Feminine Friday: Dyke Comics.

My friend Ronfire99, over at Entertainment, Etc. lent me his copy of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel and I lent him my copy of the redesigned Wizard of Oz comic. Yep, you heard right, we traded comics. EPIC NERD FTW. And to continue this trend, it's about to get real English Major-y up in here.

This graphic novel was one of the best things I've read in a while. It tells the story of Bechdel's growing up, coming out, and her father's death in the context of Camus metaphors and Ulysses parallels and The Importance of Being Earnest references. Her father was gay and it's a story of both their self-discvoeries: one embraces who they are, the other denies it.

I really related to Bechdel's personal journey. The panels when she's at college are my favorite. They are explicit and real. She discovered herself and her identity through reading, which is something I've slowly started to do.

I also re-discovered her strip "Dykes to Watch Out For." I mean, I'd heard about it and recognized the name when Ronfire99 gave me the book, but I'd never really read the strip. Well, I've been going through the archives and holy balls it is HILARIOUS. I've been trying to explain this to my straight roommates, since I know about 2 actual lesbians in Iowa City, and I just can't get the humor right. My favorite panel is the main group of friends over dinner and as Mo takes her leave, she turns back and says "Thanks for the lentils." I JUST THINK THAT'S SO FUNNY. I mean LENTILS. The gayest grain on the face of the planet. I think it might have been funny because I read it when I was making lentil soup from a can and I looked at my self and in my head I said "awwwww shit." If you want to send me something special, buy me The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For Collection before I do it myself. I now hate myself for not reading this since its inception in 1987. I could totally read from the moment of conception. Screw my birthdate in 1988. Wow. I just dated myself.

What's so great about this comic is that it shows a range of gay culture. There are so many different genres of gays that you can't count out or discredit anyone. Who knew cowboys from Iowa marched on Washington? Not these liberal, idealistic lesbians. It has subtlety. It isn't in your face gay, it's real gay. And tempering the need to tell everyone and declare your self to everyone is really freaking hard. It's hard to not want to just let everyone know in hopes that the one other gay in the room will see you and hear you and hit on you or at least just show you some attention I mean geeze, you're cool and funny and smart why do women not want to talk to you...and.... SCENE.

Check out the website here!