Unlikely

The Girlfriend Trilogy #2

by Jeffrey Brown

Following Jeffrey Brown's debut hit, Clumsy, Unlikely continues to explore the nature of relationships in this story of how Jeffrey Brown lost his virginity. A full-length graphic novel of excruciating detail and intimacy, drawn in an awkward style that both disarms the reader and heightens the emotional impact of the work. This comic is for adult viewers only, due to sexual content and nudity.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Nonfiction, Memoir, Comix, Autobiography

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2003

About the author

Jeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book 'Clumsy' in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster published his latest graphic memoir 'Funny Misshapen Body.' In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Paris. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.'
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.

Reviews

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this a lot because it very clearly illustrated how people lie to themselves (and therefore the other person) at the start of relationships; they want to be a better person, so they tell the person that they're better than they are. They say, "I don't do drugs anymore," or "I have no interest in that anymore," or "when I'm with you I feel like I'm someone else, someone I've wanted to be for a long time." That's awesome! I'm glad that person brings those qualities out of you and that you're improving your life because of it. But there's a difference between recognizing that someone brings those qualities out of you, and BEING THAT PERSON. Unlikely pretty accurately showed how a relationship starts with statements like those and ends because a person hasn't changed; she just returns to who she really is, without all the flights of fancy of who she could be some day if she dated this guy. Change has to come from within, and be an individual process.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another autobiographical story of a failed relationship, Unlikely is chronologically before Clumsy, and tells the story of Jeff's first lover. It's just as good, if not better, than Clumsy, although sometimes very painful to read. Watching this relationship fall apart is harder than seeing the relationship in Clumsy come to an end, because of all of Allisyn's baggage and Jeff's complete inability to deal with it. These books aren't for everyone; I think a lot of people might find them self-indulgent. But I love Brown's ability to write honestly about human relationships and the way that sometimes, everyone seems to come out looking like the bad guy.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I finished this book, I had to set it aside and take a series of deep breaths. Then I either thought, or said aloud, "I am not ready to date again."

His art style is a little Matt Groening-esque. And some people have some problems with a series of frames of sighs and sneezes, but I kinda dig it. I have read most of his books so far (I think) and this is his best.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chicago Public Library recently established a partnership with online content sharing service Hoopla, which among other things means I suddenly have access to several thousand old comics I've never read before, including most of the back catalog of Dark Horse, Top Shelf and Boom! Studios. And this includes the first four or five books by indie darling Jeffrey Brown, whose scribble-like confessional stories are beloved by some and intensely hated by others; I'm reading them in chronological order right now, my first Brown experiences besides the popular "Darth Vader as goofy dad" books he's recently been putting out with the full permission of Disney, with this one being the second of his so-called "Ex-Girlfriend Trilogy," in this case recounting the story of him losing his virginity.

As I suspected would be the case, Unlikely is just a little better than his first book, the almost unreadable Clumsy, an upward trajectory that I'm guessing will be the case with each subsequent book (his recent Star Wars books are in fact quite professional-looking, and you would barely guess they come from the same person who did these little-kid scribbles of his first titles); but that said, the rambling, plotless nature of the book's storyline will again drive some people crazy (like me, for example), a case of Brown wanting to use character development as a substitute for a decent story but then failing to actually present us with interesting or fleshed-out characters, leaving us with not much more than the fumbling, empty conversations of two vapid college-aged entitled slackers.

