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Brat
A major star of minor crime struggles for delinquency relevancy as she ages out of the delinquent scene she pioneered. Michael DeForge presents the mid-career crisis of a merry prankster in his singular style that blurs the banal with the absurd.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2018
About the author
Michael DeForge
67 books372 followersMichael DeForge lives in Toronto, Ontario. His comics and illustrations have been featured in Jacobin, The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Believer, The Walrus and Maisonneuve Magazine. He worked as a designer on Adventure Time for six seasons. His published books include Very Casual, A Body Beneath, Ant Colony, First Year Healthy, Dressing, Big Kids, Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero and A Western World.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 11, 2018
My favorite Michael DeForge comic yet, and the longest long form work he has done yet, the story of the famous/infamous juvenile delinquent Ms. D who has gained social media fame and gained fame for her hometown for her pranks (performances, she says!). Young people adore her, but even a cop whose car she has set on fire stops to thank her for her work and inspiration to him as he was growing up. It's funny, and manages to make a kind of commentary on fame, and aging, too, as MS. D is in her early thirties and is still a "juvenile" delinquent. She's a cult figure, an internet sensation for delinquency! And as a Brat, she has tantrums, of course.
Examples? So, as we might expect, pumpkin smashing, and that car burning! "Dry egging"? (Look it up!) Of course, since she is famous she is also a bad public drunk, but who cares?! She's famous, we love her! She sleeps with a "hot journalist," natch. Bad girl, bad woman!
Most of the book is tongue-in-cheek and lightly satirical, and affecting a mid career artist angle for the story, but occasionally DeForge goes ballistic, as when he has said "hot journalist" reflect in six panel cartoons on one page:"
"Have you ever thought about a career in hot journalism? Do you have a proclivity for writing? Or research? Are you capable of speaking truth to power? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and become sexually aroused? Would you like to see your big, stupid head plastered on billboards everywhere? Would you like to become so ubiquitous that the whole world gets entirely f----ing sick of you?"
Ms. D takes in Citrus Chan, who wants to be the next Ms. D, of course. Mentoring in juvenile delinquency is an amusing part of this: "I'm an aspiring juvenile delinquent myself, Ms. D!"
And DeForge manages to maintain some of his surreal/bizarre/offensive (hey! public defecation and urination, you bad boy/girl readers! DeForge is still a bad boy, don't worry, he's not TOO conventional yet! He's a juvenile delinquent, too, as he gets older!) elements, though they don't drive the narrative as much as they typically do. It's still a very alternative comics novel.
When she finally retires. Ms. D comes to the realization that she must "be the change you want to see in the world." But not really, this is more scathing-ness from DeForge, Great comics.
Examples? So, as we might expect, pumpkin smashing, and that car burning! "Dry egging"? (Look it up!) Of course, since she is famous she is also a bad public drunk, but who cares?! She's famous, we love her! She sleeps with a "hot journalist," natch. Bad girl, bad woman!
Most of the book is tongue-in-cheek and lightly satirical, and affecting a mid career artist angle for the story, but occasionally DeForge goes ballistic, as when he has said "hot journalist" reflect in six panel cartoons on one page:"
"Have you ever thought about a career in hot journalism? Do you have a proclivity for writing? Or research? Are you capable of speaking truth to power? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and become sexually aroused? Would you like to see your big, stupid head plastered on billboards everywhere? Would you like to become so ubiquitous that the whole world gets entirely f----ing sick of you?"
Ms. D takes in Citrus Chan, who wants to be the next Ms. D, of course. Mentoring in juvenile delinquency is an amusing part of this: "I'm an aspiring juvenile delinquent myself, Ms. D!"
And DeForge manages to maintain some of his surreal/bizarre/offensive (hey! public defecation and urination, you bad boy/girl readers! DeForge is still a bad boy, don't worry, he's not TOO conventional yet! He's a juvenile delinquent, too, as he gets older!) elements, though they don't drive the narrative as much as they typically do. It's still a very alternative comics novel.
When she finally retires. Ms. D comes to the realization that she must "be the change you want to see in the world." But not really, this is more scathing-ness from DeForge, Great comics.
February 22, 2019
10/10 would pee on stool again
December 22, 2022
3.5, rounded up.
A satire on celebrity culture, the story of the infamous juvenile delinquent, Ms. D., is fun, but a bit too scatological for my taste!
A satire on celebrity culture, the story of the infamous juvenile delinquent, Ms. D., is fun, but a bit too scatological for my taste!
