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Chicago
A coming-of-age graphic memoir, set against the seedy 1970s Windy City. From Harvey- and Eisner-nominated cartoonist and editor Glenn Head comes Chicago , the hilarious and harrowing tale of a nineteen-year-old virgin who drops out of everything and into the unknown. Abandoning suburbia for art school and then the gritty streets, young Glenn finds himself fending off predators and fighting depression. A visit to Playboy offers entrée into the world of underground comix and R. Crumb, but it’s a chance encounter with Muhammad Ali that allows young Glenn to prove his mettle. Like Scorsese circa Mean Streets crossed with revealing autobiography like Jim Carroll’s The Basketball Diaries , Chicago is an unforgettable tale of losing one’s mind, finding one’s identity, and discovering love where it’s least expected. Black & white illustrations throughout
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2015
2 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Head
27 books8 followersGlenn Head is an American cartoonist and comic book editor, based in New York City.
Head was born in 1958 in Morristown, New Jersey and began drawing comics when fourteen. A student of Art Spiegelman at the School of Visual Arts in the early ‘80s, Head's style was significantly influenced by the underground comix of the 60's.
Much of his work has appeared in anthologies. In the early 90's Head co-created with cartoonist Kaz the comix anthology series Snake Eyes, for Fantagraphics Books. From 2005 to 2010 he edited and contributed to another anthology by Fantagraphics, called Hotwire Comix.
In recent years Glenn Head has moved towards longer form comics, releasing the graphic novels Chicago (2015) and Chartwell Manor (2021).
Other works and illustrations by him have appeared on a number of newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Screw, the New York Times, Playboy, New Republic, Entertainment Weekly, Nickelodeon Magazine and more.
Head was born in 1958 in Morristown, New Jersey and began drawing comics when fourteen. A student of Art Spiegelman at the School of Visual Arts in the early ‘80s, Head's style was significantly influenced by the underground comix of the 60's.
Much of his work has appeared in anthologies. In the early 90's Head co-created with cartoonist Kaz the comix anthology series Snake Eyes, for Fantagraphics Books. From 2005 to 2010 he edited and contributed to another anthology by Fantagraphics, called Hotwire Comix.
In recent years Glenn Head has moved towards longer form comics, releasing the graphic novels Chicago (2015) and Chartwell Manor (2021).
Other works and illustrations by him have appeared on a number of newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Screw, the New York Times, Playboy, New Republic, Entertainment Weekly, Nickelodeon Magazine and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 1, 2016
Glen Head (less one of the author's "n" for his supposed doppelgänger in this memoir/graphic novel) is an almost completely unlikeable guy in this coming of age story of his move from his rich Wall Street Mommy and Daddy's home in Jersey to dropping out of Art school after one semester to head to Chicago for several months and then (whew) home again to Mom and Dad's huge house in the burbs. He's a trust fund baby, completely spoiled, a jerk who also has aspirations of a comics career, who hitches to Chicago with no money or even a change of clothes, no luggage, walks into the offices of Playboy and actually gets some work, and makes some connections.
He is lazy, a little crazy, completely naive and selfish and lost in his late teens; the guy we meet we have to believe would have no clue how to make a living let alone survive on the streets. He panhandles, is nearly starving at some points, and relies on the generosity of south side folks who basically take him in and feed him. And we basically do not like him or feel sorry for him, as clueless as he is. The one saving grace of this comic is that Head knows he was a jerk, he knows it is amazing he survived his stupidity. Obviously he grew up sheltered, never worked, wouldn't know how to even get a job properly. And as a seventies guy who is at least in his head a counter-culture guy, he doesn't want a conventional job, anyway.
Maybe one aspect of this story that would have some interest is that it touches on a crush he had on a high school girl, Sarah, that he never really approached, romantically who he from Chicago tries to contact, to no avail, but who contacts him decades later. In that sense it is a kind of love story, I guess, though it's mainly unrequited and doesn't involve any really deep connections since our anti-hero Glen doesn't know how to talk to people. He might have helped her avoid the several crises of her life had he made the connections.
Instead, in this comic he reveals not only his flaws and foibles but also HERS. Why does he need to do that?! Grow up, Glen/Glenn! You were a jerk when you were a kid, and couldn't approach her, but you don't have to still be a jerk to her now via this comic! Still, his crush on Sarah is the central part of this story. What happens between them near the very end is supposed to be the real climax of the story, but it seems pretty sad, actually, in a way. To say more will spoil it, not that it is anything special to wait for, but still, I hold back.
And his crazy failure to take care of himself (even now, in the present, where some of the story resides) is also central to his story, of course. But it's funny, if this about his becoming a comics artist, there isn't much that helps us see how he got into it, or much focus on the process. He drops out of art school, skipping class all the time, doesn't work on art or comics or anything. We don't get a good idea why or how he even decides to do comics at all except we know he doesn't want to be a suburbanite, doesn't want to "sell out" and get a regular job and kiss up to The Man. Early on he carries around a Zap Comix comic and the highlight of his life seems to be a meeting he has with Robert Crumb, who actually blurbs this thing.
Head as a wanna-be underground guy wouldn't want to do comics but COMIX, in that alternative/underground Crumb way, but as a trust fund baby, he never really earns his street cred for us. Not for me, anyway. He just doesn't want to be in conventional working life; he doesn't have that much to say about street life or anything about life. I guess as a confession it is somewhat interesting, since Glenn makes it clear that Glen was only a jerk. It's My Clueless Life, The Early Years.
