Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out for

Alison Bechdel has really outdone herself in this latest collection of DTWOF. The clear (but not in-your-face) theme in this one is the chronic anxiety that underlies everyday life, but an anxiety Bechdel thinks has been manipulated and artificially enhanced by the current "war on terror" culture in which we live. Enemies abroad and domestic, heightened security alerts, on-going vigilance against the homeland's enemies, suspicion, paranoia, anger, aggressiveness, and on top of it all the oppressiveness of war: these are internalized sources of anxiety that play themselves out here in the on-going stories of the DTWOF regulars. The trenchant humor is still present, but there's little light-heartedness, and Bechdel makes all of her adult characters--even Stuart, easily one of the most lovably unflappable of them all--look slightly haggard. Some of the vignettes: Raffi, son of Clarice and Toni, is imbibing macho norms of honor (aka violence) at school and on computer games; Ginger is dealing with self-absorbed students indifferent to social injustice and clueless about the war, but up in arms about class requirements; Sidney comes down with breast cancer, and her oncologist, a walking encyclopedia of martial slogans ("war on cancer"), progressively riles Mo, who's already wigged-out about the state of the world; and relationships (I won't give away which ones) are seriously threatened by loneliness and desperation-inspired infidelities. Everyone feels the pressure. As Ginger tells Mo at one point, "I'm managing. When my panic about Bush provoking a nuclear terrorist attack gets too intense, I switch to my fear of being rounded up and shipped to a gulag for intellectuals in Kentucky" (p. 119). Still, there's hope. Sparrow and Stuart become parents--life renews itself--and Ginger falls in love (with Samia, a voluptuous and uninhibited middle eastern woman, of all people!). And then there's Cynthia, a red-white-and-blue student of Ginger's who's discovering that the world isn't as simple as she once thought. Bechdel is angry in this volume, and she pulls no punches (not that she ever has). Perhaps the single best panel is #409, "We interrupt our regularly scheduled comic strip for this important message" (the panel title itself gestures as the panicky headlines loved by the media)in which the characters speak to readers directly about the anxiety that's the theme of the book. An excellent, excellent piece of work.

The graphic novel, Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For, by Allison Bechdel, confronts contemporary societal issue such as the "War on Terror," breast cancer, homosexuality, rampant consumerism, motherhood, and popular culture. Bechdel's use of humor challenges authority by refusing to take it seriously. She attacks the deliberate choices people make: hypocrisies, affectations and mindless following of social expectations. The text does not do away with women's feelings of powerlessness; instead it highlights the political nature of women. Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For inspires as well as entertains.

My only complaint is that the books don't come out more often! Other than that, Bechdel's humorous social commentary is as fresh as ever. I've been a fan for over 15 years and am always impatient for the next book to come out. Sure, I can go online and read the strip there, but it seems more gratifying to me to read them all at once in book form.

I had never heard of Alison Bechdel or Dykes to Watch Out For until I was fortunate enough to hear her speak at a diversity conference I attended. She was witty and poignant and I picked up this book and bought it. So I started at the end of a series which I have now gone back and read from the beginning and I love it! This particular book was a great collection (obviously enough to hook me in) that made me laugh, think, and reflected moments in my own life, despite my being heterosexual. What I love about her characters is they are real, smart, interesting women. What I hope for is the day when they are present in the comic pages of national newspapers rather than just liberal lesser known publications. One day we won't have to have a special Lesbian/Gay genre...it will just be incorporated into mainstream media the way the heterosexual experience is today. Support such a world by investing in her work and supporting others like her. Open your mind to new experiences and laugh a little in the process.

This is one of my favorite comics. I love Alison Bechdel! I have all of the books, and I have been a fan for about 8 years. She's always so funny and insightful. It's like reading a soap opera. I can hardly wait for each installment. You really get to know and love all of the characters, and it's hard not to get emotional over the story lines. Everyone should read all of her books.