Alison Bechdel Parodies Her Fame in Comic Novel ‘Spent’
We’ll talk with Bechdel about being famous in a world on fire— and the funny side of it, too.
May 27, 2025
55 min
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2,839 of 3,393
May 27, 2025
Alison Bechdel Parodies Her Fame in Comic Novel ‘Spent’
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Alison Bechdel Parodies Her Fame in Comic Novel ‘Spent’
Summary
Perhaps you’ve been following Alison Bechdel’s work since her comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For,” which invented the now ubiquitous Bechdel test (does a movie have two women who speak to each other about something other than a man?). Maybe you came to know her through her graphic memoir “Fun Home,” which was adapted into a Tony-award winning musical. Her latest comic novel, “Spent,” is a work of autofiction that grapples with and parodies Bechdel’s own popularity. We’ll talk with Bechdel about being famous in a world on fire— and the funny side of it, too.
Guests:
Alison Bechdel, graphic novelist and cartoonist, author of "Spent: A Comic Novel." Her previous books include "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" and "Fun Home," which was adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical.
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