And that's the other major problem here, that unlike Clumsy, the characters in Unlikely come off not just as bland but actively unlikable; while of course cutting them some slack for being young people and therefore inherently annoying, it's still hard to deny that college-aged Brown comes off here as a dour, prissy teetotaler with weird Freudian issues about sex and controlled substances, and that his girlfriend is an addict-in-denial who is pushed back into heavy drug use by the smothering, obsessive nature of Brown's emo mama's-boy routine. Knowing that this is an autobiographical tale, such character traits are easily forgivable in real life -- I'm sure that the now middle-aged Brown has grown into a more stable maturity by now, and we shouldn't really judge him based on the foibles of his youth -- but as a narrative story in a book that one is voluntarily choosing to purchase and read, the "characters" featured in Unlikely often leave a lot to be desired, and it's worth knowing this before deciding whether or not to read it. That said, I'll still be tackling the remainder of Brown's books being carried by Hoopla, one a month until I'm done, so keep an eye out here throughout 2017 for more.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this novel. Don't get me wrong I'm a sucker for stories of failed love and painfully awkward life moments...and this memoir is a great one for that. However, when reading graphic novels, I want the artwork to grab me too...or at least not push me away. I found the speech bubbles to be placed in such a manner that the order of conversation was difficult for me to follow. It's interesting to peer into Brown's life but... Meh. I could have done without.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tedious would be a better title.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey Brownin "Unlikely" (Top Shelf, 2003) on omaelämäkerrallinen sarjakuva tekijän ensimmäisestä ihmissuhteesta, alusta hamaaseen loppuun asti. Luonnosmaisuus leimaa sarjakuvan ulkoasua, mutta sen ei pidä antaa karkoittaa luotaan: tekijä onnistuu nimittäin kuvaamaan erinomaisesti ihmiselon tunteiden vuoristorataa. Lieneekö kysymys oman elämänkokemuksen karttumisesta vai mistä, mutta pidin sarjakuvasta enemmän kuin ensimmäisellä lukukerralla.

[Kurlyrebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will attempt to provide a review without spoilers. I began this book with one idea of the plot. Less than half way through my idea and thoughts changed. The plot is more realistic than I expected and anyone that's ever been in a relationship can relate. I emphasized with the two lead characters and found a way to equally like and dislike them. 😅 That's a compliment to the author.
If you want something relatable and realistic this book is a must read.

[r. fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this actually kind of moving, and I usually don't care about straight people romance that much... It's really simple and earnest, which I think suits the story and drawings well. Tearing up honestly!!!!!!

[Sole · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆☆☆1/2

[Hegoe Eri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it is very good, its main character is very well written and its story is very good and addictive, its secondary characters are just as good as the main one and its author is excellent along with his way of narrating the story.

[Malbadeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The point of this review is really to point you to "Be a Man", a little tiny 32 page comic written in reaction to Brown's being perceived as too sensitive or wimpy in his book Clumsy.

As stated in the copyright "This is a Parody and mostly not true and if you can't take a joke, fuck you."

Fortunately I can take a joke and I loved it! I'll share one comic to give you the feel but after that you'll have to seek it out and buy it because it's well worth the measly 3.00 and should, of course, be viewed with the drawings.

FAT
girl: (sitting in underwear on a bed) I'm fat
boy: Well, then why don't you get off your ass and lose some weight
boy: (standing up with scrawny arms "flexed" and pot belly exposed) or just be comfortable with your body like I am
girl sits on bed looking forlorn
boy: (pointing at t.v.) That chick is HOT

"Unlikely" is completely different. Sweet, honest, sometimes uncomfortable, always realistic story of Brown losing his virginity and such.

[Alyx · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend let me borrow this one. I'm struggling about whether to give it another star. It's fine. I appreciate the candor with which the author recounts the loss of his virginity to a young woman who suggests the dark neurotic reality of the archetypical manic pixie dream girl and how they didn't work out as a couple. However, the story kind of felt claustrophobic to me because that's basically all that happens in the book. I think I may have also imagined a woeful Fox Searchlight/Focus Features-type adaptation that I would ultimately have to watch and get angry about, which is not the book's fault. I could also anticipate casual graphic novel readers hating Brown's deliberately slap-dash illustrations, but I think they work in context. The final two frames are kinda devastating, though. Imagine a 2.5 rating.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dibujo espantoso, personajes que oscilan entre ser simpaticones y queribles a insoportables, odiosos, estúpidos y bastante inmaduros. Quizás eso le da cierto triste realismo a la historia, pero también me la volvió por partes bastante tediosa. Mejor que Jeffrey Brown siga dibujando gatitos, porque sus personas son horribles.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

two stars feels a little harsh but... this was fine? I didn't dislike it, but as much as it was a fairly effective portrait of a relationship I just wasn't that invested in either of them. I also didn't feel like there was a lot of depth to any of the characters (which feels odd to say about real people, but I just really didn't get a strong sense of who they were)

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this one before now, I think, but I don’t remember when. It’s one of those books where I both deeply sympathize with all the characters and am also cringingly repulsed by them, which to me is a good thing.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uneventful. Nothing interesting happens.
Top it all off with lousy art, and you get this mess.
Boring :(

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. And I'm being nice about it.