February 6, 2019
Ms. D is a world-famous juvenile delinquent. The public--especially her fans--eagerly anticipate her next exploit. Her publisher is urging her to time it to coincide with the release of her new memoir. Can you say, “performance anxiety”? D hires Citrus Chan as an unpaid intern. Citrus and her boyfriend have aspirations to delinquency themselves. Can D pull off the stunt of her career and prove to everyone--particularly herself--that she's not past her prime?
This book is a nice riff on celebrity and the pressures of being one. Deforge has a crazy cartoony style going that adds to the fun. This book is similar in some ways to work by such alt cartoonists as Mark Beyer or Kaz or even Matt Groening. It's a surreal, skewed vision of the world that's a pleasure to read.
While this book is a singular vision, I found my reaction to it rather lukewarm. Yes, it's creative and enjoyable and all, but it's not really anything special. The story doesn't really say anything that hasn't been said before. Despite the wild style, it's pretty similar to many other alt comics out there. If you're new to the genre, this may impress you more, but for those of us who’ve read Raw (mostly the issues published by Penguin; I’m not THAT old) and Blab! and Drawn & Quarterly and the like, this is good, but not particularly new.
Worth reading, certainly. How much you get out of it may depend on your familiarity with the alt comics scene. Recommended!
This book is a nice riff on celebrity and the pressures of being one. Deforge has a crazy cartoony style going that adds to the fun. This book is similar in some ways to work by such alt cartoonists as Mark Beyer or Kaz or even Matt Groening. It's a surreal, skewed vision of the world that's a pleasure to read.
While this book is a singular vision, I found my reaction to it rather lukewarm. Yes, it's creative and enjoyable and all, but it's not really anything special. The story doesn't really say anything that hasn't been said before. Despite the wild style, it's pretty similar to many other alt comics out there. If you're new to the genre, this may impress you more, but for those of us who’ve read Raw (mostly the issues published by Penguin; I’m not THAT old) and Blab! and Drawn & Quarterly and the like, this is good, but not particularly new.
Worth reading, certainly. How much you get out of it may depend on your familiarity with the alt comics scene. Recommended!
September 26, 2019
A sharp, incisive commentary on celebrity culture and the manner in which subversion itself becomes a product. It's perhaps the closest DeForge has yet got to a clear-cut comedy, although there's that lingering undercurrent of sadness that becomes explicated in the character of Ms. D. At its peaks, the book achieves an almost harrowing expression of futile rage and despair (vividly portrayed in the “Tantrum” chapter). The exuberant colors, increasingly abstract design, and overall gorgeous visual style are perhaps the book's strongest qualities, though there's plenty to love elsewhere. Recommended.
March 24, 2020
önskar jag var en juvenile delinquent!
February 16, 2021
Loved the color palette, love the character design, really liked the story and the main characters. A story of a woman famous for her minor crimes who is getting too old to be the leader of the scene she started: delinquency. I love DeForge's style and tone and humor, so this was just a great book.
September 26, 2019
I find this guy's art to be freaky, loose, doodly yet tight? and unusual to the extreme.
I love it.
This is one of my more fave "stories?"
His weird humor is on a new level i.m.o. in this one.
I love it.
This is one of my more fave "stories?"
His weird humor is on a new level i.m.o. in this one.
August 5, 2024
Non mi ha entusiasmato così tanto e l'ho trovato parecchio criptico e a tratti noioso nella narrazione, con forse un po' troppi sbalzi fra personaggi. Probabilmente non l'ho capito io e non ci tengo particolarmente a farlo anche se, di base, un po' di storia c'è.
È stato carino leggerlo, un'esperienza che non rifarei e che non mi ha lasciato niente ma figo lo stile dei disegni.
È stato carino leggerlo, un'esperienza che non rifarei e che non mi ha lasciato niente ma figo lo stile dei disegni.
September 12, 2022
Solid DeForge, inventive, thoughtful and fun. I can't add to Brian O'Connell's review.
March 1, 2019
After recently being disappointed by Michael DeForge’s earlier work, Ant Colony, I thought I’d give one of his more recent books a shot. But like Ant Colony, Brat is a derivative work whose style far exceeds its substance.
It reminds me a lot of Bojack Horseman, both in its main character and its overall insufferable-ness (I guess that means that if you’re into Bojack, you might dig this book). I am totally on board for sad-sack antiheroes, but this is just a sad person who has nothing to be sad about. I simply don’t care.
For a work about an aging “delinquent” artist who cannot recapture her youthful sense of rebellious purpose, Brat is also surprisingly devoid of politics. The main character had been an anti-establishment performance artist and graffiti writer in her youth. But as far as I can tell, even back then she never had any political convictions. So now, in the midst of her early-onset mid-life crisis, she whines incessantly about not having that youthful “spark” she once did. But from my perspective, she never had it to begin with. All she ever had was fame (or notoriety, depending on your perspective).
