In Comics: Feeble Attempts

Written and Illustrated by Jeffery Brown

Published by Top Shelf Comics

Another Jeffery Brown book? That’s enough to put a bounce in your step. Top Shelf Comics recently released Feeble Attempts.

The Book

Feeble Attempts is a collection of Brown’s anthology, mini comics and some new strips collected under one cover. If you are a fan of Brown’s, this is a must have. Or, a great introduction to Brown if you are new to his work.

The stories in this collection are a motley bunch, everything from Brown’s traditional girlfriend and boyfriend stories, to a surreal Jesus story to Cycloctopus vs. Quantum Mechanic.

Brown even manages to mix into the stew some political and social commentary and some autobiographical material.

Brown is a sneaky one. Just a glance at these simplistically drawn comics might make one think that the content is simple as well. You couldn’t be more wrong. Brown is a clever writer that is wily: a comic strip that seems like a simple retelling of a story that happened to him and his girlfriend contains more authentic emotional resonance about the human condition than what you might find on the best sellers list right now.

Feeble Attempts is definitely worth your hard earned dollar. It is just the kind of book you throw in your back pack and pick up throughout the day. Read a story over lunch, read another on the subway and another while you sit on your couch in front of the tube at night.

Trust me, after reading this book, you are going to want to log into the Top Shelf Comics website and pick up everything with Jeffery Brown’s name on the cover.

8/10

The Artwork

Okay, right away, the artwork doesn’t look like Alex Ross, George Perez or John Romita Jr. But, don’t let that influence you too much. Take a closer look. Even though the drawings are simple black and white, Brown is able to infuse these simple figures with a lot of expression. Brown’s artwork has more in common with the work of animator Don Hertzfeldt than traditional comic book artists.

7/10

Overall ( Not an Average) 8/10

The Review

The Story 8/10

The Artwork 7/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

Suzie Lackey