It was exactly like Clumsy but without as much sex.

[thelittlestpickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blankets by Craig Thompson did it better. My biggest frustration is that his handwriting is not very easy to read, which makes this far less enjoyable.

[Rachel McShane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel is all about Jeffery Brown’s first relationship (and how it failed). I love memoir-type graphic novels, but unfortunately, this one did NOT live up to my expectations. I had lots of problems with it.
First of all, it was a pity party through and through—his girlfriend Alyson CLEARLY had some real mental health issues that led to the demise of their relationship, but Jeff never seemed to be concerned about it and only really seemed to care when the symptoms of her mental illness affected or inconvenienced him. It has an overall tone that said, “Wahhhh, she won’t take her medication and her life is clearly spinning out of control—how dare she leave ME and ruin my life.” C’mon, man. Get over yourself.
Secondly, I didn’t like Jeff—I almost feel bad saying that, because it’s a memoir and he’s a real person, but I’m sorry. I couldn’t stand the dude. I wanted to know more about Alyson and her story, but it was all about Jeff, who was clingy and annoying and self-centered. When Alyson CLEARLY stated she needed space and finally decided that it was over, Jeff KEPT CALLING, expecting it all to work out in his favor, and then got mad at HER when she didn’t return the feelings. When Alyson CLEARLY expressed being uncomfortable and didn’t want to have sex, Jeff threw a fit and acted like he was entitled to it; PLUS, when Jeff DID finally pressure Alyson into having sex, it focused on how he could never finish. Again, it has a whiney tone that said, “Wahhhh, I’ve pressured this girl into sex and now I can’t keep it up.” And of course, that happens on more than one occasion—it’s basically a running theme in the book. Like, we get it, man. Your love life is tragic.
Finally, the illustrations looked like scribbles, which is apparently Jeff’s style, but it looked more like a draft and sometimes was difficult to even read the words or make out the pictures. Overall, if you can’t tell, I wasn’t a fan—like Jeff, it all just felt very anticlimactic.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Unlikely" is the second volume in Jeffrey Brown's so-called Girlfriend Trilogy and, as such, it's a refinement (although maybe not an improvement) of his debut book, "Clumsy." No matter what, though, Brown's comics have a lock on raw self-examination and melancholy.

Reading "Unlikely," I'm reminded of the contention that a band has it's whole life to craft it's amazing debut album and a far shorter time to create its follow-up. I'm not saying "Unlikely" isn't good, in fact it's often an artistic and narrative improvement on "Clumsy," but it lacks a little of the first book's sloppy genius. Part of the problem may be that the Alysin character is so frustratingly wrong for Jeffrey that I kept wanting to shake him and wake him up. That isn't a fair critique, though, so I'll just say that the book does a very nice job of showing how, sometimes, loving someone isn't enough, if they're the wrong person.

Now a married man and father, Brown's later work is much more polished. I suppose it's fitting that the confusion and heartache of his youth is rendered so perfectly in his sketchy, chaotic panels. I think everyone has gone through his pain but few people are able to so perfectly translate that experience into art.

[Elke · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Blankets, it took me awhile to get into this story and its drawings. Jeffrey Brown had a totally different style and creates a different atmosphere, but once it finished the first chapter, I got into the story and I couldn't stop reading. It was sometimes painful to watch the characters interact, I disliked Allyson a lot and Jeff has a very low selfesteem, especially when it comes to losing his virginity and pleasing his girlfriend. I think a lot of people can recognize themselves in certain aspects of the story, and that's what makes it so great.

