A review by 2000s
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out for by Alison Bechdel
4.25
The amount of thoughts I have about this…so many highs and some really gut-churning lows. (For example, I don’t think transness and disability was handled gracefully throughout the series). For the most part though, this was seriously realistic and witty and nuanced, I actually was laughing out loud reading some of them and there’s no doubt why it’s been so well received. I would have loved to be reading this comic in the 90s as it was released, since I think those were the best strips in this volume. Later strips imo are basically just op-eds responding to early 2000s politics, and really tragic (although there’s weight in that too).
I think the quality declined a lot in the later strips when new characters like Stuart, Gloria, and Cynthia started to take over almost every strip and I honestly didn’t care for them. Felt like it was an abrupt transition from the tone and atmosphere of the earlier comments and not in a good way. I wanted more Jezanna, Lois, Carlos, and Sparrow for real! But even with the many problems I have with it, DTWOF will always be special to me.
I think the quality declined a lot in the later strips when new characters like Stuart, Gloria, and Cynthia started to take over almost every strip and I honestly didn’t care for them. Felt like it was an abrupt transition from the tone and atmosphere of the earlier comments and not in a good way. I wanted more Jezanna, Lois, Carlos, and Sparrow for real! But even with the many problems I have with it, DTWOF will always be special to me.