Bask - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$8.54 with 64 percent savings
Digital List Price: $23.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Alison Bechdel
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For Kindle & comiXology

by Alison Bechdel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 454 ratings
From the author of Fun Home—the lives, loves, and politics of cult fav characters Mo, Lois, Sydney, Sparrow, Ginger, Stuart, Clarice, and others

For twenty-five years Bechdel’s path-breaking Dykes to Watch Out For strip has been collected in award-winning volumes (with a quarter of a million copies in print), syndicated in fifty alternative newspapers, and translated into many languages. Now, at last, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For gathers a “rich, funny, deep and impossible to put down” (Publishers Weekly) selection from all eleven Dykes volumes. Here too are sixty of the newest strips, never before published in book form.

Settle in to this wittily illustrated soap opera (Bechdel calls it “half op-ed column and half endless serialized Victorian novel”) of the lives, loves, and politics of a cast of characters, most of them lesbian, living in a midsize American city that may or may not be Minneapolis.

Her brilliantly imagined countercultural band of friends—academics, social workers, bookstore clerks—fall in and out of love, negotiate friendships, raise children, switch careers, and cope with aging parents.

Bechdel fuses high and low culture—from foreign policy to domestic routine, hot sex to postmodern theory—in a serial graphic narrative “suitable for humanists of all persuasions.”
Previous slide of product details
  1. Part of Series
    The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
  2. Print length
    416 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Mariner Books
  5. Publication date
    November 12, 2008
  6. File size
    1.3 GB
  7. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
Next slide of product details
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

From the Publisher

square 1

square 2

square 3

square 4

backlist banner
comp banner
Spent
The Secret To Superhuman Strength
The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For
Fun Home
Are You My Mother?
Customer Reviews
—
4.6 out of 5 stars 687
4.8 out of 5 stars 454
4.5 out of 5 stars 4,531
4.3 out of 5 stars 763
Price $32.00 $10.95 $15.19 $12.47 $9.62

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This ongoing comic strip chronicles the lives of a tight-knit group of lesbian friends over an astounding 21 years of life, work, love, boredom, political activism and countless reversals of fortune. At its heart are six women: the promiscuous Lois, a feminist bookstore clerk with a penchant for gender-bending; her two roommates, the overworked academic Ginger and self-identified bisexual lesbian Sparrow; their domestically partnered friends Clarice and Toni; and Mo, who despite (or perhaps because of) her frequent politically charged outbursts of neurosis is the hub of her circle. These characters, flawed but endearing, are brought to life by Bechdels quirky artistic sensibility. Facial expressions are carefully nuanced, and she seems to take great joy in using small details to differentiate emotions. Late in the collection, when a character receives treatment for cancer, a tiny caret in her cheek is enough to transform her from a fresh-faced mischief-maker into a sallow and frightened chemo patient. What cannot be overemphasized is the sheer scope of the collection, which follows these women from idealistic young adulthood to contentedly disillusioned middle age and, for some, parenthood. All eventually end up a little more haggard than they began, but there isnt one whose Bechdel-illustrated bags under her eyes were not hard fought for and hard won. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The greatest lesbian soap opera—527 episodes and, though suspended at the moment, counting—is Bechdel’s miraculously well-sustained chronicling of a circle of friends over the course of 20 years, Dykes to Watch Out For. Like its only possible peer among current comic strips, Lynn Johnston’s For Better or Worse, and its great forebear, Frank King’s GasolineAlley, Dykes plays out in real time. Characters age, change, see their parents die, and have children. Basically, everything revolves around erstwhile radical lesbian Mo, whose worries for the future persist as she and her friends realize their dreams. Life does get better for gay people, though struggles continue, as the determined-to-be-transgender preteen son of a newer cast member and the dissolution of two long-lived lesbian marriages remind them and us. Mo’s kvetching centrality is complemented by the chorus of skewed radio and TV commentary and headlines that strikingly often intones a satirical leitmotiv under the characters’ conversation, which is always pitch-perfect for the highly intelligent, well-educated, earnestly committed, and witty bunch they are. Bechdel’s comics autobiography Fun Home (2006) has brought her much greater general attention than Dykes ever did, but make no mistake—the strip is her masterpiece. --Ray Olson

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00A1TEZKQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Illustrated edition (November 12, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 12, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 GB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 454 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

ALISON BECHDEL’s cult following for her early comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For expanded wildly for her family memoirs, the New York Times bestselling and Time magazine #1 Book of the Year graphic memoir Fun Home, adapted into a Tony Award–winning musical, and Are You My Mother? Most recently, The Secret to Superman Strength was named a New York Times Best Graphic Novel of 2021. Bechdel has been named a MacArthur Fellow, among many other honors.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
454 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this graphic novel hilarious and brilliant, with highly detailed drawings that they appreciate. Moreover, the book is thought-provoking, with one customer noting it provides a real glimpse into human life, and customers like the characters. Additionally, the storyline is engaging, with one review describing it as a running narrative of twenty years, and customers praise the author's intelligence and skill as a cartoonist.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

18 customers mention "Enjoyment"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and fun to read, describing it as wonderful and mostly lovable.

