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Conversation #2
Conversation #2
In this issue, James Kochalka goes up against rising indy-comics star, Jeffrey Brown. The two cartoonists draw together, exchanging pages back and forth, and trade metaphorical jabs in a discussion that quickly devolves into an argument, which quickly devolves into a brawl about art and comics and the role such things play in our lives. See Jeffrey Brown turn into a city-destroying giant! See James Kochalka slap Jeffrey silly with a vomit-covered mop. Discussing art & life has never been more action-packed, or funnier.
48 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
19 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Brown
189 books1,385 followersJeffrey 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.
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2011
A few years ago Top Shelf published these mini-comics featuring some of the best indie talents in comics, Craig Thompson, Jeffrey Brown, and James Kochalka. They focus on questions of motivation behind each artist’s work and their world views – this is Conversation #2 between James Kochalka and Jeffrey Brown.
If you’re as big a Kochalka nut as me you’ll enjoy this a lot. It’s like “The Cute Manifesto” as in it discusses the medium of comics seriously as well as Kochalka’s approach to his work and his life. In this comic Kochalka talks about his need to be recognised for what he does but also the need to create at any rate and to make art that is free flowing and natural. Brown talks about making art that is more thoughtful, contains a lot of things, an entire life even, and that he too wishes to be recognised for his work.
The two disagree over work and art and their approaches to life and in the midst of it you get the shared comics talents of their different styles overlapping and complimenting each other. It’s a really great, unique little comic that tells you some interesting things about each artist and deserves to be collected into a trade paperback at some point to reach a wider audience.
If you’re as big a Kochalka nut as me you’ll enjoy this a lot. It’s like “The Cute Manifesto” as in it discusses the medium of comics seriously as well as Kochalka’s approach to his work and his life. In this comic Kochalka talks about his need to be recognised for what he does but also the need to create at any rate and to make art that is free flowing and natural. Brown talks about making art that is more thoughtful, contains a lot of things, an entire life even, and that he too wishes to be recognised for his work.
The two disagree over work and art and their approaches to life and in the midst of it you get the shared comics talents of their different styles overlapping and complimenting each other. It’s a really great, unique little comic that tells you some interesting things about each artist and deserves to be collected into a trade paperback at some point to reach a wider audience.
November 5, 2025
My review for Vol. 1 works for Vol. 2 with a few changes.
Maybe 3/5 is a bit uncharitable, but 4/5 seems too generous.
Conversations is an interesting little comic book in which two comic artists have a “jam session.” The two artists argue about the nature of comics, art, work, God, etc. via comics. It’s a unique concept and genuinely made me stop and reflect a few times.
That being said . . . I don’t think this was great. It’s a quirkily illustrated argument that’s really too brief to do much.
But I’ll read it again and see if I get anything more out of it.
Maybe 3/5 is a bit uncharitable, but 4/5 seems too generous.
Conversations is an interesting little comic book in which two comic artists have a “jam session.” The two artists argue about the nature of comics, art, work, God, etc. via comics. It’s a unique concept and genuinely made me stop and reflect a few times.
That being said . . . I don’t think this was great. It’s a quirkily illustrated argument that’s really too brief to do much.
But I’ll read it again and see if I get anything more out of it.
September 3, 2015
I really enjoy this series. I wish Kochalka would do more with other cartoonists.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews