Right now he’s in the middle of the book tour for his newly released memoir Paying For It, published by Drawn & Quarterly — having just finished up stops in Toronto, Chicago, New York and Montreal – this Wednesday he’s off to Vancouver and Seattle. He’s also slated to appear at the San Diego Comic Con in July and SPX in September.

The book, which debuted just prior to TCAF on May 1st, is definitely available in book stores in Canada already (I saw it in the Indigo on Saturday night so I can confirm it is already available), and arrives this Wednesday (May 18) to comic book shops via Diamond Distributors, Inc. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, as my comic arrives on Wednesday at my LCS.

The book is getting tremendous attention in the mainstream and comics press, and is definitely one of the key releases of 2011, as Chester Brown is one of the country’s most widely recognized and accomplished cartoonists.

Next month he’s being inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame arm of these awards in Calgary.

But TODAY is his birthday so Happy Birthday Chester Brown and congratulation on the release of PAYING FOR IT!