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Borb
Radical comme une protest song, intense comme une douche froide, et drôle à en pleurer.
Borb est un clochard, un clodo, une épave, un SDF, un mendiant, un crève-la-faim… bref, un déchet de la société. Borb, c’est aussi notre fils, notre cousin, notre frère en humanité. Borb, c’est cette réalité qu’on ne veut pas voir et que Jason Little nous envoie en pleine face. À travers une succession de strips mordants, l’auteur nous dépeint le quotidien de ce sans-abri dans une comédie douce-amère, à la fois touchante et hilarante. Le comique de situation, parfois quasi-muet, y est bienveillant et fait toute la force du livre : ce portrait poignant offre une représentation de la misère dotée d’un savant mélange d’humour grinçant et de gravité. New York en est le décorum, la misère répond à certains standards américains, mais l’universalité de ce conte tragique la rend transposable n’importe où en occident.
Borb est un livre qui secoue son lecteur, qui ne laisse pas indemne et qui, pourtant, arrive à faire rire. Borb c’est radical comme une protest song, intense comme une douche froide, et drôle à en pleurer.
Borb est un clochard, un clodo, une épave, un SDF, un mendiant, un crève-la-faim… bref, un déchet de la société. Borb, c’est aussi notre fils, notre cousin, notre frère en humanité. Borb, c’est cette réalité qu’on ne veut pas voir et que Jason Little nous envoie en pleine face. À travers une succession de strips mordants, l’auteur nous dépeint le quotidien de ce sans-abri dans une comédie douce-amère, à la fois touchante et hilarante. Le comique de situation, parfois quasi-muet, y est bienveillant et fait toute la force du livre : ce portrait poignant offre une représentation de la misère dotée d’un savant mélange d’humour grinçant et de gravité. New York en est le décorum, la misère répond à certains standards américains, mais l’universalité de ce conte tragique la rend transposable n’importe où en occident.
Borb est un livre qui secoue son lecteur, qui ne laisse pas indemne et qui, pourtant, arrive à faire rire. Borb c’est radical comme une protest song, intense comme une douche froide, et drôle à en pleurer.
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2015
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 24, 2015
Mostly silent graphic novel in 3 x 8 inch size. The back cover blurbs helped me a lot to understand the book's purpose. Borb is the story of a severely alcoholic man whose problems just keep piling up, in the depression-era manner of Chaplin, Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie) or Frank King (Gasoline Alley). Only some readers think of the story as "hilarious" and I did not. It's a contemporary comment on homelessness and it's a deeply sad story. We have more than 50 million people living below the poverty line, we have 27% of children living in poverty, which means hunger, and Fox News care of the Koch Bros has convinced the country (and even some of them) that their problems are exclusively their fault.
Credit to Little for NOT (like most of the above renditions of the poor) romanticizing this homeless man or the problem. He's disgusting, smelly, he's a drunk, so he's hard to justify loving, he gets new teeth and loses them, he finds money and spends it on booze, etc. which makes the problem of his and his fellows existence all the more difficult. The strength of this project is that it is a meta-commentary on comics history's cuddly versions of the poor, versus helping us see the problems and face them. We do see a flashback to how he got where he is, his past mistakes. We do not see a way out of his tragedy. The art is great. Little's best work that I have seen. Not fun to read, but interesting, and credit Little for not doing merely escapist comics (which I admit I also love to read), for contributing to the conversation about economic and social justice. He tells a story of people we see increasingly every day. He's a comics storyteller, not a policy analyst, not an Economics scholar or politician (thank god); he's not a preacher, he's not telling clean little moral parables. He helps us explore difficult problems and invites comics artists to join him, maybe.
Credit to Little for NOT (like most of the above renditions of the poor) romanticizing this homeless man or the problem. He's disgusting, smelly, he's a drunk, so he's hard to justify loving, he gets new teeth and loses them, he finds money and spends it on booze, etc. which makes the problem of his and his fellows existence all the more difficult. The strength of this project is that it is a meta-commentary on comics history's cuddly versions of the poor, versus helping us see the problems and face them. We do see a flashback to how he got where he is, his past mistakes. We do not see a way out of his tragedy. The art is great. Little's best work that I have seen. Not fun to read, but interesting, and credit Little for not doing merely escapist comics (which I admit I also love to read), for contributing to the conversation about economic and social justice. He tells a story of people we see increasingly every day. He's a comics storyteller, not a policy analyst, not an Economics scholar or politician (thank god); he's not a preacher, he's not telling clean little moral parables. He helps us explore difficult problems and invites comics artists to join him, maybe.
