Louis Riel, by Chester Brown
'Louis Riel'.

Chester Brown is one of Canada's best known artists of alternative comics. Born in Montréal, Quebec, he was influenced by Frank King. He initially self-published his works, then through Vortex, but later on, most of his work was published by Drawn & Quarterly. His earliest comic was 'Yummy Fur', in which he introduced a figure named Ed the Happy Clown, a penis-shaped clown with the face of Ronald Reagan ('The Definitive Ed Book'). In his later 'Yummy Fur' books, he published more autobiographical stories, which were later serialized in the graphic novels 'The Playboy' (Drawn and Quarterly, 1992) and 'I Never Liked You' (Drawn and Quarterly, 1994).

Call of the Spirit, by Chester Brown
'Call of the Spirit' (Prime Cuts, 1987).

Brown also contributed work to various magazines. He was scouted by Kitchen Sink comics, who wanted to adapt his 'Yummy Fur' into three comic books, and 'Ed the Clown' appeared in various magazines from then on. He als began a new series, called 'Underwater', as well as the collection 'The Little Man'. His graphic novel biography of Métis resistance leader 'Louis Riel' was nominated for the 2004 Eisner Awards and selected as one of the best comics of 2003 by Time's  critic Andrew D. Arnold. Another comic artist who adapted the life of Louis Riel into a comic book was Robert Freynet.

Chester Brown contributed to Dennis P. Eichhorn's 'Real Stuff' comics. Brown's graphic novel 'The Playboy' (1990) deals with his feelings of guilt when reading Hugh Hefner's Playboy as a teenager. 

By 1999, Brown gave up romantic love and started frequenting prostitutes. He used his experiences for his controversial book 'Paying For It', a memoir as well as a polemic promoting the decriminalization of prostitution, published in 2011.

Chester Brown was an influence on ConzUlli LustMaia MatchesJoe Matt and Jim Woodring.

comic art by Chester Brown
Self-portrait. 

Series and books by Chester Brown you can order today:

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