The main character’s supposed “juvenile delinquency” is all just a put-on. Even her time in a juvenile detention center seems to have been nothing more than an act of self-aggrandizing showmanship. She’s a person of privilege who had merely adopted the *appearance* of a politically radical artist. The reason she can’t recapture her youthful authenticity is because she *never had it in the first place!* So I can’t care about her because the thing she lost (her ostensible youthful “rebelliousness”) had only ever been a kind of privileged pose. It’s an appropriation of *actual* suffering for the sake of acting the part of an edgy street artist.
Ultimately, Brat is a book about a self-obsessed, privileged 30-something whining about no longer being a self-obsessed, privileged teenager. It’s the kind of work that reminds me what I disliked about ‘90s era indie comics (an era that I once heard a woman cartoonist describe as “comics about sad white dudes masturbating”). DeForge makes radical artistic resistance seem like just another “twee” form of self-indulgence. It’s a disservice to art, to politics, and to comics. I’m really not a fan of this book. And now, after reading two of his books, I can also confidently say that I’m no fan of DeForge’s either.
It reminds me a lot of Bojack Horseman, both in its main character and its overall insufferable-ness (I guess that means that if you’re into Bojack, you might dig this book). I am totally on board for sad-sack antiheroes, but this is just a sad person who has nothing to be sad about. I simply don’t care.
For a work about an aging “delinquent” artist who cannot recapture her youthful sense of rebellious purpose, Brat is also surprisingly devoid of politics. The main character had been an anti-establishment performance artist and graffiti writer in her youth. But as far as I can tell, even back then she never had any political convictions. So now, in the midst of her early-onset mid-life crisis, she whines incessantly about not having that youthful “spark” she once did. But from my perspective, she never had it to begin with. All she ever had was fame (or notoriety, depending on your perspective).
The main character’s supposed “juvenile delinquency” is all just a put-on. Even her time in a juvenile detention center seems to have been nothing more than an act of self-aggrandizing showmanship. She’s a person of privilege who had merely adopted the *appearance* of a politically radical artist. The reason she can’t recapture her youthful authenticity is because she *never had it in the first place!* So I can’t care about her because the thing she lost (her ostensible youthful “rebelliousness”) had only ever been a kind of privileged pose. It’s an appropriation of *actual* suffering for the sake of acting the part of an edgy street artist.
Ultimately, Brat is a book about a self-obsessed, privileged 30-something whining about no longer being a self-obsessed, privileged teenager. It’s the kind of work that reminds me what I disliked about ‘90s era indie comics (an era that I once heard a woman cartoonist describe as “comics about sad white dudes masturbating”). DeForge makes radical artistic resistance seem like just another “twee” form of self-indulgence. It’s a disservice to art, to politics, and to comics. I’m really not a fan of this book. And now, after reading two of his books, I can also confidently say that I’m no fan of DeForge’s either.
December 1, 2021
I found this comic eminently readable, and it made me laugh out loud several times. Nonetheless, it's not as memorable or imaginative as the excellent Ant Colony, or the brilliant short comics collected in A Body Beneath. I guess Brat is satirizing celebrity culture, but it lacks the existential depth and emotional resonance of DeForge's best work. On top of that, the art here is even cruder and more simplistic than in the other DeForge comics I've read: there are some great weird bits, where characters' faces and bodies distort to reflect their emotions, but on an aesthetic level I can't say the art here does much for me. Overall, this is a fun comic that I enjoyed reading, but I don't think it's anything outstanding.
February 1, 2019
Dark, as in sad and evoking a sense of great tragedy. But also dark in the sense of dark comedy. Some of the best graphic novels are exactly that -- tragicomedies, like Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. For me, this doesn't go riiight up there, but it is masterful. The artwork is whimsical, but whimsically detailed also, which complements the book itself. More than a story (which is a bit flimsy anyway), I think the point of the book was to convey a series of emotions and feelings, which is does very well. If you like a graphic novel that will make you laugh, feel sad, and feel a huge amount of sympathy, sorrow etc. for its characters, this is a good choice.
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April 6, 2023best DeForge so far!
