Paying for It

by Chester Brown

paperback, 292 pages

Published May 28, 2013 by Drawn and Quarterly.

ISBN:: 978-1-77046-119-2

(9 reviews)

Paying for It was easily the most talked-about and controversial graphic novel of 2011, a critical success so innovative and complex that it received two rave reviews in The New York Times and sold out of its first print run in just six months. Chester Brown's eloquent, spare artwork stands out in this paperback edition.

Paying for It combines the personal and sexual aspects of Brown's autobiographical work (I Never Liked You, The Playboy) with the polemical drive of Louis Riel. He calmly lays out the facts of how he became not only a willing participant in but also a vocal proponent of one of the world's most hot-button topics—prostitution. While this may appear overly sensational and just plain implausible to some, Brown's story stands for itself. Paying for It offers an entirely contemporary exploration of sex work—from the timid john who rides his bike to his escorts, wonders how …

Complete with a surprise ending, Paying for It continues to provide endless debate and conversation about sex work.

2 editions

Shawn Towner reviewed Paying for it by Chester Brown

Review of 'Paying for it' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Best comic book about whoremongering that I've ever read. Parts of the book digress too far into preachy philosophizing about the ethics of prostitution (the appendices are particularly guilty of this), but when Brown focuses on the personal aspect of being a john, the book is great. We get to experience the confusion, the apprehension, and the occasional bouts of shame and self-doubt as Brown experiences them as he visits a variety of prostitutes over years. The personal reflections and thoughts and these events are funny and honest, making the book a pleasure to read. And though I generally prefer coloured comics, this is one comic book I'm glad was drawn in a fairly minimal black-and-white style.