"...They are a lovable, oddball “Our Gang” whose friendships, arguments, love for and exasperation with each other blend into an astute, layered saga of..." Read more

"...said, one doesn't need to be a lesbian to totally appreciate and enjoy this book...." Read more

"...becoming an entry point into the culture, she is, but she also presents an amazing, evolving story, that gives the reader a real glimpse into human..." Read more

"...This book is worth it to me for the author introduction, citing how younger lesbians would cite her work helping them as they came out...." Read more

16 customers mention "Humor"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book hilarious and appreciate its brilliant wit.

"...The strip is funny but also thoughtful in tone...." Read more

"...the rest in terms of their writing style, content, keen observation, wit/humor and highly detailed drawings. Almost every frame is a work of art...." Read more

"...All this comes along with effective, real-life style humor. Frankly, I think everybody should read her work." Read more

"...The strips manage to be laugh-out-loud funny while still thought-provoking...." Read more

13 customers mention "Thought provoking"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and compelling, with one customer noting how it provides a real glimpse into human life and another mentioning its interesting social commentary throughout the decades.

"...multi-racial, multi-ethnic characters and continually comments on the culture and politics of the times: lesbian and gay rights, the AIDS epidemic,..." Read more

"...above the rest in terms of their writing style, content, keen observation, wit/humor and highly detailed drawings...." Read more

"...presents an amazing, evolving story, that gives the reader a real glimpse into human life and poses questions that the characters model asking..." Read more

"...The strips manage to be laugh-out-loud funny while still thought-provoking...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers like the characters in the book, with one customer specifically noting its multi-ethnic representation.

"...It’s unique in that it features multi-sexual, multi-racial, multi-ethnic characters and continually comments on the culture and politics of the times..." Read more

"...cartoonist ever, and I'm not even a lesbian - I just find her characters are so human and so interesting that I connect with their lives deeply...." Read more

"...reader a real glimpse into human life and poses questions that the characters model asking themselves that, really, most of us should ask ourselves,..." Read more

"...Regardless, it is wonderful compendium. It's so cool to see the characters change and grow as new ones enter the fray...." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with its highly detailed drawings and comic book format, and one customer notes the wonderful attention to detail.

"...The strip is funny but also thoughtful in tone...." Read more

"...Joe Sacco rank head and shoulders above the rest in terms of their writing style, content, keen observation, wit/humor and highly detailed drawings...." Read more

"...This is one of the best graphic arts collections of the year." Read more

"...And the attention to detail is wonderful: if there's a newspaper on the coffee table where a character happens to be sitting, even the headline is..." Read more

9 customers mention "Intelligence"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book intelligent, with one customer noting it does a good job of introducing new readers.

"...Almost every frame is a work of art. Extremely, extremely gifted...." Read more

"...Smart & funny. Impossible to put down. Crazy to see how relevant most of the issues portrayed here still are today...." Read more

"...But she gets the tone just right: earnest, smart people trying to live with principle, yet finding how hard that is when we're so consistently..." Read more

"...of Alison Bechdel's famous comic strip does a good job of introducing a new reader to Bechdel's iconic characters...." Read more

7 customers mention "Storyline"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the storyline of the book, with one review noting how it forms a running narrative of twenty years and provides a great summary of Bechdel's long-running strip.

"...extra, you get this thick, glorious retrospective which takes us through the entire series, giving us clips and the best highlights from over the..." Read more

"...point into the culture, she is, but she also presents an amazing, evolving story, that gives the reader a real glimpse into human life and poses..." Read more

"...It's great to see so many strips reproduced here, forming a running narrative of twenty years in the lives of the characters...." Read more

"...kids she clearly has such sharp-eyed affection for is also a run-though of world events (but more specifically US politics, not the same thing) over..." Read more

4 customers mention "Cartoonist"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the cartoonist's work.

"...to be completely objective when I talk about this strip and its brilliant creator (channeler?), Alison Bechdel...." Read more

"Alison Bechdel is both an amazing cartoonist/ graphic novelist as well as a great story teller. She is a super star." Read more

"Great Book by a Great Cartoonist." Read more

"great cartoonist at her best..." Read more

Bechdel delivers greatness
5 out of 5 stars
Bechdel delivers greatness
Alison Bechdel is both an amazing cartoonist/ graphic novelist as well as a great story teller. She is a super star.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • J. Jamakaya
    5.0 out of 5 stars Misadventures of a Lovable, Lesbian "Our Gang"
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve spent many hours enjoying this wonderful compilation of Alison Bechdel’s “Dykes to Watch Out For” cartoon series. Drawn between 1987 and 2008, the “Dykes” strip focuses on the misadventures and foibles of a group of close-knit LGBT friends as they pursue education, work and love affairs while debating personal politics and political correctness.