There's a weird story he tells about dissing Muhammed Ali on the street that doesn't come off as anything but weird and sad. And another scary dumbass scene were he finds his father's gun and shoots up his parents' attic, including family photo albums and even some heirloom portraits. Is his revealing this sad anecdote redeeming in any way? I dunno, I kind of doubt it. What does it lead to? What do we know that we couldn't already guess about rich kids with no job doing nothing all day and shooting the hell out of your Daddy's colonial mansion and eating bowls of chocolate ice cream afterwards? Maybe that's the point, though: I survived My Clueless Life, The Early Years! In one way I can begin to see it as kind of sadly hilarious.
Still, having ranted a bit against him, the art is is great, it really is, and in that alt Zap Comix Crumb way, which feels pretty seventies. I guess that's right for the times he is depicting, so its appropriate. And since it is all a kind of tribute to Crumb, whose note to him makes one of the book's epigraphs, and who is also hard on himself in his own comics, it also seems appropriate. But this is a kind of Joe Matt/Crumb/Van Sciver (Saint Cole) loser confessional, which I am warning you about, in a way, though I generally do like the sad sack memoir work of all those guys. If you want a guy loser confessional with a little bit of a sense of humor, though, try Noah Van Sciver's Fante Bukowski. Or Jeffrey Brown's memoir comics.
If I haven't done so already, there's an hilarious completely castigating review below that might scare you off this book altogether, he hates this book so much, but I think if you are interested in alt/confessional/memoir comics you should at least check this book out. I don't hate Chicago THAT much, but I get everything he says. Hilarious review, too.
I rate Chicago 2.5 largely because the art is really good, so story 2, art, round up a half just because of his affinity with all the loser comics above. I don't rate it down because Glenn makes Glen unlikable, I can deal with jerks in books, but because I am not sure what we really learn from it about Head, his relationship with people, or his life in comics. Still: I did like it pretty well in spite of all I say, because of his style, because of the steady train wreck of his life, but I guess I wanted a bit more evidence of reflection from it.
He is lazy, a little crazy, completely naive and selfish and lost in his late teens; the guy we meet we have to believe would have no clue how to make a living let alone survive on the streets. He panhandles, is nearly starving at some points, and relies on the generosity of south side folks who basically take him in and feed him. And we basically do not like him or feel sorry for him, as clueless as he is. The one saving grace of this comic is that Head knows he was a jerk, he knows it is amazing he survived his stupidity. Obviously he grew up sheltered, never worked, wouldn't know how to even get a job properly. And as a seventies guy who is at least in his head a counter-culture guy, he doesn't want a conventional job, anyway.
Maybe one aspect of this story that would have some interest is that it touches on a crush he had on a high school girl, Sarah, that he never really approached, romantically who he from Chicago tries to contact, to no avail, but who contacts him decades later. In that sense it is a kind of love story, I guess, though it's mainly unrequited and doesn't involve any really deep connections since our anti-hero Glen doesn't know how to talk to people. He might have helped her avoid the several crises of her life had he made the connections.
Instead, in this comic he reveals not only his flaws and foibles but also HERS. Why does he need to do that?! Grow up, Glen/Glenn! You were a jerk when you were a kid, and couldn't approach her, but you don't have to still be a jerk to her now via this comic! Still, his crush on Sarah is the central part of this story. What happens between them near the very end is supposed to be the real climax of the story, but it seems pretty sad, actually, in a way. To say more will spoil it, not that it is anything special to wait for, but still, I hold back.
And his crazy failure to take care of himself (even now, in the present, where some of the story resides) is also central to his story, of course. But it's funny, if this about his becoming a comics artist, there isn't much that helps us see how he got into it, or much focus on the process. He drops out of art school, skipping class all the time, doesn't work on art or comics or anything. We don't get a good idea why or how he even decides to do comics at all except we know he doesn't want to be a suburbanite, doesn't want to "sell out" and get a regular job and kiss up to The Man. Early on he carries around a Zap Comix comic and the highlight of his life seems to be a meeting he has with Robert Crumb, who actually blurbs this thing.
Head as a wanna-be underground guy wouldn't want to do comics but COMIX, in that alternative/underground Crumb way, but as a trust fund baby, he never really earns his street cred for us. Not for me, anyway. He just doesn't want to be in conventional working life; he doesn't have that much to say about street life or anything about life. I guess as a confession it is somewhat interesting, since Glenn makes it clear that Glen was only a jerk. It's My Clueless Life, The Early Years.
There's a weird story he tells about dissing Muhammed Ali on the street that doesn't come off as anything but weird and sad. And another scary dumbass scene were he finds his father's gun and shoots up his parents' attic, including family photo albums and even some heirloom portraits. Is his revealing this sad anecdote redeeming in any way? I dunno, I kind of doubt it. What does it lead to? What do we know that we couldn't already guess about rich kids with no job doing nothing all day and shooting the hell out of your Daddy's colonial mansion and eating bowls of chocolate ice cream afterwards? Maybe that's the point, though: I survived My Clueless Life, The Early Years! In one way I can begin to see it as kind of sadly hilarious.
