Revisiting the Legacy of Alternative Comics
What were alternative comics? For seasoned readers, such questions may elicit groans. The term “alternative comics” has played a pivotal role in shaping what readers today recognize as comics with an artistic or literary focus. Though the term may seem outdated now, from the late ’70s through the mid-2000s, alternative comics were a significant force.
Defining Alternative Comics
We have a canon of artists and titles clustered around publishers and festivals in cities like Montreal, Seattle, Toronto, Portland, and Chicago. Alternative comics had ties to alternative music, aimed for literary and fine art status, and owed much to underground comix. They aligned with counterculture and subcultures broadly. Many used comics for memoirs, autobiographical and confessional works, blending humor, melancholy, and self-effacing literary intensity. Despite being male-dominated, women and queer artists pushed the medium forward.
There’s no definitive end to alternative comics. A new generation of cartoonists looks back on the alternatives with the same critical eye that ’90s cartoonists had for ’60s comix. The autobiographical comic, briefly dormant, has recently exploded with creativity and ambition. Two new periodicals revisit the ’90s alternative, reviving the memoir form.
The Legacy of Joe Matt and Caroline Cash
One such comic is Peepshow #15, the posthumous final work of the influential graphic memoirist Joe Matt. It continues his definitive ’90s comics memoir, returning after a dramatic exit with the harsh stories collected as Spent. In another corner, we have PeePeePooPoo #1, the fourth issue of Caroline Cash’s one-woman anthology. This contemporary humor series, while seemingly distant from past alternatives, wears the history of alternative comics and the memoir form with winking reverence.
Joe Matt is dead, but his work remains unchanged. His brushwork is fine, his wit sharp, and his honesty devastating. Peepshow #15 is the final issue of his notorious autobiography, re-inking by Chester Brown. It’s a testament to Brown’s mature style that his finishes blend seamlessly with Matt’s.
Matt’s return to comics was always intended as his last. The stories in Peepshow #15 reflect his legacy, hinting at his thoughts on his time in the medium and explaining his long absence. The conclusion of Spent was one of the finest finales in autobiographical comics, linking his porn addiction to his love of comics. Peepshow #15 finds Matt doing better, aiming to be a happily married man who sells books on eBay. However, his old flaws and vanity remain.
The Impact of New Memoir Comics
Meanwhile, Caroline Cash’s PeePeePooPoo #1 stands out as a vibrant addition to the genre. Cash’s work, with its expressive cartooning and rich inking, bridges the gap between old-school alternative comics and contemporary queer humor. Her covers, spoofing everything from Eightball to Wimmen’s Comix, make her a name to watch.
The stories in PeePeePooPoo #1, some previously published, showcase Cash’s contemplative phase. Like Peepshow #15, it opens with the artist moving, from Chicago to Philly. In “Caroline Cash Is Stoned Again,” Cash meditates on the anxiety and humor of navigating a new city while high. The longer story, “First Date,” recalls a slightly awkward Tinder date during the early months of the pandemic. Cash captures the magic and awkwardness of lesbian dating in lockdown with deft humor and honesty.
The Evolution of Comics Memoirs
The shorter strips in PeePeePooPoo #1 offer observations on queer life, funny and relatable to anyone familiar with the scene. One strip, “Femme and Butch,” updates Alison Bechdel’s comic, reflecting on the evolving meanings of these labels. Cash’s work, deeply rooted in the legacy of alternative comics, offers a fresh perspective on contemporary queer experiences.
Read together, Peepshow #15 and PeePeePooPoo #1 mark an ending and a beginning in the history of comics memoirs. Peepshow #15 mourns an artist while reaffirming Joe Matt’s unchanging character. PeePeePooPoo #1 establishes Caroline Cash as a vital voice in the genre, connecting past and present with humor and insight. The contemporary graphic memoir, less about alienation and more about connection, continues to evolve. Yet, the essence of capturing moments in ink remains timeless.
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