August 1, 2021
My house is like a michael deforge fan club and my roommate andy brought this home from the library. It's about a famous juvenile delinquent in a world where juvenile delinquents are revered as celebrity performance artists. She is no longer a juvenile and has to work at being a delinquent, because all her actions are praised so it's pretty difficult to stay subversive without getting stale. I thought about peaking young and how you transition out of being revered for your youth. Child stars have this problem, and I've also been thinking about this while watching Olympic gymnastics. It's so wild how they are achieving their "life goals" at age 18 and that Simone Biles is basically geriatric for being 24. That must really mess with your head.
If your whole schtick as a public figure is being rebellious and subversive and out there you either must die tragically young or transition into something else, which some people have done successfully but many end up with the interpersonal and substance abuse problems of our protagonist. As always I love Michael Deforges drawings so much
If your whole schtick as a public figure is being rebellious and subversive and out there you either must die tragically young or transition into something else, which some people have done successfully but many end up with the interpersonal and substance abuse problems of our protagonist. As always I love Michael Deforges drawings so much
December 25, 2018
Deforge is among the greatest minds in comics right now. A bold statement on fame, vanity, and our civilization’s slow decent into panic and turmoil. You can’t go wrong with a Deforge book. I own several and highly value them for their art and unique stories.
October 15, 2020
Ho preferito di gran lunga i racconti brevissimi e surreali di Dressing. Qui non manca certo il surrealismo ma sta più che altro nele premesse: la storia è più canonica (nei limiti del possibile per questo autore) e non mi ha entusiasmato non permettendo di scatenare la fantasia.
April 16, 2019
Looove the art but the story, while occasionally sharp and funny, is otherwise typically DeForgean, which is to say his brand of ironic detachment is just never going to be my thing.
April 23, 2023
being a delinquent is so camp
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April 17, 2024alas, nothing can live up to birds of maine, but this had funny moments & i love deforge's melty and strange illustration style
January 9, 2020
Really love DeForge’s style and subjects. Glad I read this one. I feel kind of self-conscious that my self-required reviews (last year I started trying to do them whether or not I had anything to say, to assist in the remembering of books) are pretty limp when it’s a good book or especially a good comic book because the deep down feeling I have the whole time isn’t nuanced, it���s just a big “Yes” and a smile getting bigger. And then no details really because maybe for a book like this, that I read in ~25 min or so and really enjoyed unpacking, maybe I wouldn’t mind semi-forgetting it and just leaving a note for myself that goes “This is just good” so when I do have time to reread it I really enjoy it again. So I guess I’m saying,
Yes 😊
Yes 😊
January 13, 2019
Kinda "meh" IMO. If there was a sub-text it was too "sub" for me. Some interesting artwork and it held my interest but I didn't really get the point (or points, possibly).
BTW, not "fantasy" in the usual way (like Monstress, for example) but still some fantasy elements. Maybe a weird kind of magical realism? At any rate, not my cup of tea. (Maybe a 2.5)
BTW, not "fantasy" in the usual way (like Monstress, for example) but still some fantasy elements. Maybe a weird kind of magical realism? At any rate, not my cup of tea. (Maybe a 2.5)
January 10, 2019
He peaked at Any Colony.
April 20, 2019
Art⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Story⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 31, 2019
Ms D is a thirty-something "juvenile delinquent" in a world where pranks are a revered form of popular art and "Delinquent" is a technical term for an arts professional who specializes in prank. Ms D is a delinquency star, and she's reached adulthood having defined herself entirely by her ambition and success.. Only, she isn't "juvenile" anymore. In fact, she's kind of old news.
Brat uses delinquency as a (hilarious) stand-in to explore the emptiness of artistic success, fame & ambition. Ms D's existential crisis leads to alcoholism. Her acolyte, an aspiring juvenile delinquent, lets her grades slip and abandons college to pursue a career in meaningless cruelty. We see Ms D's dysfunctional relationship with her family and see how almost everyone around her feeds off her fame.
The darkness goes down smooth. As clever and and insightful Brat can be in observations about its characters, it's mostly interested in the jokes. The book really seems to find the darkness of the human soul fascinating and kinda hilarious - and that's about it. It's not a downer, but it left me feeling kinda empty (like Ms D, maybe?).
For me the artwork is the highlight, and the expressionistic feel it gives to the story. For instance - Ms D's drunken debauchery is represented by her body literally melting, before drying into a thin husk. She's only reconstituted by an intern applicant's praise and admiration.
Brat uses delinquency as a (hilarious) stand-in to explore the emptiness of artistic success, fame & ambition. Ms D's existential crisis leads to alcoholism. Her acolyte, an aspiring juvenile delinquent, lets her grades slip and abandons college to pursue a career in meaningless cruelty. We see Ms D's dysfunctional relationship with her family and see how almost everyone around her feeds off her fame.
