HOW LOATHSOME 1-3

"Are you guys, guys or girls?"

That's a question asked, either directly or indirectly, throughout HOW LOATHSOME, and as we're allowed to see, the answer is never an easy one.

HOW LOATHSOME is a glimpse into the world of Catherine Gore, a San Franciscan who lives in a world unknown to most - the world of drugs, sex, gender illusion, and living on the fringe. Each issue is a peek into Catherine's life, revealing her interactions with her friends and "normal" civilization.

But what exactly IS normal, anyway? Is Catherine a freak, or is she truly noble because she loves a person for their soul, not their "equipment"? HOW LOATHSOME tantalizes the reader with questions, but demands they find their own answers.

Catherine emerges as a remarkably real character - dry, sarcastic, vulnerable, strong, self-destructive, craving attention yet despising it at times - a conglomerate of contradictions that add up to the sum of her being. Writer Tristan Crane has a knack for making Catherine come alive through the raw first-person narrative, and proves himself an important voice in the comic industry.

Ted Naifeh's angular art nevertheless throws a curveball at the reader. At times harsh, at times delicate, Naifeh's linework always captures the right mood. The paintlike grayscaling is used to great effect throughout the series, resulting in some stunning character depictions.

HOW LOATHSOME is a beautiful, painful, truthful look at society through the eyes of someone who's "different" - but aren't we all different, in the end?

Reviewer: Doug Giffin

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Doug Giffin is the creator/writer of Harlow's End: Elijah's Tale (as previously seen in Digital Webbing Presents #3). To see more of Doug's work, visit his website at www.psychoengine.com

Any publishers that would like Doug Giffin to do a review, please feel free to contact him here or you can contact Ed Dukeshire on the contact page.

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