Spent.

Like many fellow underground comic book artists, Joe Matt has accepted the medium’s invitation for authors to be self-deprecating or downright self-loathing in their work. Most notably, Harvey Pekar has built a career on American Splendor, his series of autobiographical comics. American expatriate Matt’s output is of a similar ilk. Unfortunately, as evident in Spent, he is downright unlikable and often repulsive.

Spent chronicles Matt’s illegal residence in Canada, where his time is spent penny-pinching, being the subject of mockery by his fellow Drawn & Quarterly peers Chester Brown and Seth (when he isn’t doing the mocking himself), one-upping, avoiding his roommate, moping about being dumped by his ex, and otherwise for most of the book being holed up in his room masturbating and compiling favourite clips from porno tapes that he rents from a hirsute acquaintance. To put it simply, there is little to this book other than a chronicle of idleness. Unfortunately, this is a chronicle that leans too heavily towards the “too much information” sort. This is not to say that there isn’t an approach to portray such self-deprecating slackerdom in an enjoyable manner, but here it comes across as too pathetic and unpleasant to be amusing. Visually, the book also leaves much to be desired.

I am sure that there are some that will appreciate Joe Matt’s candour. Some might even enjoy having a laugh at his expense. However, this reviewer is not one of them.