Just so you know, the link in the title goes to a full and free version of this comic online. I didn’t see any links to buy a printed version like I did, but if you live near Columbus Ohio The Laughing Ogre still had copies as of 6/26. Or maybe contact Sydney directly through her website? I don’t know, this was originally an art show so maybe physical copies were meant to be limited. Anyway! I went into this as a blind grab, and my initial thought based on the cover (always a bad idea) was that this might be a memoir about heartbreak and getting over a relationship. That wasn’t at all the case: this is a comic about sexual assault and rape, and the various methods she attempted to get over those traumas. This is more of a primal scream than a comic, and a difficult one to critique in an objective sense other than my usual “I hope the dude responsible for this gets hit by a bus eventually” response. This starts off with her trying to come to grips with her PTSD and the constant doubts constantly flooding her brain, and it’s one of several single page images in this comic that just floored me. The image of the liquor bottle surrounded by her attempts to describe what happened was another one, and another image that needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated. There’s the casual way that the whole thing starts (the guy was a trusted friend, then it jumps straight to the aftermath and how the experience completely changed her. She didn’t report anything to anybody for months, she withdrew from friends and the world, panic attempts set it, and there was the extra trauma of trying to navigate life with her friends (who knew about it) trying clumsily to will her back to being her former self. Then there were her attempts to take control of her life before finally finding other ways to experience joy, but an experience like this never completely leaves a person. It’s a gutting experience as a comic and, while I’d recommend caution if you’ve been through a similar experience, there may be comfort to be found here in watching another person navigate it. $10 (if you can find a copy, if not it’s available for free online, so maybe take that $10 and donate it to a worthy cause?)
Posted by Kevin 