September 13, 2015
It's been a long time since I read any Jason Little, and probably not since Shutterbug Follies. (I've yet to read Motel Art Improvement Service, unfortunately.) So this was a return that was enjoyable on multiple levels. From what I can gather, Borb first appeared in installments online, and I didn't know about this originally. It doesn't have the most upbeat ending, but then with subject matter like this, what do you expect. I used to work with the homeless, and situations like this are all too common. Up until the final strips, though, this story had a comedic edge to it, with the protagonist being a homeless Charlie Chaplain- or Buster Keaton-type figure, always prey to physical mishaps. I wanted to read this book before the announcements of this year's Ignatz Award winners, of which Borb is one of the nominees.
May 11, 2018
Borb is a very interesting comic.
in a first sight it looks like a traditional newspaper comic strip. however, it is tricking the reader.
as you go through the book the punch line become more of sad than funny, and somehow, although it is a cartoony style, the story is not so far from reality. it follows the life of a homeless guy, which usually is a background of other comics of our life in general. but concentrating on the guy as a character give you mixed emotions since everyone referring to him as 'just a homeless guy' but as the story develop we know it, the guy is a complicated charachter which makes bad choices, or the world treating him badly, we also learn, that everyone give the homeless what they think he needs but not what he really need, funny enough he doesn't talk all over the story, and it's just because no body ask him anything, they all assume things, and treating him in condescending way. which is a good value to remember. anyway very good comic, very fast read.
in a first sight it looks like a traditional newspaper comic strip. however, it is tricking the reader.
as you go through the book the punch line become more of sad than funny, and somehow, although it is a cartoony style, the story is not so far from reality. it follows the life of a homeless guy, which usually is a background of other comics of our life in general. but concentrating on the guy as a character give you mixed emotions since everyone referring to him as 'just a homeless guy' but as the story develop we know it, the guy is a complicated charachter which makes bad choices, or the world treating him badly, we also learn, that everyone give the homeless what they think he needs but not what he really need, funny enough he doesn't talk all over the story, and it's just because no body ask him anything, they all assume things, and treating him in condescending way. which is a good value to remember. anyway very good comic, very fast read.
July 4, 2017
it's like.. pretty bad, and gross, and exploitative, but I got what he was going for.
September 11, 2023
Borb is the story of Bob, a homeless drunk, and his day-to-day misadventures which are both unbelievably horrible and surprisingly funny.
That might sound like a bizarre pairing - to match stone-cold realism with slapstick comedy - but Jason Little pulls it off perfectly. Borb is an amazing accomplishment.
His teeth are rotted so a free dentist gets him dentures - and then, because he can’t stop drinking, Borb goes on one and accidentally pukes up his teeth into the sea, losing them. He’s exhausted and drunk all the time so he falls asleep walking down the stairs, falls and breaks his leg - then when he gets out of hospital, the same thing happens again, this time to his other leg! They’re funny sketches that also reflect the reality of being a homeless addict.
We learn a bit more of Borb’s character as the story progresses - why he sees signs as gibberish and who the woman he follows is - which adds a level of pathos and tragedy to the comedy. And the story ends the only way it could for someone as hopeless as Borb, even if we grow to like him, and stays true to Little’s approach of depicting the reality of the life of a homeless person.
I genuinely laughed throughout this one and found it absolutely compelling, beautifully conceived and told, and a masterwork of the comics medium. All of Jason Little’s comics are worth reading - he’s an incredible cartoonist - which is why it’s baffling to me that all of his books are out of print. If you can find a copy of any of them, they’re well worth reading, especially this brilliant gem of a book.
That might sound like a bizarre pairing - to match stone-cold realism with slapstick comedy - but Jason Little pulls it off perfectly. Borb is an amazing accomplishment.
His teeth are rotted so a free dentist gets him dentures - and then, because he can’t stop drinking, Borb goes on one and accidentally pukes up his teeth into the sea, losing them. He’s exhausted and drunk all the time so he falls asleep walking down the stairs, falls and breaks his leg - then when he gets out of hospital, the same thing happens again, this time to his other leg! They’re funny sketches that also reflect the reality of being a homeless addict.
We learn a bit more of Borb’s character as the story progresses - why he sees signs as gibberish and who the woman he follows is - which adds a level of pathos and tragedy to the comedy. And the story ends the only way it could for someone as hopeless as Borb, even if we grow to like him, and stays true to Little’s approach of depicting the reality of the life of a homeless person.
I genuinely laughed throughout this one and found it absolutely compelling, beautifully conceived and told, and a masterwork of the comics medium. All of Jason Little’s comics are worth reading - he’s an incredible cartoonist - which is why it’s baffling to me that all of his books are out of print. If you can find a copy of any of them, they’re well worth reading, especially this brilliant gem of a book.
June 1, 2023
This gem illustrates a few points really well. First, it illustrates how an ordinary hassle can be a snowballing catastrophe for those without access to resources. Second, it's a meta-commentary on comics history--specifically, the trope of the "vagrant" character--done by showing the disgusting indignities that homelessness can bring. The daily strip format helps drive this point home, by showing in graphic detail things that the dailies couldn't even directly mention.
