Alison Bechdel on 'Spent,' Making Art Under Capitalism, and Vermont Life

About the Novel 'Spent'

• 💡 Alison Bechdel discusses her new graphic novel, Spent, which she describes as autofiction featuring a character named Alison Bechdel.
• 🎯 The novel explores themes of making art under capitalism, community, and navigating an abusive yet emotionally rich world.
• 🔑 It began as a memoir project about money and the capitalist system but evolved into a story about a character trying and failing to write that memoir.

Doppelganger Character and Creative Control

• 🎭 The protagonist, Alison, is a doppelganger of Bechdel, embodying her neuroses and struggles with creative work in a chaotic world.
• 📺 The character grapples with her popular memoir, 'Death and Taxidermy,' being adapted into a TV series that takes liberties with her story, leading her to seek control by creating her own show.
• 🖼️ This exploration stems from Bechdel's own experience seeding creative control for the musical adaptation of 'Fun Home,' serving as a fantasy of what could have gone wrong.

Art, Activism, and a Changing World

• ✊ Bechdel resurrects characters from her old comic strip, 'Dykes to Watch Out For,' who have aged and continue their activism, reflecting a continuity of engagement.
• 💬 The novel aims to reach a wider audience, including progressive straight people, by discussing politics and current events, a mission that expanded from her earlier work.
• 🏞️ The setting of rural Vermont provides warmth and a sense of place, acting as a love letter to the state, which is seen as a "blue state oasis in the madness."

Themes of Sexuality, Politics, and Community

• ❤️ Bechdel discusses the inclusion of sex and lust in her work, stemming from a necessity to openly address lesbian sexuality and make it a normal, funny aspect of life.
• 🤝 The novel features a tense relationship with a "MAGA" sister involved in book banning, exploring how families maintain connections despite political differences, mirroring Bechdel's own experiences with censorship of 'Fun Home.'
• 🏘️ While depicting a loving, progressive community, Bechdel notes it's somewhat a fantasy, though she has a loose circle of friends who embody similar values.

Creative Process and Future Projects

• ✍️ Bechdel explains her integrated writing and drawing process, often typing within Adobe Illustrator and envisioning the visual layout simultaneously.
• 💻 She discusses the shift to digital drawing with a tablet for speed, acknowledging a change in line quality but embracing expediency over perfectionism.
• 🌟 Bechdel hopes to continue exploring the world and characters created in 'Spent,' finding it freeing to make things up after years of memoir writing.
• 📚 Currently reading Sarah Schulman's 'The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity,' which echoes themes of coalition-building and overcoming autocratic forces.