The darkness goes down smooth. As clever and and insightful Brat can be in observations about its characters, it's mostly interested in the jokes. The book really seems to find the darkness of the human soul fascinating and kinda hilarious - and that's about it. It's not a downer, but it left me feeling kinda empty (like Ms D, maybe?).
For me the artwork is the highlight, and the expressionistic feel it gives to the story. For instance - Ms D's drunken debauchery is represented by her body literally melting, before drying into a thin husk. She's only reconstituted by an intern applicant's praise and admiration.
April 6, 2019
Braty but more real then I was expecting.
In a world were juvenile delinquents are treated like celebrities, Ms. D is questioning the "point of it all". Feeling old and not good enough anymore, she has to find a way to keep things "punk" or lose her image in the process. This was a really quick read for me but a fun one none the less! The art is really what makes it so great. Everyone seems to be some sort of strange animal/human hybrid. I loved the moments were D was on a bender and the way the artist portrayed it. There were a few moments were I could relate and others that were pretty ridiculous. I wouldnt mind reading more about this world. Honestly there are a few times in the story were it felt like maybe there was a volume or other stories before this one. Over all, great experience.
In a world were juvenile delinquents are treated like celebrities, Ms. D is questioning the "point of it all". Feeling old and not good enough anymore, she has to find a way to keep things "punk" or lose her image in the process. This was a really quick read for me but a fun one none the less! The art is really what makes it so great. Everyone seems to be some sort of strange animal/human hybrid. I loved the moments were D was on a bender and the way the artist portrayed it. There were a few moments were I could relate and others that were pretty ridiculous. I wouldnt mind reading more about this world. Honestly there are a few times in the story were it felt like maybe there was a volume or other stories before this one. Over all, great experience.
June 21, 2020
Jest taka scena, w której bohaterka pali wóz policyjny, po czym podchodzi do niej policjant i nieśmiało zagaduje, że nie chciałby przeszkadzać w "instalacji artystycznej", ale musi tylko powiedzieć, że jest wielkim fanem. To cały Deforge z jego szyderą, abstrakcją i ironią. "Brat" to dla mnie satyra na współczesnych celebrytów i światek wokół nich, na który składają się też równie zepsuci dziennikarze. To granie z powtarzalnym schematem kariery, przeobrażaniem się z idola w jego karykaturę, kryzysem starzenia się gwiazd, a także bezkrytycznym uwielbieniem przez fanów i "uczniów". To rozprawa z mitem współczesnych Bogów i całą popkulturą, choć trzeba brać poprawkę na autora i jego odloty, więc nie zdziwi mnie, gdy ktoś zasugeruje, że ten komiks jest o czymś innym. Jedna z lepszych pozycji w dorobku Deforge. Może nie sięga "Ant Colony", ale jest blisko
January 26, 2024
As an aspiring illustrator, this was a scathing critique on celebrity / art culture that was kind of touching AND terrifying. The idea of being a ‘brat’ implies being off-kilter, badly behaved, and artists are ‘assumed’ to also not be on a typical path; though as Citrus Chan plots her path, sometimes the path of the famous artist is traceable, in a bit of a soul-devouring way. Yes, Ms. D changes things - and art gives meaning and takes it away simultaneously, and you start expecting everything you do; everything you see to have that double meaning. Or else it’s all meaningless. This book hit me HARD when it came to all that, and is a must-read for all the ‘brats’ out there trying to do things just to be different.
May 18, 2020
Read a Michael DeForge comic is always a delight for the amazing way he works with visuals and this book is no exception. While the panels are more traditional here, the same flowing, bleed all-over-the -page that makes his work easy to spot is still present on every page.
What makes this one a bit different--and fun--is DeForge channeling characters who act more like Peter Bagge or Dan Clowes. Usually, his protagonists aren't so awful, but the "brat" here is spectacularly terrible and you'll instantly hate her.
It's good to see Deforge's skills haven't lost a step.
What makes this one a bit different--and fun--is DeForge channeling characters who act more like Peter Bagge or Dan Clowes. Usually, his protagonists aren't so awful, but the "brat" here is spectacularly terrible and you'll instantly hate her.
It's good to see Deforge's skills haven't lost a step.
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June 3, 2023This book is from my list of unusual graphic novels I'm reading. The art work is very good at moments. I like the play of shape and form. The colors and calligraphy are interesting. It begs the the question Ivan Brunetti poses in his book, Cartooning: "At what point would a doodle of a character not be recognizable as that character anymore?" Despite my appreciation for its playfulness and experimentation, overall it left me with a meh feeling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews