Not So Clumsy:A Look Into Jeffery Brown's first Graphic Novel

Jeffery Brown’s, “Clumsy,” is an intimate graphic novel in which he reflects upon moments from his second long term relationship. During this time, which lasted just under a year¹, Brown unself-consciously takes the reader through many of his most vulnerable experiences. The short, often one-page vignettes reveal the profound sense of loneliness, longing and heartache that existed between him and his then girlfriend, Teresa. Often times he depicts himself as a needy person who leans on his partner for reassurance to the point of an unhealthy co-dependence. Brown’s drawings, like the title of this book, appear clumsy at first glance. However, closer inspection reveals a thoughtful simplicity behind the work. Similarly, the sparse dialogue and short titles have a Zen-like quality, giving the autobiography a meditative fluidity. The immediacy of Brown’s working methods, in which very little planning was involved, was an essential element in creating such a raw and honest account of this specific time in his life. Self-realizations creep out innocently through the cracks of his carefully chosen memories. He paints himself as neither the hero of the story, or the villain, but instead shines an un-heroic light on his flaws and vulnerabilities. At points, I was hit with involuntary feelings of embarrassment in reaction to his blatant expressions of emotion. In contrast to his sense of weakness, there is also courage and acceptance in depicting such candid and naked moments and subsequently, disseminating those moments to the world. When woven together, these ephemeral moments, drawn with vital and poetic simplicity, create a non-linear story world that becomes more than the sum of its parts.²

Whereas most graphic novelists plan and re-plan their work, using storyboards, rough sketches, penciling and finally inking, Brown bypassed these steps completely. Using only a technical pen, he drew the comic directly into his sketchbook.³ The sketchbook that Brown used to create the original comic is actually the same dimensions as the published product. This preservation of the original work allowed for all it’s vitality and raw emotion to translate clearly into the finished piece. Brown’s unrefined drawings invigorate and animate the story. Working in such an instantaneous manner, he sabotages any impulse to rework or overcomplicate his stories. The moments are transcribed much as they are remembered, quickly and out of order. The result retains an unprocessed and unedited honesty. The act of drawing was itself his way of processing the events, which must have been fresh in his mind. “Clumsy” was drawn during his relationship with Teresa and finished just after their break-up. When questioned by Ira Glass on, "This American Life," about the emotional difficulty of making this book, Brown answered, “When you break up with somebody aren’t you just drawing their face over and over again anyway? So it’s just like I was doing something instead of sitting their thinking about it.”4 The proximity of events remembered combined with the immediacy of his working methods made for a realistic portrait of his relationship, warts and all. That is what makes his work so relevant.

“A Morning Story,” is a two-page vignette wherein Brown’s sexual advances toward Teresa go unmet. Using sparing dialogue and neatly composed panels, he is able to relate feelings of sexual frustration, sadness and yearning. Brown plays with the tension that exists between the agonizing heartache of his experiences and the playful nature in which he describes the events. The simplicity of the title itself is reminiscent of a poem. Like poetry, Brown does not overfeed the reader with information but leaves ample space for one to breath and enjoy the mystery of what he has given us. In a childlike way, Brown visibly edits the title with a small black box that appears above it. He repeats this at various times throughout the book. The correction innocently hints at the frustration evident in the story below it. Given the intimate nature of the situation, “A Morning Story,” sounds a bit euphemistic, but it is in this way that brown creates the whimsical tension we find throughout the novel. Brown uses the same straightforward descriptions in his drawings. They become a powerful tool employed in tapping the core of his memories and drawing out the essence of the moment. The first page is a series of six panels all composed in the same way; a birds-eye view of Brown and Teresa, two pillows and a rumpled sheet. He leaves room for their simple body language and facial expressions to speak of discontent. In the third panel, Teresa attempts to console Brown stating, “I’m sorry, I wish I could please you.” Her statement, though innocent, is a metaphysical one. It articulates Brown’s insatiable need to be pleased and validated. His silent reaction in the following panel, in which he stares blankly out at us, the readers, seems to be a moment of reflection on the precision of her qualification. The story ends on a sad note, as he and Teresa press their foreheads together, their bodies at arms length, in a silent struggle to connect. Although happier stories are spread throughout the novel, the moments of desperation and sadness seem to stand out the most. Brown states, “I always use memory as an editor...I’m letting my memory tell me what the important things were.”⁵ It may be that the honesty inherent in his work and process gave voice to this anguish.

1. Jeffery Brown, Clumsy(Marietta: Top Shelf Productions,2006).

2. David Herman, narrative Worldmaking in graphic Life Writing(Madison: The university of Wisconsin Press, 2011)236.

3. patrick, montero. Daily News, "Dailynews.com." Last modified Sept.8th 2008. Accessed October 20, 2011. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2007/11/01/2007-11-01_comic_book_artist_jeffrey_brown_more_tha-1.html.

4.Ira, Glass. This American Life, "thisamericanlife.org." Last modified Sept.8th 2008. Accessed October 20, 2011. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/237/transcript.

5.dan, stafford. Ifpthendirt, "http://www.ifpthendirt.com." Last modified Sept.8th 2008. Accessed October 20, 2011. http://www.ifpthendirt.com/interviews.html.