Still, having ranted a bit against him, the art is is great, it really is, and in that alt Zap Comix Crumb way, which feels pretty seventies. I guess that's right for the times he is depicting, so its appropriate. And since it is all a kind of tribute to Crumb, whose note to him makes one of the book's epigraphs, and who is also hard on himself in his own comics, it also seems appropriate. But this is a kind of Joe Matt/Crumb/Van Sciver (Saint Cole) loser confessional, which I am warning you about, in a way, though I generally do like the sad sack memoir work of all those guys. If you want a guy loser confessional with a little bit of a sense of humor, though, try Noah Van Sciver's Fante Bukowski. Or Jeffrey Brown's memoir comics.
If I haven't done so already, there's an hilarious completely castigating review below that might scare you off this book altogether, he hates this book so much, but I think if you are interested in alt/confessional/memoir comics you should at least check this book out. I don't hate Chicago THAT much, but I get everything he says. Hilarious review, too.
I rate Chicago 2.5 largely because the art is really good, so story 2, art, round up a half just because of his affinity with all the loser comics above. I don't rate it down because Glenn makes Glen unlikable, I can deal with jerks in books, but because I am not sure what we really learn from it about Head, his relationship with people, or his life in comics. Still: I did like it pretty well in spite of all I say, because of his style, because of the steady train wreck of his life, but I guess I wanted a bit more evidence of reflection from it.
October 27, 2017
Another crappy, pointless memoir about a struggling cartoonist.
Half the book, he spends his time naked while eating ice cream and wishing for his family (who were portrayed as good folks, by the way) to simply die. What a douche!!!
Whiny from start to finish.
Half the book, he spends his time naked while eating ice cream and wishing for his family (who were portrayed as good folks, by the way) to simply die. What a douche!!!
Whiny from start to finish.
December 21, 2015
Gorgeously drawn, absorbing coming-of-age tale from a key post-Underground Comix figure. My longer review is now live on The Comics Journal: http://www.tcj.com/reviews/chicago/
March 1, 2016
Cool, another outdated post modern piece of work. I don't know how much more of these pompous, self absorbed comic artist assholes can exist. How many shitty autobiographies does one have to read of artists living "authentically" by being bums, whining about women, and living the true lifestyle of being unemployed and maudlin alcoholics that live off their rich parents. It is getting old. In Glenn's case, the true authentic lifestyle consisted of starving in the streets and being solicited by strange men to give them blow jobs in Chicago.
Groovy bro, very authentic...
Glenn admits he is a trust fund baby that leeches off his good, hardworking folks. He also admits he is retarded. Admitting guilt of being an idiot and leeching off your parents does not make it OK, it just makes you more of a retard who leeches off your parents. I believe the author is trying to reveal the "truth" or teach the reader a lesson or something. To be honest, I don't really know nor care. I think Glenn Head does not know nor care either...Whatever, bro...ART!
This self awareness and truth of the author, I think, is a weak attempt to "keep it real". The funny thing is that the comic book is written in modern times, when he is like 50 and he is still doing the exact same goddamn thing he supposedly became aware years ago and learned from his experiences. OK, maybe he learned running around starving and being solicited to blow strange men was probably a bad idea, BUT, in his ripe old age he is still living off his folks money, making shitty art, and now has a child to throw in the "authentic" lifestyle. This is called perpetual adolescence. It just made me hate this guy and his leeching hippie ilk, which has taken over the comic book scene, art, literature, and everything deconstruction/postmodernism has touched since 1969.
When will it end?
I need a beer...
Back to the comic, no one cares that you saw Muhammed Ali once or that you ate a candy bar off the sidewalk 40 years ago. Crumb and nearly all comic book artists did this some 60 years ago. It's boring, complacent, and vapid.
The artwork was pretty good and I did read it quickly (keeping my attention with some slight parts of humor), however, pick up any comic book from Glenn Head to Noah Van Sciver and you are sure to find the exact same persona consisting of self loathing, whiny and most of all self centered "poor me" artist who "suffers" from women problems and are self appointed nerds. If you didn't know by now, nerd is the new cool, get with it bro! Nerd chic!
This all has become a sickening cliche in the comic book industry, this persona originating with crumb, ware, and pekar. It was cool when they did it, now its just getting boring and redundant. It is also extremely pathetic, get your shit together. You're a 50 year old man living in your parents basement. You suck.
The comic medium is a great medium, but it needs some new life infused. Something fresh and original. All these comic "artists" are the exact same person who have their head so far up Harvey Pekar's and Crumb's assess. No one is breaking new ground! I blame the government...
There used to be a thing called a diary or journal, people wrote in them and kept them to themselves. It was called dignity. Now this garbage passes as "art" and "literature" as they shit their problems over everything. May the comic scene find new ground in other places rather than the same thing every "artist" has been doing for years. My humble advice, get a job and learn to write a goddamn story.
Groovy bro, very authentic...
Glenn admits he is a trust fund baby that leeches off his good, hardworking folks. He also admits he is retarded. Admitting guilt of being an idiot and leeching off your parents does not make it OK, it just makes you more of a retard who leeches off your parents. I believe the author is trying to reveal the "truth" or teach the reader a lesson or something. To be honest, I don't really know nor care. I think Glenn Head does not know nor care either...Whatever, bro...ART!
This self awareness and truth of the author, I think, is a weak attempt to "keep it real". The funny thing is that the comic book is written in modern times, when he is like 50 and he is still doing the exact same goddamn thing he supposedly became aware years ago and learned from his experiences. OK, maybe he learned running around starving and being solicited to blow strange men was probably a bad idea, BUT, in his ripe old age he is still living off his folks money, making shitty art, and now has a child to throw in the "authentic" lifestyle. This is called perpetual adolescence. It just made me hate this guy and his leeching hippie ilk, which has taken over the comic book scene, art, literature, and everything deconstruction/postmodernism has touched since 1969.
