is a study in adolescent socialization and the peculiar combination of budding sexuality, self-obsessed dreaminess and downright mean-spiritedness that epitomize the teenage years. Like The Playboy, his previous book, I Never Liked You chronicles the Harvey Award-winner's suburban, Canadian childhood and his affectless relations with his family, the idiosyncrasies of his mother and his strained encounters with both admiring and hostile schoolmates. But unlike the previous book (which focused on his onanistic obsession with Playboy magazine), this one captures Brown's weirdly detached relations with almost everyone and his awkward, almost pathological passivity and inability to "fit in." But girls do like him, which can be both a dream come true and his worst nightmare. Chester isn't sure (actually hasn't got a clue) what to do after he tells a friend he loves her. Brown is a wan, but intensely focused, episodic storyteller who can transform the usual memories of teenage yearning into distinctive passages of muted comedy or adolescent emotional desperation. He scatters his panels asymetrically across black pages, isolating their beauty and carefully pacing the narrative forward. His drawing is exceptional both for its economy and for the attenuated sensuality of his lines and figures. A strange and engrossing teen memoir by one of the most talented artists working in alternative comics today.

      If a Zen poem could be a comic book, this would be it, Reviewed by Jennifer. April 22, 2000.
        This is probably the best comic book I've ever read. In I Never Liked You, Chester Brown recounts his own adolescence. He doesn't rely on quirks, self-pity, overanalysis, or an edgy drawing style. His work is simple and understated, one incident flowing into another in an apparent anecdotal fashion which, by the end, reveals a large picture of Brown's seemingly hidden feelings. It is his relationship with his mentally unstable mother that fuels this book; Brown thoughtlessly antagonizes her (as teenagers do) and struggles with his inability to say "I love you"--at least to the right people at the right time. In his youth, Brown was best able to express himself through symbolic drawings which he infused with meanings he would later claim weren't there ("I never use symbolism.") This grown-up effort seems an extension of that, as a bittersweet memoir and perhaps explanation/closure for his emotional distance.

Also by Chester Brown:

Note: Please consider to support the author's work and the publisher by buying Paying For It from Drawn and Quarterly. Many Thanks.

Download Instructions:
http://www.gboxes.com/hv2668umls94 -- I Never Liked You: A Comic Book (1994)

Apr 6th, 2012, 6:08 pm

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