It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken

by Seth

It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken

book data

218 ratings, 3.72 average rating, 26 reviews (more data...)

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published

January 1999 by Drawn & Quarterly

binding

Paperback, 178 pages

isbn

1896597068 (isbn13: 9781896597065)

description

An Acknowledged Classic returns gorgeously re-designed.

In his first graphic novel, It’s a Good Life, if You Don’t Weaken-...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 268)

All ratings | 5 stars (50) | 4 stars (76) | 3 stars (59) | 2 stars (21) | 1 star (4) | avg 3.72

all | this edition

Nan

Nan rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

09/01/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2008

recommended to Nan by: Luke at Kilgore Books

Okay, don't ask me why I picked up the book in the first place. Because the new bookstore on the block specializes in comics? I suppose. I also suppose that I never gave graphic novels or comics a chance, and I'm willing to try. And the cover appealed to me. I liked the colors, the homesick feel of the grays and blues. The cartooning world has always seemed to me the narrow world of lonely men. There was some of that in this collection -- Seth's mother, his geeky brother, the used books...more

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Joe

Joe rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

01/30/08

I like how unabashedly self-centered this guy is.

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Joy Barr

Joy rated it:

07/17/08

bookshelves: books-i-own, graffixxx

copied from my blog:
This was not a book that I was really wowed by, but it definitely kept my attention. Though the book is not plot driven, I wasn't thinking, "That was it?" when I was done. Seth's search for information on an obscure cartoonist Kalo from 1930s-1950s periodicals leads him to ultimately discover much about himself as he openly discusses his personal ticks along the way. The style was clearly heavily influenced by Seth's love of classic comic art; I enjoyed the clean, swooping lines even though the style is not my regular cuppa. The particular copy I have is horribly bound, with a quarter of the pages completely detached. Though annoying to sift through, the loose pages give way to an endearing set of personal neuroses and incessant fretting. I dislike self-conscious graphic novels (read: Craig Thompson and Jhonen Vasquez), but this self-consciousness differs from self-awareness (i.e. "Whoa, der, this drawing looks like crap" notes) which peeves me out! Though I do not always agree with Seth and though he seems debilitated at times by his depression or by his concern over whether or not he is depressed, the neurotic introspection resonated in me and I would occasionally put the book down and reflect on my own mental state. A quote from GoodReads.com member Cody was pretty spot on: "What saves this graphic novel from navel-gazing misanthropy is Seth's awareness that he is a navel-gazing misanthrope." One thing I am still sore about is that there was a Glossary and copies of the Kalo works Seth has collected in the back of the book! I sure wish I had known that while I was reading!!!! This graphic novel is Seth's first and I would be interested in reading another. Recommended for Woody Allen types, the old-fashioned, and Drawn and Quarterly readers....more

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Josh

Josh rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

03/10/08

bookshelves: comics

There's little sense to make a big production about this book, but it was a yawner. The artwork was decent: Simple, round characters drawn with blue, black, grey and white and clearly affected how the piece was received. So good job for that. But I'm easy to please with art, I'm more interested in the writing.

The problem then is that the writing is trite. Coming of age itself is a difficult theme to address in a fresh way, and this book suffers from what I think of as forced epiphany seen in...more There's little sense to make a big production about this book, but it was a yawner. The artwork was decent: Simple, round characters drawn with blue, black, grey and white and clearly affected how the piece was received. So good job for that. But I'm easy to please with art, I'm more interested in the writing.

The problem then is that the writing is trite. Coming of age itself is a difficult theme to address in a fresh way, and this book suffers from what I think of as forced epiphany seen in these types of myopic pieces.

Yes, it's tough to grow up and leave home even if we didn't exactly love it when we were there (or when we visit). I understand that love is hard to find when you're looking for it, and that it can fall in your lap when you're not. We get that returning to childhood's place, may years later, gets us in touch with who we have changed into and where we've come from. We're aware, of course, when dating goes wrong it's not "you", it's "me". And we understand and can relate to wanting to show ourselves in the story as the literate, discerning, intelligent, questioning human, above the claptrap and mindlessness of what society is now becoming (and has been marching toward for a very long time). But the author tries too hard and in the end doesn't pull it off. This is a person who does exist, but he just doesn't pull it off enough for me to care why.

In fact he spends so much time reflecting on youth now lost and other such generic expression of existential angst that the story within the story device of Seth searching out the elusive and obscure cartoonist "Kalo" falls under the weight of the main character, getting trampled underfoot by the autobiographer, the poor, sad, angry, lost, unhappy, forlorn, pensive Seth's pondering. (Did you find that a bit much? Redundant, excessive, superfluous? That's how it was reading this book). The part of the story that could have been interesting is lost in so much sap.
Man likes obscure artist, man relates to artist, embarks on a quest to know who the artist is, man finds out. But finds out what? And who cares? Alex Robinson tried the same thing in "Box Office Poison" and where he pulled it off, Seth could not.

To me, this book reads a bit like a creative writing piece you'd find from a more seriously inclined but still novice student in an intro to writing class. I'd grade it: "meh".

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Cody

Cody rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

09/04/07

bookshelves: graphic-literature

What saves this graphic novel from navel-gazing misanthropy is Seth's awareness that he is a navel-gazing misanthrope. That and his subtly beautiful artwork. It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken is both a manifesto of sorts and a condensed autobiography. The simple story is framed by Seth's fascination with and search for an obscure cartoonist — likely a stand-in for every other cartoonist he has been interested in and a personification of the "good-old-days," which Seth admit...more

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Summer

Summer rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

06/22/07

bookshelves: 2007, graphic-narrative

I liked the art and design, but it was difficult for me to enjoy this book, as it's an autobiography of a rather repellant person. He's a 30 year old who has renamed himself "Seth" (no last name) and has contempt for modern pop culture and affectations while dressing like Clark Kent and obsessing over slightly older pop culture. He's vaguely depressed for no apparant reason, and starts and ends a relationship that has nothing to do with the story.