When will it end?
I need a beer...
Back to the comic, no one cares that you saw Muhammed Ali once or that you ate a candy bar off the sidewalk 40 years ago. Crumb and nearly all comic book artists did this some 60 years ago. It's boring, complacent, and vapid.
The artwork was pretty good and I did read it quickly (keeping my attention with some slight parts of humor), however, pick up any comic book from Glenn Head to Noah Van Sciver and you are sure to find the exact same persona consisting of self loathing, whiny and most of all self centered "poor me" artist who "suffers" from women problems and are self appointed nerds. If you didn't know by now, nerd is the new cool, get with it bro! Nerd chic!
This all has become a sickening cliche in the comic book industry, this persona originating with crumb, ware, and pekar. It was cool when they did it, now its just getting boring and redundant. It is also extremely pathetic, get your shit together. You're a 50 year old man living in your parents basement. You suck.
The comic medium is a great medium, but it needs some new life infused. Something fresh and original. All these comic "artists" are the exact same person who have their head so far up Harvey Pekar's and Crumb's assess. No one is breaking new ground! I blame the government...
There used to be a thing called a diary or journal, people wrote in them and kept them to themselves. It was called dignity. Now this garbage passes as "art" and "literature" as they shit their problems over everything. May the comic scene find new ground in other places rather than the same thing every "artist" has been doing for years. My humble advice, get a job and learn to write a goddamn story.
March 2, 2016
Not bad. Head is obviously heavily influenced by the classic underground comics artists, and this book reads like something that could have run in Rip Off Comix or Weirdo or something. The protagonist's name is "Glen"--perhaps Head needed to drop a letter to distance himself from the material?--and the book is autobiographical, telling of his dropping out of art school and running away to Chicago during his teen years. There's a segment at the end of the book set in the present with the grown-up Head looking back on the paths his life has taken since then. The narrative has been consciously constructed to some extent--the opening and closing scenes intentionally echo one another--but presumably this is all at least mostly true. There's not a lot that actually happens in this book. For the most part, it's Head wrestling with his own internal monologue, and having what amounts to a coming of age experience. Real life is trickier to manage than most people believe as children. We've all had that realization at some point in our lives, with varying degrees of accompanying trauma. Just because it's a fairly basic insight shouldn't detract from the fact that it seemed profound to Head at the time. Overall, I liked this book. If it's a little light on content, the artwork makes up for it with heaps of style. It's not bad, but I'm fairly certain that Head is capable of better work than this, and I look forward to seeing it.
June 4, 2018
A boy grows up, the hard way
Great tale of Glenn Head, finding that being an underground artist comes with it's prices. Moving to Chicago with no plan has its costs. Finding your own way has its costs.
But he came out the other end, and now we get this memoir.
I highly recommend it - just great!
Great tale of Glenn Head, finding that being an underground artist comes with it's prices. Moving to Chicago with no plan has its costs. Finding your own way has its costs.
But he came out the other end, and now we get this memoir.
I highly recommend it - just great!
October 16, 2018
I picked up "Chicago," by Glenn Head, on impulse from the library because I live in Chicago and it's about Chicago. I stupidly assumed the author was roughly my age (mid to late 30s to early 40s) and thus his experience leaving his wealthy suburban family and playing poor person pan handling in Chicago was set in the 90s and he was begging around the intersection of Clark and Lake. Instead he was doing his panhandling on the South Side of Chicago before I was born. Also he's a bigger asshole then I thought... And I thought he'd be an immense asshole. But hey, Chicago
This book is autobiographical, or at least based on the author's biography. But the protagonist's name is spelled differently so I assume we're not meant to take this as literal autobiography and recognize that some liberties have been taken.
Possibly fictional Glen has discovered Nihilism and alt comix and decides that he's got the skills he needs to be an alt comix pro despite being a recent high school grad. His parents pay for him to attend a pricey art college so he can make a living doing alt comix like his hero Robert Crumb. He quickly drops out of school after deciding that there's nothing any of the teachers can teach him because you've gotta, like, experience LIFE, man.. which is apparently impossible to do while also attending life drawing lessons.
Inspired by a female friend of his who he has a crush on, and who took off to Florida before coming back pregnant, he drops everything to go to Chicago with nothing but the clothes on his back. He doesn't talk to anyone about this, doesn't contact his parents, and doesn't take a coat with him. He is, essentially, a child in a teenager's body. With no money and no shelter he's taken in by a well dressed Black man named Aaron who allows Glen to stay with him until Aaron is eventually evicted for non payment of rent. In order to eat, Glen begs at street corners on the north side of Chicago, the part where white people live. He also hangs out at Playboy Headquarters, back when filthy stinking (white male) bums were allowed to just sit around waiting rooms and visit staff cartoonists. Eventually he's given a bit of piece work and I just... have a hard time seeing a Person of Color, especially a woman, getting a gig that way. Like, can you imagine the secretary allowing a Black dude to hang out for the entire day? Anyway, Glen also gets the chance to meet R Crumb.
