It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken | |
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Publisher | Drawn and Quarterly |
Date | 1996 |
Number of issues | 4–9 |
Series | Palookaville |
Page count | 176 pages |
Creative team | |
Creator(s) | Seth |
ISBN | 978-1-89659-770-6 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | Clyde Fans |
It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken is a graphic novel (or "picture novella") by Canadian cartoonist Seth, published in collected form by Drawn and Quarterly in 1996. It was originally serialized in issues four through nine of Seth's comic book series Palookaville from December 1993 to June 1996.[1] It made #52 of The Comics Journal's "100 Best Comics of the 20th Century" list.
The story stars Seth himself, and features appearances of other figures in his life, like close friend and fellow cartoonist Chester Brown. The book is presented as autobiographical, and gained Seth a reputation for being part of the autobio comics trend in the 1990s, especially alongside fellow Drawn and Quarterly cartoonists such as Brown, Joe Matt, Julie Doucet and Adrian Tomine. Seth later revealed that the story was fictional.
Contents |
The story follows Seth's search for a fictional Canadian cartoonist named Kalo, who once contributed to The New Yorker. Seth's search leads him from Toronto, Ontario to the small town of Strathroy, Ontario, including many landmarks from each respective location. The book was #52 on the list of the "100 Best Comics of the 20th Century" compiled by The Comics Journal.[2]
After the cartoonist Gene Byrnes drew the panel It's a Great Life If You Don't Weaken, which was syndicated by the New York Evening Telegram from 1915 to 1919, the phrase became a rallying cry for American soldiers during World War I. Seth said his mother used the phrase when he was growing up, and the book was "Dedicated to my mother Violet, from whom I often heard the title of this book."[3]
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