I want to reach into the frames and...more

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3 comments

Kevin

Kevin rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

03/02/08

bookshelves: comics, memoir

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: nostalgia-stricken cartoon curmudgeons

I've always liked the look of Seth's comics, but this is the first book of his I've read. I don't think it's the best introduction. Seth spends a lot of time in this comic worrying about whether his navel-gazing, obsessive and misanthropic tendencies make him a terrible bore and I'd have to say he has good reason to worry. I'm not a big fan of autobiographical comics for exactly this kind of neurotic self-indulgence. The fact that he's aware of it doesn't make him any more interesting as a sub...more

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Nickie

Nickie rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

05/01/08

Read in May, 2008

In which the author, a cartoonist, becomes obsessed with an obscure cartoonist and tries to track him down. There's a metaphor in there somewhere, but I couldn't be bothered to figure it out as I wasn't as interested in the author as he was.

I get really tired of comics that are just insular brain-ramblings. I'm not sure that this would have been published it was a writey novel. The illustration wasn't to my taste either. I can imagine Daniel Clowes writing the very same g.novel and pulling i...more

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Alex

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

04/19/08

Read in April, 2008

well i wanted to like this book a lot. the drawing, the pacing, all beautiful and lovely. but i dont get what the title has to do with anything and the protagonist is the most self-absorbed nostalgic whiny snot ever. kinda reminds me of myself at my worst. and b/c it does remind me of the me i don't want to know, i can't say it was enjoyable, but it was interesting in its own way. i'll give it a reread once i'm done being mad at it.

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Jeni

Jeni rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

04/13/08

I'm far from an expert on graphic novels, but I appreciated this book's quiet use of space, and the guilty lust with which the protagonist hunts (haunts) his craft. The cinematic expanses and characters made this a quick and lovely read. I agree with some of the other reviewers that there was a lack of substance and a somewhat forced ending, but this book made me smile with its artful design and slow progression through time.

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C rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

09/11/07

Read in August, 2004

EDIT: Reread the book again, and liked it much more this around, despite one of the most whiny, unappealing protagonists I've seen in print. The writer/artist has a fine command of timing and negative space, and never over-draws. Subtle and generally enjoyable.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I like this more nuanced, less superhero-y approach to graphic novels, but this one didn't add up to much.

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Matt

Matt rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

08/12/07

Read in August, 2007

I liked this a lot for one glaring reason: if you're a writer or a wannabe writer or whatever definition falls theirein, you'll understand how great it would be to have an homage to the lonely figure behind the stories. In many qays, Seth's book is like that - a picture of his own obsession and the weirdness that falls under the chain-smoking freak. Very cool, I definitely recommend.

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Clara

Clara rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

04/22/08

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in April, 2008

Seth is not a comic writer; he is a thwarted novelist. The graphics in this 'graphic novel' are incidental, as most of it is people walking down the street and having long, rambling conversations.

At one point the protagonist says 'Why do I waste my energy on this self-pitying, maudlin crap?'. That is exactly how I felt reading this navel-gazing whine of a first novel.

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1 comment

Rachel

Rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

10/12/08

Read in March, 2007

recommended to Rachel by: the library
recommends it for: teens, adults

Graphic novels are no longer synonymous with comic books. Period. And I am very much enjoying my foray into this genre. Please read The Catcher in the Rye, then It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken. Enjoy the similarities and the differences. I believe Seth has a bit of Caulfield in him. (Warning: one or two nude drawings...oh my!)

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Paul

Paul rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

05/26/08

A fine graphic novel. The narrator becomes obsessed with the vintage New Yorker cartoons created by a man who signed his name Kalo. The book follows his quest to learn more about this underappreciated artist and tell his story. The book ends with a series of cartoons by Kalo. Is this a true story or the creation of a false document. Not sure but a good read.

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Jay

Jay rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

03/24/07

Read in June, 2006

recommends it for: Idealists or people who like to make fun of idealists

Excellent mystery of sorts about a guy who wants to learn all he can about a cartoonist he saw in the New Yorker. When I read it, I assumed the story was autobiographical and am a bit let down that it's fiction, but still. Nice retro two-tone coloring with a realistic portrayal of how people constantly compare themselves to others. A very satisfying read.

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Monica

Monica rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

04/10/08

bookshelves: 2008, graphicnovels-comics

Read in April, 2008

Got to agree that this was one of the most unappealing protagonists I've read. His total self involvement, misanthropy, myopic nostalgia, and general whinyness left me without any real empathy for his situation and obsessions.

This gets an extra star for the art, which I did enjoy. I really had a hard time with this one though.

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1 comment

Keef

Keef rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

07/16/07

I had a friend who said that this was the best comic book ever. I'm not sure if I can agree with that, but I can definitely see why they'd say it. Self-contained and melancholy, funny and wry. The story follows the main character on his search for a little-known gag cartoonist.

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Meg

Meg rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

07/12/08

bookshelves: read-in-2008

While in a lot of ways I didn't like the Seth character, the stories reminded me of others in my family that are mired in the past and in self-reflection, to the point of being deteriorating. Interesting look at older comics as well.

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Rob

Rob rated it:

(review of isbn 189659770X)

06/21/07

This is one of the best graphic novels I have come across recently. This story felt timeless. Seth is one of the best writers and artists working in comics today and this is one of his best works.

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