The Indelible Alison Bechdel: Confessions, Comix, and Miscellaneous Dykes to Watch Out for

This is a wonderful book for fans of DTWOF with little cartoons from calanders and what not. However, it is not a part of the series, so people looking for additions to the narrative of the books will be disappointed or a bit frustrated. But aside from that, this is a book full of goodies, perfect to savor a little bit at a time.

Even as a white middle class hetero, I enjoy following on an ocassional basis the progress of Ms. Bechdel's cast of characters. It's rare to find a cartoonist who has so sucessfully kept a shtick going so long without becoming hopelessly stale (although perhaps it's a bit easier for a self-consciously running commentary on society and politics wherre the material is a little more dynamic than, say, the antics of Dennis the Menace or Little Jeffrey)....

Bechdel's prose here is as smart and funny as readers of the regular strip would expect. It starts as a memoir as she describes her beginnings and progression as a cartoonist, and includes lots of early drawings and strips. The bulk of the book is made up of stuff never seen in the DTWOF volumes: strips from her calendars, strips made for other magazines or special occasions, and autobiographical work. It's great stuff, always funny, and everyone with a sense of humor should buy it right away.