[close] Ellen Forney's guide to alternative experiences, with cameos by Camille Paglia, Kristin Gore, Margaret Cho, and others.

"Ellen Forney's comics are smart.
Ellen Forney's comics are sexy.
Ellen Forney's comics are funny.
Ellen Forney's comics are hotter than five-star curry."
—Sherman Alexie (from his Introduction)

I Love Led Zeppelin is a long-awaited collection of strips created for several alternative newsweeklies and magazines over the last several years by the Harvey and Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist Ellen Forney.

This book includes full-page comics published in prestigious weeklies such as the L.A. Weekly and Seattle's The Stranger, as well as the leading feminist magazine, Bust, and the Oxford American. Her strips are characterized by bold, sensual brushstrokes and striking images of powerful, butt-kicking women.

While most of the stories sprang from Forney's own inspiration, some are collaborations with such luminaries as comedienne Margaret Cho, novelist (and Al Gore's daughter) Kristin Gore, writer and editor Dan Savage, writer David Schmader, cartoonist Ariel Bordeaux, writer Tamara Paris, Forney's beloved Grandma Florence, and Camille Paglia.

Several of Forney's strips fall into the "How-To" category, although this is not your standard advice column fare: topics range from the practical ("How to Tip Your Server") to the whimsical ("How to Twirl Your Tassles In Opposite Directions") to the fascinating but hopefully never-needed ("How to Sew On an Amputated Finger").

Other strips include "The Final Soundtrack," a death fantasy involving blood, glamour, and Led Zeppelin; "How to Smoke Pot and Stay Out of Jail"; "How to Talk About Drugs With Your Kid"; "How to Fuck a Woman With Your Hands"; "How to Be a Fabulous Fag Hag" (an illustrated interview with Margaret Cho); "Seattle's Erotic Landmarks"; and "Memories of Love," a graphic tour of Courtney Love's rise and fall of celebritydom. [close]