Glen eventually calls his parents, of course, and goes back to his insulated life in the burbs and the big comfy house his parents have. He tries to call his crush but her mom won't pass the phone over because of the gal's history... her boyfriend pressured her into sexwork and she came home pregnant, after all, and Glen knew and didn't tell anyone. Glen, of course, managed to avoid sex work and only had to deal with men making passes at him. After literally shooting up his house, Glen eventually goes to several different art schools, dropping out of several before finally getting his degree. Just... being able to pay for several different art schools... I know that college was less expensive then, even art schools, but come ON. He remains entirely unaware of his immense privilege throughout the entire book. Just gotta fight that man, man, y'know?
The book jumps ahead to Glen as an adult... divorced, with a child, living in a really nice home that he purchased with money from his parents. His crush shows up and infodumps her horrendous life, a life of drug addiction and sex work, although she's clean now. He gets to finally indulge in sex with her and then she goes back home. Just... she flew out to see him, have sex, then go back home? What? Why? Glen's a pretty shitty parent, forgetting to pick his kid up, too.
Although he's aces at drawing architecture, Head's humans are drawn a little too loosely and cartoonishly in the way that people who aren't comfortable with anatomy draw humans. Hands are reduced to flippers when they aren't in close ups. People praise Head for his detailed work, which mostly means he draws a whole lotta lines. I get the feeling he's capable of drawing humans better and more realistically but wants to keep the alt comix feel. He also draws women's nipples no matter what they're wearing.
I was overall unimpressed with this book. Glen is an immense ass and it feels like Head is trying to vomit out his experience without really examining it or how it affected him as an adult. It feels like he hasn't really changed and hasn't really reflected on his experience.
I wonder if a woman writing something similar would be as well received. I wonder if his crush's experience would be as praised... or even see the light of day except online. I wonder how a Black man's experience abandoning a life of wealth to panhandle would go over. Or a Hispanic man's. Head really doesn't go into that, doesn't think about that. Every aspect of his book is self centered.
I know this book will be popular with certain people. Reviews for it that I've seen are largely positive. But initial reaction to this book was revulsion and I've revisited it a few times to see if it was simply a knee jerk reaction. But my opinion hasn't changed. This book's a hard pass for me.
This book is autobiographical, or at least based on the author's biography. But the protagonist's name is spelled differently so I assume we're not meant to take this as literal autobiography and recognize that some liberties have been taken.
Possibly fictional Glen has discovered Nihilism and alt comix and decides that he's got the skills he needs to be an alt comix pro despite being a recent high school grad. His parents pay for him to attend a pricey art college so he can make a living doing alt comix like his hero Robert Crumb. He quickly drops out of school after deciding that there's nothing any of the teachers can teach him because you've gotta, like, experience LIFE, man.. which is apparently impossible to do while also attending life drawing lessons.
Inspired by a female friend of his who he has a crush on, and who took off to Florida before coming back pregnant, he drops everything to go to Chicago with nothing but the clothes on his back. He doesn't talk to anyone about this, doesn't contact his parents, and doesn't take a coat with him. He is, essentially, a child in a teenager's body. With no money and no shelter he's taken in by a well dressed Black man named Aaron who allows Glen to stay with him until Aaron is eventually evicted for non payment of rent. In order to eat, Glen begs at street corners on the north side of Chicago, the part where white people live. He also hangs out at Playboy Headquarters, back when filthy stinking (white male) bums were allowed to just sit around waiting rooms and visit staff cartoonists. Eventually he's given a bit of piece work and I just... have a hard time seeing a Person of Color, especially a woman, getting a gig that way. Like, can you imagine the secretary allowing a Black dude to hang out for the entire day? Anyway, Glen also gets the chance to meet R Crumb.
Glen eventually calls his parents, of course, and goes back to his insulated life in the burbs and the big comfy house his parents have. He tries to call his crush but her mom won't pass the phone over because of the gal's history... her boyfriend pressured her into sexwork and she came home pregnant, after all, and Glen knew and didn't tell anyone. Glen, of course, managed to avoid sex work and only had to deal with men making passes at him. After literally shooting up his house, Glen eventually goes to several different art schools, dropping out of several before finally getting his degree. Just... being able to pay for several different art schools... I know that college was less expensive then, even art schools, but come ON. He remains entirely unaware of his immense privilege throughout the entire book. Just gotta fight that man, man, y'know?
The book jumps ahead to Glen as an adult... divorced, with a child, living in a really nice home that he purchased with money from his parents. His crush shows up and infodumps her horrendous life, a life of drug addiction and sex work, although she's clean now. He gets to finally indulge in sex with her and then she goes back home. Just... she flew out to see him, have sex, then go back home? What? Why? Glen's a pretty shitty parent, forgetting to pick his kid up, too.
Although he's aces at drawing architecture, Head's humans are drawn a little too loosely and cartoonishly in the way that people who aren't comfortable with anatomy draw humans. Hands are reduced to flippers when they aren't in close ups. People praise Head for his detailed work, which mostly means he draws a whole lotta lines. I get the feeling he's capable of drawing humans better and more realistically but wants to keep the alt comix feel. He also draws women's nipples no matter what they're wearing.
I was overall unimpressed with this book. Glen is an immense ass and it feels like Head is trying to vomit out his experience without really examining it or how it affected him as an adult. It feels like he hasn't really changed and hasn't really reflected on his experience.
I wonder if a woman writing something similar would be as well received. I wonder if his crush's experience would be as praised... or even see the light of day except online. I wonder how a Black man's experience abandoning a life of wealth to panhandle would go over. Or a Hispanic man's. Head really doesn't go into that, doesn't think about that. Every aspect of his book is self centered.