The daily strip format reminded me of the more recent "Why Don't You Love Me?" in the sense of a connecting narrative via daily strip format that uses some shock to subvert the genre. I'm definitely interested to check more of Jason Little's work out after this.
The daily strip format reminded me of the more recent "Why Don't You Love Me?" in the sense of a connecting narrative via daily strip format that uses some shock to subvert the genre. I'm definitely interested to check more of Jason Little's work out after this.
November 25, 2023
This was a quick read: dark, ironic, and sad. The creator uses a distinctive drawing style, evocative of the Great Depression to depict the difficulty of being addicted to substances and completely out of control of your life. At first glance it may seem hyperbolic and contrived. Alas, I know the reality to be exactly this, if not worse. I find it quite ironic though to find the author supporting the "housing first" approach to solve these problems. Ironic because he shows how these very policies don't work in this book! Maybe he's insane?
September 11, 2021
About as subtle as the knock on your window or the tug on your leg - homelessness is a sign of our broken society. Yes, there are things that Little is doing vis-a-vis the cartooning tradition, but that wasn't my major takeaway from this.
July 7, 2017
I definitely got the point, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Just wasn't very well executed and came off a bit exploitative to me.
June 26, 2018
Sacred me of how things can go fast too fast when you’re having too much fun
May 22, 2020
Goes over life and suicide of a houseless man and his alcohol addiction. Creates empathy for those who many not understand the struggle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2022
Strong
Read
September 23, 2021I sat and read it all in one sitting. Don't know how I feel about it if I'm honest.
August 10, 2022
I don't think I have a proper rating for this, so I will give it 3 stars. The message is communicated with excellence and I love the artwork. It was jarring to read but I suppose art is supposed to make you uncomfortable.
September 29, 2016
I haven't decided if I "like" the book yet, but it still has me thinking about it weeks after finishing it. It niggles as it entertains.
April 21, 2016
As a child, it was with mixed feelings that I enjoyed the film "Blazing Saddles," a family favorite at my house. I asked my family why it was ok to laugh at the racist humor. It was explained to me that Mel Brooks was using humor to draw attention to the problems of racism. Though the answer makes sense, it still seemed strange.
... And I still laugh at the jokes.
The film (a form of media) "Natural Born Killers" utilizes glamorized violence as a commentary (supposedly) on glamorized violence in the media. I found the same type of logical argument to be even more questionable for some reason in this instance.
After reading BORB I am again left with mixed feelings. I was delighted to see the issue of homelessness in a graphic novel, but seeing the character BORB as the brunt of every joke was mildly upsetting.
Maybe that was the intent....
... And I still laugh at the jokes.
The film (a form of media) "Natural Born Killers" utilizes glamorized violence as a commentary (supposedly) on glamorized violence in the media. I found the same type of logical argument to be even more questionable for some reason in this instance.
After reading BORB I am again left with mixed feelings. I was delighted to see the issue of homelessness in a graphic novel, but seeing the character BORB as the brunt of every joke was mildly upsetting.
Maybe that was the intent....
November 7, 2016
Borb might be the most disturbing comic I've ever read. It's just 86 unassuming little pages of four-panel strips, largely wordless, about a homeless man. The art draws inspiration from Depression-era newspaper strips like Gasoline Alley, luring the reader into a false sense of security with its punchy physical humor. But, as it heaps misfortune after misfortune onto its lone, repellent subject, the threshold for disgust is so thoroughly crossed, overshot, left in the dust, that discomfort and ultimately horror challenge expectations of the slapstick, pop-culture hobo, and the necessary preconditions for empathy.
March 29, 2016
A wonderfully amusing, soul-crushingly sad story about a homeless man whose luck gets worse by the page. Funny because it's drawn that way and sad because it is how many people actually live. Hits home and hooks you with it's simplicity. There is very little dialogue but you won't miss it. It's not needed. Art is reminiscent of early comics like Little Orphan Annie, only darker. A witty book.
May 31, 2016
I laughed more times than I felt comfortable... But in presenting the plight of a homeless man in a ridiculous, humorous manner, Little actually tricks us into drawing closer to the protagonist and allowing ourselves into his head--something we are usually careful not to allow, lest compassion overtake us and we be moved to actually do something...
March 30, 2015
Horrifying and terribly sad, yet somehow still hilarious.
June 28, 2015
The story of a human. We should always see people as humans first.
July 2, 2015
Incredibly sad.
Read
July 6, 2015This book is sad you guys.
July 14, 2015
Totally brutal and sad. I appreciated the juxtaposition of the classic comic style with the desperation of Borb's daily life.
August 6, 2015
Well this was depressing.
August 27, 2015
This tinyish and mostly wordless book was a super quick read, but the sadness stuck with and continued to build up long after I finished. I plan on re-reading AND (forcefully) sharing.
February 3, 2016
An easy little graphic novel/comic. You can read it in twenty minutes. It was alright. It didn't rock my world or anything.
April 8, 2016
Funny and affecting look at homelessness.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews