Just zipped through Spent in one sitting. It’s equal parts hilarious, self‑deprecating, and painfully real—Bechdel’s uncanny ability to poke fun at herself while tackling big ideas (like capitalism, creativity, aging) is pure magic. Shout-out to Mariner Books (HarperCollins) for the ARC—really appreciate the early read!

Loved the intergenerational interactions in the queer community. The community is deep and wide, and the conversations and situations depicted gave a fair and humorous look at how some of these differences could play out in family and friend groups.

some of the most clever, socially-aware, self-referential comedy i've ever read. if you're an OG reader of dtwof, you'll love to see the return of some of those characters, but that's not even the best part. the meta nature of spent is a time capsule of the covid era, both loving and critical of leftist spaces. i was so entertained by this and really enjoy bechdel's return to fiction-y narratives.

3.75 stars

Reading the latest Alison Bechdel book was the perfect lead-up to pride month.

Bechdel is a writer who reminds me of words I haven’t heard in a long time, that I am never too old to learn a new word, alliteration does delight readers, and it truly can be rewarding to read the acknowledgments.

If you have not read Bechdel’s early career work, “Dykes to Watch Our For”, perhaps familiarize yourself (as I wish I had) before reading this work.

One note of issue: the entire story is self-referential (meta, as it were) almost to the point of hubris.

Overall, a very queer read with a rewarding ending.

Thank you to Alison Bechdel and Mariner Books for granting me an eARC through NetGalley.

This is one of the weirder books I've read in recent memory, but even if you're not especially compelled by the thread about trying to write an anti-overconsumption guide based on Marx or the weirdness of getting famous because of an adaptation of your memoir, it's really nostalgic to revisit the characters from Dykes to Watch Out For and imagine what they would see in our world today -- Covid, climate change, and rising censorship and all.

☆☆☆☆☆4 out of 5 stars. · a few seconds ago
Good read and funny
The celebrated and beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Fun Home presents a laugh-out-loud, brilliant, and passionately political work of autofiction.

I'll admit I've never heard of autofiction but I have heard of AlisonBechdel. I have read "DTWOF, so many times and still have such fond memories of the group.
Bechdel help me in my own coming out process more than I thought was possible.
So seeing a new graphic novel was exciting and I just couldn't wait.
I still love her art work, and its both sad and satisfying to see the old gang, grayer and older than I remember but then so am I.

Maybe because of how bad things have become I don't come away with that same feeling of years gone by. I'm not sure I buy that any protest or activism will save us this time. How many times do we have to keep.fighting for the right to simply live and love? To feed our families instead of the pockets of the megarich?
So forgive me if I found the story itself a bit of a downer. It also moved slowly and for me took forever to get to its point if it had one.
So not the best Bechdel has ever done, but still heads above the rest.

Recommend. Expected publishing date May 20, 2025

Thanks to @netgalley and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I didn't finish this one - I got to 22% but couldn't get into it. I think if I read previous works by the author, it would be more intriguing, as well if so much things weren't going on in the world that I keep remembering as she talks about them. I still gave three stars as I think there are people out there who would enjoy it!

Grateful for another great graphic novel from Bechdel. Keep them coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alison Bechdel's latest graphic novel is at the same time self-referential, self-effacing, and self-aggrandizing. She gently pokes fun at herself, her friends, and their carefully curated progressive lifestyle in Vermont where they care deeply about social issues without ever dirtying their hands with anything messier than organic goat feed. Bechdel struggles with her own privilege without giving excuses or easy answers, and her humor and ability to squeeze so much pathos and satire into a single panel is as strong as ever. I do think, however, that this book is for Bechdel fans, not for the casual reader.

i screamed when i got this.

alison bechdel is such a time capsule author for me so it was interesting to see spent, a novel that blatantly details the noxiousness of modern society compared to like, dykes to watch out for.

here, alison's trying to write something new. why? money! because money makes the world rotate on its axis! because capitalism is killing us all! and we also have to commodify our art! which sucks!!!!

i felt like this one did a good job breaking down how art rarely exists for art's sake anymore - art exists for netflix to make a tv show out of it, to put vampires in the show, to slap a label on it calling "inspired by a true story" while nothing remains true about it. this is also so for alison's maga-loving sister who decides that she wants to write a response to fun home and tell her side of the story. that was interesting - perspectives differ but like, we're all human.

some interesting subplots here that were being explored were polyamory and the deconstruction of the nuclear family. that was cool, especially when the characters we see going through it are older and older generations are typically left out of the cultural zeitgeist and discarded for new, new, new. we also get some talk about gender through a non-binary character which i loved as it really clarified the evolution of alison's work.

conclusion: there's no ethical consumption under capitalism, nor is there much chance of any of us divesting from it, but it's still cool when we try.

Bechdel is the master of clever but emotional autofiction, and this is another worthy chapter in her increasingly impressive oeuvre. Chock full of jokes both silly (“Cedilla Umlaut”) and insightful (“when had she started using upspeak?”), this is entertaining throughout; a real page-turner, as far as fictionalized meditations on art and commerce and goat-farming from 60-something lesbian cartoonists go. One of the best things about this is how “Alison” gets to be vapid, hypocritical, out of touch, and still relatable. It’s never punching down even when it’s silly or on the nose. Great stuff.

Another great graphic novel from Alison Bechdel -- I laughed (often in recognition of seeing myself in the liberal who also wants her fancy foods). The characters are great and I loved the story line. She is able to weave together many story threads that all connect together. The illustrations are outstanding too, with incredible detail - like words floating in the air representing news from the radio and little faces with a thought bubble. She also has a plot line with her sister which was really interesting too. Who could not love all the goats and cats too. I read this in one sitting and highly recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

I was so thrilled to learn that a new Alison Bechdel book was coming out, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by it. I think this is such a smart work of autofiction, with a lot of clever nods to things that have actually happened in Alison's life but with a dramatic twist. A lot of her musings on how it feels to be a marginalized person (or just any person, really) living in this time of uncertainty, extreme political unrest, and climate change are incredibly relatable and timely. There's so much anxiety to be had about things that are beyond one person's control, and that's largely what this book is about. It's impressive that Alison was able to talk about such serious topics in a way that still had comedic relief, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek delivery. Definitely the most delightful book I've read that happens to be about late stage capitalism!

This is a fun read with just enough reality interspersed to make it feel hilarious yet relatable. I want to read Dykes to Watch Out For now...

Will the real Alison Bechdel please stand up? Bechdel is famous for graphic memoirs like “Fun Home,” but her latest work “Spent” is a graphic novel — despite the close resemblances to her life in Vermont. Bechdel’s fictionalized version of herself is also a lesbian cartoonist who garnered fame through queer comics and critically acclaimed autobiographies. Paralyzed by her professional success, the protagonist wants her next project to help people live more ethically in a modern society plagued by climate change and on the brink of civil war. As long as she doesn’t get distracted by her girlfriend’s pygmy goat sanctuary/influencer career, her friends’ foray into polyamory, or the absurdities of late-stage capitalism. This tongue-in-cheek graphic novel is a pointed commentary on how privileged people who claim to want to lead the revolution can easily opt out of doing the real work.

Spent: A Comic Novel marks the return of an Alison Bechdel To Watch Out For. This fictionalized version of the celebrated cartoonist is exhausted by catastrophic breaking news, frustrated by the corporatization and Hollywood distortion of her deeply personal comic memoirs, and grappling with how she, her loved ones—or any of us—can find meaningful renewal in a world that feels increasingly compromised and contentious. Familiar characters—grayer and still gayer—like Sparrow, Stuart, Ginger, Lois, and Naomi reunite with Alison as they navigate this chapter of their lives.

The enjoyment of Spent may hinge on how deeply readers relate to Alison’s prognostications and tribulations and how well the humor lands. As expected, the doomscrolling, aggrieved Alison of Spent finds herself at the center of the very obstacles she faces. While she fumes over a fantastical and wildly unfaithful streaming adaptation of Death & Taxidermy—a tongue-in-cheek lampooning of Fun Home's literary legacy—she struggles to write her next book. Meanwhile, other characters explore creative outlets, grapple with the challenges of long-distance relationships, or navigate shifting sexual dynamics.

At times, Alison stumbles in her interactions with non-binary and trans concepts and characters. In these moments, she is rightfully called out for not making a greater effort to stay attuned to evolving realities. Spent, and Bechdel as its author, do not endorse Alison’s continued awkwardness; rather, the inclusion of these missteps is one of her character's out of sync frictions. However, some may find that these scenes muddy the satirical focus, raising fair questions about whether such moments—invoking outdated gender binaries and generational misunderstandings—are better left off the page.

This generational divide is apparent throughout the novel. The newer wave of queer activists is met with a mixture of confused suspicion and cautious admiration. Alison and her contemporaries struggle to reconcile the efficacy of this fresh activism with the shifting paradigms of relationships and identity. Still, continuity exists between these moments and the original Dykes to Watch Out For comic strips of the 1980s, where Alison and her friends railed against capitalist compromise while standing in the unemployment line, sharing a bowl of signature curry. There have always been both incrementalists and radicals in periods of political pressure. Bechdel’s slice-of-life cartooning has long captured the tensions within queer communities—no one is spared embarrassing moments or personal missteps, as each character stumbles toward a better understanding of themselves and others. However, this approach carries a risk: some moments may read not as warm, playful ribbing among a diverse constellation of interconnected groups, but as a perplexed critique of relationships, identities, and generations to which Alison—and Bechdel herself—do not belong.

The brilliance of Spent is grounded in Bechdel’s exceptional cartooning. She expertly engages the reader’s eye—text bounces within and even bleeds through panel borders to direct movement across the page. Background elements, from mischievous cats to wandering goats, infuse panels with motion, ensuring that even the most text-heavy sequences remain visually dynamic. Clever background gags appear in billboards, supermarket checkout lines, and street signage. Bechdel knows when to disrupt the grid, invert perspective, or elongate a panel to heighten emotion. She sometimes arranges characters in fluid, circular cascades that create a sense of connection and motion. And she plays with subtlety—zooming in on a character’s face just enough to emphasize the bewilderment of a bulging eyeball, striking the perfect balance between exaggerated cartooning and expressive realism. Scenes unfold in shadows, through windows framing dinner-table discussions, and even on rooftops, lending visual variety to many scenes and interactions.

Bechdel’s artistic vision is enriched by the contributions of her collaborators: Jon Chad’s meticulous shading and Holly Ray Taylor’s dynamic coloring. Chad’s shadows lend depth to every wrinkle and crease of middle age, making even sparsely illustrated backgrounds feel dimensional and lived in. Taylor’s bold, Crayola-like hues pop off the page, a striking contrast to the watercolor softness of The Secret to Superhuman Strength. This choice suits the comic-strip aesthetic well, evoking the consistency of high-quality newspaper strips while reinforcing the work’s intentional artifice—reminding readers that these characters are cartoons, crafted to provoke laughter, joy, and familiarity.

Throughout Spent, moments of uproarious cartoon slapstick and hijinks balance its more introspective themes. Explorations of gender and sexuality are given room to breathe, punctuated by humor—an extra panel, a subtle camera shift to convey the nervous excitement of intimacy, the joyful audacity of stepping into the unknown.

Perhaps Spent is Bechdel’s deliberate reclamation of chaotic messiness—an intentional departure from her profound, introspective memoirs (Fun Home, Are You My Mother? The Secret to Superhuman Strength) and a rejection of the forced hagiography surrounding her public persona. Instead, the novel offers a simpler truth: Try your best to care for those within your immediate orbit. Be open to expansion. Absorb critique, embrace the struggles, and accept that collective progress will always come with moments of failure and fury—but that, ultimately, it is worth it.

Meeting Alison Bechdel in Buffalo in 2022 was one of the highlights of my life. To tell one of the greatest cartoonists of any generation that her work made me think, made me laugh, and—in the case of Are You My Mother? —deepened my understanding of Lacanian psychoanalysis more than some of my college courses, was an unforgettable privilege. Reading her newest work ahead of publication and revisiting its predecessors was thrilling. To have an author’s work remain a part of one’s life for so long is the closest thing to time travel—prompting reflection on who we were, who we are, and who we might yet become.

I love Alison Bechel and her work. Spent brought me such great joy to read and I can wait to pick up a physical copy!

I’m a big Alison Bechdel fan so when I saw she had a new graphic novel coming out I had to read it. This one easily could have felt too serious and political but Bechdel in her signature way made a book that is largely about a serious topic a laugh out loud funny book.

Thank you to Alison Bechdel, Mariner, and Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this new graphic novel from Alison Bechdel. She has such a strong voice; I love the way she is able to weave together humor, anxiety, self-reflection, and trauma into a cohesive narrative that manages to be both serious and lighthearted.

Given that it is loosely auto-biographical and contains references to Fun Home, I shouldn't have been so surprised that it felt nearly like a companion/continuation rather than a standalone book. The main character, Alison, is grappling with her role in society and in her community as she grows older and feels less radical/relevant. Her last major writing project, a graphic novel account of her growing up amongst her father's taxidermy projects, has been made into a TV show by a major streaming network, but the director/writers have taken great liberties with the story. Alison loathes the television adaption and wishes she had not signed away the rights to the story so willingly.

Feeling out of control creatively and politically, she begins to brainstorm how she could turn her negative feelings about being financially stable and her guilty conscience about consumerism into a new project.

Throughout the meta-narrative, Alison pitches her self-effacing story idea, daydreams about developing an anti-consumerism reality show, and watches as her friends, neighbors, and wife all seem more content than she is in her daily life. Her wife becomes a farm influencer, friends experiment with polyamory, her resentful conservative sister comes to visit, her friends' college-age child brings their platonic partner to town, and her neighbors have a baby.

This story reminded me of all that I loved about Fun Home. It somehow felt like a warm hug and a lecture from a queer elder at the same time. Similarly to her other works, it is smart and funny, weaving together mishaps and jokes with deep philosophical questions and a bit of theory.

Goats, polyamory, and old people sex . . .

What's not to love?

It was great seeing some of my favorite characters from "The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For" again.

I absolutely LOVED this!