''Lowlife'' is a semi-autobiographical

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series written and drawn by

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

, originally published by

Caliber Comics Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...

and later Aeon Press. Collected editions were put out by Aeon and Black Eye Books. The ''Comics Journal'' described the book as following the "frustration and cynicism of disenchanted

slacker A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early ...

kids finding excitement in their uneventful lives.""''Like Teen President'' to ''Smell of Steve''"
''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

'' #79 The series was described by '' The Stranger'' as "part fiction, part autobiography, the narratives hover between sincerity and parody, with moments of transcendence that lift it out of the realm of the ordinary comic book." Brubaker cited his work here as an influence on later works:

Development and publication history

''Lowlife'' was Brubaker's first professional work."Behind the Page: Ed Brubaker I"

Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History ...

, January 28, 2008. The work is semi-autobiographical, based upon the lives of the author and his friends but "with the names changed." ''Lowlife'' debuted in 1992 with two issues published by

. Issues #3–5 were published in 1994–1995 by the

MU Press MU Press (officially Miscellanea Unlimited Press) was an independent comic book publisher based in Seattle, Washington, which operated 1990 – c. 2006. MU Press was one of the industry's most prolific " furry" comic publishers, while its mid-199 ...

imprint Aeon Press.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

: *''The Portable Lowlife'' (48 pages,

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timele ...

, 1995, ) *''A Complete Lowlife'' (112 pages, Black Eye Books, 1997, ,

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Shelf pu ...

, 2001, )

References

External links

* * * {{comic-stub Comics by Ed Brubaker 1992 comics debuts 1995 comics endings