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

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken is the title of a 1996 graphic novel (or "picture novella") by Seth, published by Drawn and Quarterly. It was originally published in issues 4 through 9 of the comic book series Palookaville. It is about Seth's search for an obscure Canadian cartoonist named Kalo who once contributed to The New Yorker.

It was #52 on the list of the "100 Best Comics of the 20th Century" compiled by The Comics Journal.

This book stirred up a minor controversy when it was revealed that, while the story presents Kalo as a real person, Seth had actually invented him, and the Kalo drawings in the book were Seth's own. Seth even includes an alleged photo of Kalo in the book. Although the story was based on elements of Seth's life (featuring his mother and brother, and his friend, the cartoonist Chester Brown), the story was not strictly autobiographical. For instance, Ruthie, Seth's girlfriend in the book, was actually a combination of several women.

Seth has said that the title was something that his mother used to say when he was growing up. The phrase was taken from a Depression era song popularly performed by Maurice Chevalier, and later borrowed as a song title by The Tragically Hip on their CD In Violet Light.