[amanda mello · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, while cute, gets really irritating really quickly. Actually, I feel like that's the case with all of Jeffrey Brown's comics. Unless you have a high tolerance for whiney boy drama I'd say skip this one. And his others.

[Luke Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, very real story of a young romance and its inevitable end. Neither the art nor the storytelling are entirely remarkable, but the story's cold reality is powerful and memorable. Recommended if you've ever had a relationship and watched it collapse seemingly out of your control.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it, yes, as I find the sweetness of Jeffery Brown in it, the vulnerability, the humor, self-deprecation, the heartache... See also Kiss and Tell and Sex and Death to the Age 14 by Spaulding Gray.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Jeff’s series called The Girlfriend Series. Maybe it should be called the ex series 🤪. Poor Jeff is such a doormat. I also want say that this book seems like it should be the first book not the second.

[Caroline Carlisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to contact the author and ask why it is that he insists on emasculating himself repeatedly in print.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

N.B.: For Mature Audiences

Unlikely is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Jeffrey Brown. It is an autobiographical graphic novel of Brown's exploration of losing his virginity. It is the second and penultimate book in The Girlfriend Trilogy.

Jeffrey Brown is a cartoonist born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It tells of Brown losing his virginity at age twenty-four and the relationship that precedes and follows the event. Brown meets Allisyn at a party and they begin a slow courtship, culminating in a confused and uncomfortable sexual relationship, which then begins to eat away at their relationship in general.

Unlikely is written and constructed moderately well. Brown makes an otherwise straightforward tale compelling. It is composed of vignettes, each isolating a moment in their relationship that deliver essential bits of thematic and emotional information. This allows readers to see the relationship as Brown experienced it, without the false strictures of quotidian continuity. Brown's dialogue is near perfect, albeit a tad difficult to read. His drawing, ragged at first glance, is minimal, nuanced cartooning, using a minimum of lines for maximum effect.

All in all, Unlikely is written and constructed moderately well and is adequate continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to conclude in the very near future.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' un volume scomodo, questo di Brown. Perché racconta una storia d'amore, e l'aggettivo "true" nel sottotitolo è quanto mai azzeccato: una vera storia d'amore con tutte le sue drammatiche imperfezioni, le speranze, i tentativi di farla funzionare, i fallimenti progressivi che portano a una sorta di catarsi auto imposta finale. Il fatto che la narrazione sia così ricalcante la realtà rende la lettura difficile, a volte poco sostenibile: ci si trova parte di sè, di possibili e analoghi fallimenti, e la cosa, vista al microscopio della pagina bianca, fa a volte male. Rendendo i baci, o i dialoghi sul nulla, o quelle occhiate piene di speranza, complicate da gestire al pari del sesso che non funziona, della diffidenza e delle liti. IL bello è che questa storia non è di per sè davvero drammatica: il rapporto fra Jeff e Allyson non porta a nessuna iperbole narrativa, non si ritaglia momenti particolarmente difficili. Ma ciò basta a tenere incollati alle pagine. Pur sapendo dall'inizio che qualcosa non funzionerà. Se il lato narrativo appare solido nella sua idea di approccio semplice, scarno quanto ferocemente analitico, i disegni, che pure seguono la logica della trama, sono troppo volutamente non rifiniti, e si distendono per tavole che a volte riesce difficile ritenere giustificate. Insomma: un racconto bello, intenso, da consigliare. Per un comparto grafico da dimenticare.

[Sarah Remsing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take everything I say in this review with a grain of salt, my thoughts are heavily tainted with my own personal experiences.

I really enjoyed seeing their relationship get set up in the beginning, but I don’t think we got a very clear characterization of either. I can understand hiding some of her traits to match what Jeff knows, but I think it would have been more meaningful to see his objections to weed and smoking more prominently so that later we’d have a basis for the significance of it in their relationship

Most of the plot suffered in some way from missing key information. Early in their physical relationship Jeff expresses discomfort with describing intimacy as “naughty” and references feeling repressed, but it’s never mentioned again. They refer to different prescriptions but never introduced when they started or what they were for.

I also think that the text was too small, especially for how messy it was with words crossed out and inserted in after the sentence was already written