I know this book will be popular with certain people. Reviews for it that I've seen are largely positive. But initial reaction to this book was revulsion and I've revisited it a few times to see if it was simply a knee jerk reaction. But my opinion hasn't changed. This book's a hard pass for me.
September 13, 2015
I've known Glenn Head's work for years, his shorter-form stories he's contributed to Weirdo, Zero Zero, and his own edited anthologies Snake Eyes and (especially) Hotwire Comics. This is very different in that this is a book-length memoir, his first sustained narrative of this sort. Head had written autobiographic comics in the past -- a few shorter pieces where his persona was called Chester -- but this is more substantive. We recently interviewed Glenn for the podcast, and it was a lot of fun: http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a....
August 14, 2023
I read Head’s newer graphic novel, Chartwell Manor, which covers a period in Head’s life prior to what transpires in Chicago, and having the knowledge of his adolescence couldn’t help but color the experience of reading Chicago. A rich suburbanite of the 70’s, Head became an art school dropout and then very quickly a homeless person in Chicago. Without much reflection aside from recalling memories, Head’s descent into street-life is swift and somewhat completely insane. This memoir is disturbing, more so because it is basically a blow-by-blow of the fucked up life of a deeply traumatized person (though, again, Chartwell informs this). The self-infliction is what sticks with you most, though you also can’t deny that cold, calculated suburban life can definitely drive a person nuts. Head’s style is intensely detailed and it has grown on me, except for the way he draws his own face. It’s too bright and bushy tailed while also being spare and uninteresting. It’s a memoir, so you see his face a lot. Other than that, Chicago is insane and it rocks.
June 7, 2020
Described as a comix memoir, this book starts in New Jersey in 1977 with a suburban teenager who wants to rebel but has no idea against what. He eats only ice cream and is delusional. When on a whim he quits his expensive art school and flees to Chicago he must rely on the kindness of strangers.
Underprivileged people (ie, “poor people”) help this rich kid rebel against the “system” — the kindness of these people does not seem to have been repaid. Then he grows up, is known for his detailed comics and lives as a trustifarian. He is unlikable throughout but the art is rich. 2.5 stars
Underprivileged people (ie, “poor people”) help this rich kid rebel against the “system” — the kindness of these people does not seem to have been repaid. Then he grows up, is known for his detailed comics and lives as a trustifarian. He is unlikable throughout but the art is rich. 2.5 stars
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February 26, 2016I kept wondering if it was true, but this was an engaging read either way. I did not appreciate him shooting up his parents' attic. While his dad was a bit clueless, he wasn't a bad guy and I dunno why Glen didn't appreciate him more. It'd be interesting to compare this with Griffiths' Invisible Ink.
October 5, 2015
Disappointing. Art is fairly redeeming but the narrative is insufferable.
June 27, 2017
Suburban kid ditches art school to suffer for his art on the South Side for six weeks in the 1970s. Seriously? What was the point of this? Thanks for your tourism.
October 28, 2023
Chicago was Glenn Head's most comprehensive work despite his lengthy history working in comics. Serving as a memoir of of Head's switch to serious comics artist by moving to Chicago and hoping to sell strips to Playboy magazine, Chicago serves to paint a picture of a frustratingly selfish individual. There is apt quote at the beginning of the book by George Orwell - "Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful". Head takes this adage to heart with Chicago as he delves deep into his diminishing work ethic, self-destructive behavior and overall misanthropic sensibilities. A lot of this reads better in context of Head's later memoir, Chartwell Manor, but ultimately Chicago can be a bit too grueling of a read due to the uncompromisingly unsympathetic self-caricature. There are a lot of interesting tidbits throughout, including Head's own meetings with people like R. Crumb and Muhammed Ali, but a lot of this book is a fair bit of a drag to get through. Head's dense cartooning is appealing initially, with his influences from the '60-'70s underground comix movement being very apparent. Though it does work for the crass sensibilities of the story, it did begin to wear thin for me rather early into the book due to the lack of variety in compositions. Maybe more ardent fans of Crumb, Spain, etc. will connect more with Head's cartooning, but I found reading 160+ pages of this type of aesthetic to be rather grueling to get through.
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August 4, 2025Sex år innan "Chartwell Manor" gav Glenn Head ut sin första självbiografiska skildring. I den är han nitton år och önskar sig bort från den villaförort där han är uppväxt. Han kommer in på en konstskola men lever ett vilt liv, och hamnar istället i Chicago utan vare sig pengar eller någonstans att bo... Snart påminner hans liv om Hamsuns i "Svält" (som jag tycks referera till var och varannan dag...) där allt kretsar kring att hitta mat eller sätt att skaffa pengar för att kunna köpa mat.
Det är en rejält mörk bok, som både börjar och slutar på en kyrkogård och däremellan bjuder på flera livsavgörande händelser. Glenn (eller Glen som han kallas i boken) är självupptagen och bortskämd, och just den brutala ärligheten som han skildrar sitt alter ego med är liksom i "Chartwell Manor" bokens verkliga styrka.
Likheterna är i övrigt många, både vad gäller tecknandet och hur historien är uppbyggd. Det är lätt att se det här som en slags övning inför "Chartwell Manor", men den här boken står på egna ben och är riktigt bra.
Har man läst "Chartwell" innan har man lite ledtrådar till Glens beteende, och kanske därför är något mer förlåtande mot honom. Man bjuds även på ett annat perspektiv av hans far som nyanser hans roll i "Chartwell".
