Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For

Dykes to Watch Out For #11

by Alison Bechdel

Book 11 in the Dykes to Watch Out For series finds Alison Bechdel’s beloved cast of characters discovering that nothing but change is constant in our multihued terror alert system world. Mo is working her way through library school by shelving bestsellers at Bounders Books and Muzak, Sparrow and Stuart face parenthood with a mixture of ambivalence and zeal, Clarice and Toni clash over the gay marriage debate while their 10-year-old son Raffi jacks cars and slaps hos on his best friend’s computer, Sydney’s mammogram yields very bad news, Ginger’s love life is finally looking up, and is a Hello Kitty thong really the best gift Lois can give 13-year-old Jonas when s/he becomes Janis? Alison Bechdel is legendary for her ability to examine global politics through the prism of dinner conversations, and this book is no exception. Sydney’s doctor insists in likening her malignant cells to terrorists, Stuart’s home improvement project develops disturbing parallels to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Ginger’s best student turns out to be her most conservative, resulting in an ideology-busting clash of red- and blue-state values.

Alison Bechdel has been writing and illustrating Dykes to Watch Out For since 1982. Her books have won multiple awards, and she was most recently a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award and two Eisner awards. She lives in Vermont and is working on a graphic memoir about her queer father.

Genres: Comics, Queer, Graphic Novels, Fiction, LGBT, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics

155 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Dov Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been so fun reading Dykes to Watch Out For again!!! (I read it a lot in the 90s.) I think this is the last book and I'm soooooo sad.

A few awkward moments with transness, but I suppose that's all part of growing up and being British(Monty Python reference. I'm not British, nor is Alison Bechdel) in the early 2000s.

Her characters are so familiar and exasperating and wonderful and easy to relate to and their predicaments so human and compassionately explored without ever losing touch with silliness/absurdity. While I love her two memoirs I do miss her fictional comic work.

[Emily]

I'm so sad that this is the last complete collection of DTWOF that Bechdel published. It ends on such a sad note.

[ribbonknight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reread, but after rereading the whole series including a couple volumes the library didn’t have the first time.

A friend in comics club was getting rid of the whole series, so obvs I had to take it! I have a lot of respect for Bechdel, and this was a great capstone to the decades of relationships and kvetching.

It was oddly comforting to read about the characters’ fears of descent into fascism and authoritarianism under Reagan and then Bush(es). We’ve lived through times like these before, and still lived these lives. We still are.

[Ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved, obvi.
and maybe it's my fault for reading 4 Dykes to Watch Out For in two days, but this book in particular seems really pessimistic.
still...I'm fighting the urge to go buy some baggy shorts and hold them up with a thin belt.

[Anna]

A disappointing conclusion to an otherwise outstanding series. Gone are the days of a friend group who seems to actually like each other, and main characters have been shunted aside in favor of more political hand-wringing than ever (remember when Mo was made fun of for that?). Like Ginger with Digger, I'm saddened but ultimately relieved that Bechdel decided to put this beloved old dog to sleep.

Oh, wait, just saw the announcement for Spent. Guess I'll be watching out for these dykes once more with feeling.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mo is forced to look for work while studying for library science. She had to job for Bunns & Noodles, a rival bookstore for Jezanna’s store that’s now folding. Clarice is in a lunatic state for the latest election. She clearly wants Bush out of office. Mo, as always hates elections especially when it came to wedge issues like gay marriage. Sydney discovered she has cancer. She’s undergoing radiation, chemo therapy. Toni’s going nuts over gay marriage. Clarice isn’t terribly wild about it. Fun continues till the end. One can be sure other readers might want more. This series is funny, witty, and satirical. Loads of fun to read. Held this reader’s interest to the very end. As always, recommended.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series as a whole is a classic, and the humor, attention to detail, poignancy, and social commentary are still strong. But this is easily my least favorite collection yet. In, I think, the previous collection, Toni chastises Clarice for letting her depression over Bush's election overwhelm her, yelling, "Life goes on!" I wanted to say the same thing to Alison Bechdel. The personal takes too much of a backseat to the political here, and major events in the characters' lives - Sparrow and Stuart becoming parents, Lois entering a committed relationship, Sydney getting breast cancer - feel much too minor. The longer story at the end of this one, much like the others, is a highlight (with a perfect gut-punch of an ending), and features the balance that the rest of this installment was missing.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved "Fun Home", but "Invasion" fell short for me. None of the characters had their own voices/points of view; they were all just some variation of Bechdel's liberal idealism. However, as someone too young to remember the early Bush years, I did enjoy reading her critical take on that era.

[Alita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it's the post-9/11 world in general. Maybe it's the war. Maybe it's because Mo is a librarian. Whatever. This one rocks. Well, they all kind of rock, but this one really rocks.

[Pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Bechdel's whole series and have read them all many, many, many times. Bechdel's work is consistently funny, always politically astute, and even sexy, to boot, representation of lesbian life.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is she a talented comic and writer, she is in touch with the pulse of modern politics, feminism, literature and of course, lesbians.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

so bad i couldn't finish it. definitely not the sort of dykes i'm watching out for.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a gamer, I printed out the cartoon where Rafi plays Vice City. That sums it up.
Rafi's my favorite character.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the DTWOF so far, in large part because of the cutest trans youth scene ever in which a young trans girl (Janis) introduces her mom (Jasmine) to her trans boy boyfriend (Alex). !!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't know how I missed this one when it came out. Alas, now i'm caught up with all the collections.

[Bob Folker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging characters and interesting storylines.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last of the books (so far)! Finishing this book was like saying goodbye to good friends. I hope there will be another book.

[Debbie]

Lena left this in the hallway, so I read it. Slice-of-life in the mid-2000s friends. I think I need to read a little further back to know enough about the different characters and what's going on.

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just really sad that this is the end of the series and I finished it all up way too quickly :(