The Quad

Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Features

Alison Bechdel spoke to WCU students and faculty in Sykes Student Union theater on Monday, Oct. 29 to spread the word about her long-running comic strip and critically-acclaimed memoir, both of which address LGBTQ issues.

Bechdel, a native of Lock Haven, Pa., is the author of a comic strip entitled "Dykes to Watch Out For," which began publication in 1983. The comic strip centers on friends and lovers, many of which are lesbians, in today's world.

Bechdel feels as though the public and the media have become more accepting of homosexuality over time.

"When I started this comic strip it was considered radical," Bechdel said. "Now it is more conventional."

She feels like she is doing the same work, but the ground beneath her has moved in a positive direction.

Bechdel displays universal themes and topics in "Dykes to Watch Out For." Her characters have had different relationships, break-ups, career switches, and children. Bechdel describes the comic strip as a soap opera.

"I do not use the comic to explain or defend lesbianism," Bechdel said. "I just show it."

She not only keeps the comic true with relationships, but the once-present Café Topaz no longer appears in the comic because of Starbucks. Also, the feminist bookstore, Madwimmin Books, had to close because "women's bookstores are under incredible pressure and are floundering," Bechdel shared on her Web site.

The comic strip also addresses politics, sometimes in a serious manner and other times in a humorous one. In one frame, a political rally is shown with the crowd holding up anti-Bush signs and a banner, which said, "Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction."

Nearing the 2004 election, two characters were shown displaying a sign in support of the Kerry/Edwards ticket. One character jokes that if they do not win she will move to Madagascar. More recently, a newspaper is shown with the headline "White House Alleges Iranian Involvement in Midwest Floods, Mortgage Crisis." Needless to say, "Dykes to Watch Out For" cleverly displays a liberal viewpoint.

In 2006, Bechdel's graphic memoir, "Fun Home," was published. The book received wonderful reviews from "USA Today," "The Washington Post" and "Entertainment Weekly" and became "Time" magazine's number one book of the year. The subtitle of the book is also a very fitting description: A Family Tragicomic.

The book tells of her life and immediate family; the book's inside appears as a comic, but brilliantly reads like a novel. Bechdel makes many literary allusions and comparisons; some references were familiar, while others could send a person straight to Google search, but all are masterfully crafted.

Continued...

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