(Tidigare publicerad på Instagram utan betyg, sätter därför inget såhär i efterhand.)
Det är en rejält mörk bok, som både börjar och slutar på en kyrkogård och däremellan bjuder på flera livsavgörande händelser. Glenn (eller Glen som han kallas i boken) är självupptagen och bortskämd, och just den brutala ärligheten som han skildrar sitt alter ego med är liksom i "Chartwell Manor" bokens verkliga styrka.
Likheterna är i övrigt många, både vad gäller tecknandet och hur historien är uppbyggd. Det är lätt att se det här som en slags övning inför "Chartwell Manor", men den här boken står på egna ben och är riktigt bra.
Har man läst "Chartwell" innan har man lite ledtrådar till Glens beteende, och kanske därför är något mer förlåtande mot honom. Man bjuds även på ett annat perspektiv av hans far som nyanser hans roll i "Chartwell".
(Tidigare publicerad på Instagram utan betyg, sätter därför inget såhär i efterhand.)
February 19, 2022
The drawings are great, but the plot has some problems, especially the jump in time that skips over a number of key developments, rendering the ending unaccounted for and ultimately dissatisfying.
I’ve read reviews of people complaining that the protagonist is privileged, spoiled, and unlikeable (all of which are true), as if that observation alone constitutes a critique of the book. Yes, dude is from a ruling class family whose largesse he lives off, wastes, and exploits in his pathetic attempt to make it as an underground comix cartoonist (hey, if he’s not going to use it to fund socialist organizing, making avant-garde art seems an excellent choice of what to do with the wealth of Wall Street parents). Regardless of whether you accept that last provocation, it’s okay to like a book with unlikeable protagonists. It doesn’t mean you approve of their behavior.
That being said, of my recent toe-dipping into alt-comix, this is not among the best. It lacks the emotional depth found in the works of Los Bros Hernandez and the wonderfully observant dialogue of Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World. And the supporting characters are not granted multiple dimensions.
I’ve read reviews of people complaining that the protagonist is privileged, spoiled, and unlikeable (all of which are true), as if that observation alone constitutes a critique of the book. Yes, dude is from a ruling class family whose largesse he lives off, wastes, and exploits in his pathetic attempt to make it as an underground comix cartoonist (hey, if he’s not going to use it to fund socialist organizing, making avant-garde art seems an excellent choice of what to do with the wealth of Wall Street parents). Regardless of whether you accept that last provocation, it’s okay to like a book with unlikeable protagonists. It doesn’t mean you approve of their behavior.
That being said, of my recent toe-dipping into alt-comix, this is not among the best. It lacks the emotional depth found in the works of Los Bros Hernandez and the wonderfully observant dialogue of Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World. And the supporting characters are not granted multiple dimensions.
November 15, 2018
Feeling suffocated by life in 1977 suburban New Jersey, Glenn decides to step out of the mainstream and into the world of underground comics in this comic memoir. After feeling stifled by the monotony of art school in Cleveland, he hitchhikes to Chicago with nothing more than the clothes on his back believing his own drive will help him find a niche in the city’s underground art world. Instead, all he finds is that life is difficult without real direction and financial support. Glenn panhandles for change, fights the advances of gross men who proposition him, struggles to find a place to stay, and tries to find work as an illustrator at Playboy. He has a dream and wants to pursue it, but he ultimately learns that bad decision-making won’t help him get closer to achieving them. When he returns to New Jersey, he goes through an existential crisis trying to find meaning and purpose. All the while, he dreams of a girl he knew when he was a teenager and regrets not being with her. Glenn is now a successful comic artist and illustrator, but he does have to face his past to find closure.
July 14, 2021
This comix memoir might serve as a warning to young women comix artists, about the misogynist worlds of art school and "underground comix." It feels true. Compelling. Twisted in the ways that humans are twisted, so that capital always helps capitalists survive. Again, it just looks and feels true. It's a one hour read, with vibrant, meaningful cartooning. It is adult material, not because of sexual content (of which there is plenty), but because it's designed to make the reader think about the structural decay of a culture that still rewards the rich for being rich, the White for being White, and punishes Black and Brown people and those without capital. The adult reader will be able to cope with the omnipresent misogyny, and ask questions about how and why, without giving up hope.
It's my introduction to Head's cartooning. I'll look for his other works.
It's my introduction to Head's cartooning. I'll look for his other works.
June 24, 2021
I sincerely thank my friend Amy Regutti for gifting me this handsome volume, which I had wanted to read after she posted about it, but I ran into trouble in just the first few pages. I liked Mr. Heads artwork pretty well, but I found him to be most thoroughly unlikeable. I dunno if this was a deliberate choice on his part, but he came across as more toxic than biological warfare. You would think if you were taking the trouble to do and autobiography you would put some effort into making yourself at least somewhat charming, and well, now that I think about it, I did like his relationship with his daughter at the end, but that was all too brief. I would rather cuddle with Bukowski than encounter this guy again.
December 1, 2022
This is a brutally honest comix memoir about Glen(n) Head's days as art-school dropout bumming around in Chicago, trying to break into the comix scene. I admire how honest and unlikable Glen(n) portrays himself, and his gorgeous art kept me reading.
Unfortunately, this book lacks the storytelling structure of more mature comic book autobiography's, but Glen(n)'s lack of a clear character arc felt very true to life.
