Sunday Comics: I Never Liked You

The Comic: I Never Liked You: A Comic-Strip Narrative

By: Chester Brown

Type: Though called a "Comic-Strip Narrative" in its subtitle, I'd classify this one more as a long comics-form short story.

Content Rating: PG-13, for continual language and a brief, somewhat random moment of nudity.

Plot: Follows the author through a period in high school involving his relationship with two female friends. One has an obvious crush on him that only grows over time (to the point of, eventually, being slightly scary), which he does not return, but neither does he push away her advances. Conversely, he himself has quite a crush on the other girl, but cannot bring himself to express those feelings towards her and indeed seems to have no intention of doing so, at least not in any sort of direct way. As a subplot, it also follows Chester's dealings with his mother--she has a truckload of personal issues, and he, in return, finds it somehow impossible to tell her he loves her, which brings her great worry.

Personal Thoughts: I Never Liked You isn't trying to do anything fancy--in fact, in many ways, it's very prettily minimalistic. The art style is very open, done in simple, thin lines, and Chester himself is relatable to pretty much anyone that went through any sort of quiet, brooding, awkward adolescent phase. The writing is very blunt and honest-feeling--in his narration, nothing mean is apologized for and nothing sweet is saccharined, it's simply...told. (This is a good thing in this book's case.) It's also sort of an anti-coming-of-age story, in a way that's difficult to describe without plot spoilers. If you're looking for a quick and simple read studying unrequited love from a couple different angles, I Never Liked You does this with poignant efficiency. It is an illustration of a young man simultaneously trapped and bemused by just how little he's able to make himself say to those that most need to hear something from him.

Holden Out.