▁work , ▁and ▁bel ieves ▁the ▁stories ▁demonstrate ▁" the ▁ur gency ▁of ▁Justin ▁Green ▁and ▁the ▁m und ane ▁particular ity ▁of ▁Har vey ▁P ek ar ", ▁two ▁influ ential ▁cre ators ▁known ▁for ▁their ▁reve aling ▁aut obi ographical ▁com ics . ▁ ▁Brown ▁is ▁uns par ing ▁in ▁his ▁dep ict ions ▁of ▁social ▁awk ward ness ▁of ▁his ▁te en age ▁years . ▁ ▁Despite ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁ad oles cent ▁back drop , ▁sex ▁and ▁dru gs ▁are ▁absent ; ▁his ▁life ▁is ▁sh aped ▁by ▁his ▁strictly ▁religious ▁parents ▁and ▁intro version . ▁ ▁Brown ' s ▁mother ▁( 1 9 2 3 – 7 6 ) ▁suffered ▁from ▁sch iz op hren ia . ▁ ▁This ▁is ▁not ▁made ▁explicit , ▁but ▁hint ed ▁at ▁in ▁scenes ▁where ▁she ▁approaches ▁awk ward ▁subjects ▁with ▁Ch et ▁and ▁his ▁brother ▁G ord ; ▁the ▁boys ' ▁un support ive ▁responses ▁feed ▁the ▁dis com fort . ▁ ▁Brown ▁addresses ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁mental ▁health ▁in ▁his ▁ 1 9 9 5 ▁cart oon ▁ess ay ▁" My ▁M om ▁Was ▁a ▁Sch iz op hren ic ", ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁takes ▁an ▁anti - ps ych iat ric ▁st ance . ▁ ▁Ch et ' s ▁face ▁is ▁near ▁expression less ▁throughout . ▁The ▁characters ▁are ▁dist anced ▁from ▁the ▁reader , ▁inv iting ▁neither ▁em path y ▁nor ▁identification . ▁ ▁To ▁cart oon ist ▁and ▁critic ▁P ep o