It's hard not to see this as a stepping stone to Head's later autobiography, "Chartwell Manor" which is one of the all time greatest comics in my opinion, easily holding its own against Persepolis, Fun Home, Maus, and the like. Even if you only partially enjoyed Chicago, I highly recommend Chartwell Manor.
Unfortunately, this book lacks the storytelling structure of more mature comic book autobiography's, but Glen(n)'s lack of a clear character arc felt very true to life.
It's hard not to see this as a stepping stone to Head's later autobiography, "Chartwell Manor" which is one of the all time greatest comics in my opinion, easily holding its own against Persepolis, Fun Home, Maus, and the like. Even if you only partially enjoyed Chicago, I highly recommend Chartwell Manor.
September 6, 2021
Glenn is a very talented comic artist and storyteller. I would describe him as an illustrator/writer. I think this is his first graphic novel, and he masterfully takes the reader into his world through amazingly detailed drawings and narrative. Some of the drawings I've looked at again and again and seen things I hadn't noticed before.
One of the underground greats, R. Crumb, said “Glenn [has] found his voice, found the way to tell his own truth, and has produced a very fine graphic novel, strange, unique, deeply personal, a very rewarding comic book reading experience.”
If you are an underground comix fan, or a fan of graphic novels, I think you'll enjoy this journey.
One of the underground greats, R. Crumb, said “Glenn [has] found his voice, found the way to tell his own truth, and has produced a very fine graphic novel, strange, unique, deeply personal, a very rewarding comic book reading experience.”
If you are an underground comix fan, or a fan of graphic novels, I think you'll enjoy this journey.
April 15, 2018
The artwork makes this book. The storyline is engaging enough, but the laugh out loud bits for me were in the great drawings. The struggle of the artist as a young man is candidly told in some often hilariously psychedelic fashion. I had hoped for more Chicago in Chicago but overall I enjoyed this amusing and well-drawn memoir.
August 26, 2021
Glenn dares the reader to hate him, and it's an easy dare to take. He definitely likes to play on the tightrope of complete self-loathing on one side and entertainment on the other. He never quite tips his hand to let the reader know that his teenage self was bratty and entitled with few redeeming qualities--and this is what keeps a good bit of the tension going in the book. Will he trash his childhood self and share life's lessons or will be present all of his privilege as the background to his now successful comic career? Like a good wrestling heel, he knows his role.
If you need to root for the protagonist to enjoy something, you won't get far with this one.
If you need to root for the protagonist to enjoy something, you won't get far with this one.
June 10, 2018
Very well drawn and engagingly written. Some criticism of the work stems from the unlikable narrator or the fact that not a ton happens. Both of these are misguided in my view. It is an excellent work.
March 3, 2020
Read this for an assignment. Enjoyed this more than I thought and very quick to read.
May 21, 2021
Fantastic artwork and a time capsule that will give you the feels.
August 31, 2021
I've never read Glenn Head before. The story was ok. But I really enjoy his style. Will be checking out more of his work.
December 17, 2015
Glenn Head loves comics so much he calls them comix. Though not part of the initial underground, his work has been published for decades and has always been entertaining and uniquely drawn. For CHICAGO he tells his story (or his doppelgänger Glen, note the missing n), a journey from adolescence to manhood. It involves madness, art, unrequited love, Playboy, a strained but loving relationship with his father and, of course, the mean streets of Chicago. There’s something about memoir that I don’t usually like, as it tends towards the myopic and self-aggrandizing, but when rendered in comic book form it works. I’m not sure if cartoonists have a better handle on storytelling or the use of visual art to tell that story naturally enhances and supports what could otherwise be narcissistic. Whatever the reason, Head tells his story with personality, humor, pathos and a bit of horror, all the human elements that I find lacking in much of the glut of literary memoirs. CHICAGO is my kind of graphic memoir.
May 1, 2016
Let me start out by saying that I like Glenn Head's drawing style. Reminiscent of Kim Deitch in its panels crowded with people (ghosts, cats, etc.), buildings, signage, etc., there's always a lot to look over. I found myself paying special attention to the names of books & comics strewn about and restaurant and store signage (especially those in my old Brooklyn neighborhood).
I don't know how closely this memoir reflects Glenn's actual life (the protagonist's name is "Glen" with one "n"), but I found myself mostly annoyed with the main character. He's a pretty aimless drifter, taking advantage of his parent's money with seemingly no regard for the people who shelter and care for him. I kept waiting for him to mature, but beyond having a kid, he doesn't seem to change much. Obviously, the real Glenn must be somewhat motivated given his output, but Glen the character is content to lay around sleeping and smoking.
I guess I just didn't ever become invested enough to really care what happened to him.
I don't know how closely this memoir reflects Glenn's actual life (the protagonist's name is "Glen" with one "n"), but I found myself mostly annoyed with the main character. He's a pretty aimless drifter, taking advantage of his parent's money with seemingly no regard for the people who shelter and care for him. I kept waiting for him to mature, but beyond having a kid, he doesn't seem to change much. Obviously, the real Glenn must be somewhat motivated given his output, but Glen the character is content to lay around sleeping and smoking.
I guess I just didn't ever become invested enough to really care what happened to him.
February 9, 2016
The art was 5 stars all the way, however the story was less than I was hoping for. All in all this is a beautiful book well worth soaking in, and I may find more meaning in the story as it sinks in. It's a bit existential and perhaps there is no meaning, and that is the point, after all what meaning is there for a disaffected suburban 19 year old?
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