Are You Saying I'm More Pathetic Than Jimmy Corrigan?

Although I have read more depressing comics in my lifetime than Jimmy Corrigan, none had the length and quality of craftsmanship that Chris Ware puts into his work. Why read and create such comics? Is it really to make one sad, is Chris Ware trying to make depressed nerds kill themselves? At the end of the book, Jimmy’s Dad is dead. At the end of the story, all we see is a grey building, lifeless, useful only for the soul destroying cubicle dweller and those who wish to be turned into sidewalk pancakes. Jimmy never has a real relationship with his father, and he never will. Why make this comic? Jimmy is Charlie Brown, he exists as an example to us all in a book that is not as depressing as it first seems, but is in fact an inspiration. Few people see themselves as pathetic as Jimmy does, and even Jimmy never gives up.

First I would direct your attention to the back cover, to the Corrigenda. “Metaphor- noun - A tightly fitting suit of metal, generally tin, which entirely encloses the wearer, both impeding free movement and preventing emotional expression and/or social contact.” This means that Ware wants us to think of Jimmy Corrigan as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.

Check out page 21 where we first see Jimmy in his tin man suit. At the top of the page, we see the two women in his life, his mother and Peggy (from work), written as if from work is her last name… Jimmy doesn’t even know her well enough to call her by her real name. He calls her up to tell her he is going away for awhile, but we find that he has another purpose for this phone call. At the top right of the page we have a series of frames. In the first there is only the can of soup, next we see the can with one bowl. Finally, when Jimmy is awkwardly ending his call we see two bowls and two spoons- Jimmy was looking for company, He was trying to invite Peggy over, but is unable. He hangs up, and puts the second bowl back into the cupboard, and then starts hallucinating into his Tin Man suit. He believes he has been rejected, when in fact he never even gives it a good shot… which is in fact even worse that being turned down.

So Jimmy retreats into his Tin Man suit, and immediately thinks about his father. He is not prepared to meet his father, not prepared to open up and accept this stranger. In fact, he imagines his father pant less- he thinks his father is comprising himself. Jimmy is embarrassed for his father, as if his father is opening himself up to a stranger.
It isn’t that jimmy doesn’t want to have friends. He tries to get with Peggy all through the book- he even buys her a heart keychain and drops it off at the closed mailroom. We see pointless actions, but he is trying as hard as he can.

On the inside rear dust cover, Giant Jimmy Head is thinking about his normal day. He wakes up alone, eats alone, rides the train alone, works alone, eats lunch alone, rides home alone, eats dinner alone, returns to his apartment alone. What is Jimmy thinking when he finishes his day of loneliness? He sits by the phone, waiting on a telephone call. Jimmy might be useless, but he does not lose hope in his last connection to the outside world.

Even if Jimmy’s life is sad, I still take heart in his story. I keep in mind this pathetic kid who had nothing, but still has never given up. If Jimmy can keep his spirits up despite his overwhelmingly depressing life, what is to stop me? Surely I am not as pathetic as Jimmy- If he can survive, then we all can keep our life going, with the hope that one day we will be part of the great exposition.