Alison Bechdel Is Still One To Watch Out For…And, Her New Graphic Novel, “Spent”

Beloved cartoonist and memoirist, ALISON BECHDEL has a new graphic novel out…and, unlike her previous hit books like FUN HOME, this one is more novel than memoir. SPENT follows a character named “Alison Bechdel” living the good life in Vermont after a successful career as a cartoonist but…she’s an “Alison” living in different world than the real one. Spent’s heroine is the creator of an 80s queer comic strip “Lesbian PETA Members to Watch Out For,” and her big breakout graphic memoir hit is called “Death and Taxidermy” about her stormy relationship with her late father, a taxidermist.

The real Alison is, of course, the author of the beloved 80’s queer strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” and “Fun Home” her comic memoir, was about her complicated relationship with her closeted dad, a mortician. So, “Spent” is definitely blurring the lines and gets to play with different aspects of Bechdel’s life and has the fun of reimagining some of those major moments.

The new book just came out and Alison Bechdel is touring the country to sell it and she’ll be at Seattle’s Town Hall on Friday, May 30th for a reading/q&a event. You can snatch tickets at https://townhallseattle.org/event/alison-bechdel/

Note that the ticket price will include a copy of the book!

More about “Spent”:

Spinning together fine-tuned self-critique and sharp comedic reflection in her newest autofiction comic novel Spent, acclaimed cartoonist Alison Bechdel questions passion, politics, and personal investment in the increasingly complex modern world.

Spent follows the main character – a cartoonist conveniently named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont – on an existential descent into political panic at the state of the world outside of her own bubble. Faced with the great looming doubts on climate change, capitalism, and civil unrest, she ponders a great question: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege?

As Alison’s mental burden grows, her world moves on without her. Her graphic memoir about growing up with a taxidermist father becomes a hit TV series, winning Emmys and pushing her from the margins into the mainstream. Meanwhile, her Pauline Bunyanesque partner Holly goes viral for a wood-chopping video, leaving Alison wondering—why couldn’t she reclaim control and focus on things that matter? Why couldn’t she be the writer for a wildly popular reality TV show…like Queer Eye…showing people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?!

Spent highlights Bechdel’s career investment in putting herself first in line when it comes to criticism and cultural analysis. Longtime Bechdel fans will delight in familiar faces from Dykes to Watch Out For, recognizable but freshly re-imagined with a modern slant and a few more years under their communally-living-in-Vermont hand-woven belts. With a signature wit, Bechdel stacks Spent with keen observations and humor ranging from clever to absurd to deeply relatable – making the case for seizing what’s true about life at this moment, before it’s too late.

Alison Bechdel is a cartoonist and author known for her work depicting lesbian & queer culture, as well as her darkly humorous graphic memoirs. She is a recipient of Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships. Her previous works include the ground-breaking weekly comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, which ran for twenty-five years, as well as graphic memoirs Are You My Mother?, The Secret to Superhuman Strength, and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, which was later adapted into a Tony-award winning Broadway musical.