    The strip is funny but also thoughtful in tone. It’s unique in that it features multi-sexual, multi-racial, multi-ethnic characters and continually comments on the culture and politics of the times: lesbian and gay rights, the AIDS epidemic, the wars in Iraq, 9/11, celebrity culture, transgenderism, the financial crisis, etc. The characters attend many an anti-war protest, Pride parade and women’s music festival. They debate and spoof the latest twists in gender theory. The feminist bookstore owner Jezanna rails against “Bunns & Noodle” stealing her business.

    The protagonist, Mo, is forever analyzing and second-guessing herself (like a lesbian Woody Allen). Her pal Lois is sexually omnivorous and proud of it. Other characters include Harriet, Sparrow, Ginger, Malika, Clarice and Toni and their kid Raffi. They are a lovable, oddball “Our Gang” whose friendships, arguments, love for and exasperation with each other blend into an astute, layered saga of a modern family, with all its warmth and complications. I read this toon when it first ran in alternative newspapers back in the 1990s. Reading it again still made me laugh and think. This would be a great gift for an LGBT or feminist friend.
    16 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Gen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! The latest DTWOF book along with a hefty retrospective
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Whether you've been anxiously awaiting the next installment after Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For, or have lost track of our favorite lesbian heriones and want to get caught up, this is the book for you.

    Hardcore fans will be delighted to see that we have an entire new book's worth of fresh, unpublished comics to get us up to date. I looked at how many comics each of the previous books has had, and we have an equal amount of new content in this one. But, for only a little bit extra, you get this thick, glorious retrospective which takes us through the entire series, giving us clips and the best highlights from over the years.

    If you missed the last couple books - no worries - this will catch you up enough to enjoy the latest comics at the end. And if you've read everything and just want the latest book - you won't be disappointed with everything else included. I've read every book multiple times, and I enjoyed reading the entire thing as a lead-up to the new comics at the end.

    Bechdel is my number one favorite cartoonist ever, and I'm not even a lesbian - I just find her characters are so human and so interesting that I connect with their lives deeply.

    So if you read Fun House and aren't sure if you might like to move on to this series, I'd encourage you to pick up this book and give it a try.
    42 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Love Essence
    5.0 out of 5 stars TOTALLY LOVE!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A compelling read, and as another reviewer had said, one doesn't need to be a lesbian to totally appreciate and enjoy this book. I'm an avid reader of graphic memoirs, and in my opinion, Alison Bechdel and Joe Sacco rank head and shoulders above the rest in terms of their writing style, content, keen observation, wit/humor and highly detailed drawings. Almost every frame is a work of art. Extremely, extremely gifted. I'm disappointed that there aren't any more new materials from Ms Bechdel for me to indulge in, for now, and hope I don't have to wait too long for her next release!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • UnnoticedWriter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Ms. Bechdel
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    As a general review of "Dykes To Watch Out For," it is a wonderful, human series. Much as, in her introduction, Ms. Bechdel critiques the idea of herself becoming an entry point into the culture, she is, but she also presents an amazing, evolving story, that gives the reader a real glimpse into human life and poses questions that the characters model asking themselves that, really, most of us should ask ourselves, at at least one point or another. All this comes along with effective, real-life style humor. Frankly, I think everybody should read her work.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Andrew RM
    4.0 out of 5 stars Watching the DTWOF characters grow and change.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Love this compilation except that several panels are missing that cut out Mo and Lois' use of Prozac. Legal issues? Regardless, it is wonderful compendium. It's so cool to see the characters change and grow as new ones enter the fray. I noticed that reading the series years later I tend to not read the "background" chatter about current affairs coming from radio/TV in the strips and focus more on the story of the characters. Bravo!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Edward Aycock
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Goodness
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    And there they are on pages 76-77, the first DTWOF strips I ever saw. They were in a student run women's paper in the Fall of 1991, I had just arrived at the university and my life was about to change for the better. Therefore, it's impossible for me to be completely objective when I talk about this strip and its brilliant creator (channeler?), Alison Bechdel. At first I didn't know what to make of the strip - I feel like I walked through my first two decades in a haze because I was not used to a comic strip dramedy. It didn't take me long to fall in love with it. I bought all the collections that were available at the time (three books!), saw Bechdel's slide show when she came around to my school and even wrote her a letter - and she responded. I still have that letter.

    It's great to see so many strips reproduced here, forming a running narrative of twenty years in the lives of the characters. Not all of the strips are here nor are the nifty little supplements that the older books included but for the first time reader, I don't think they'll feel the loss. They can also go and seek out some of the older books for completion.

    This is one of the best graphic arts collections of the year.
    20 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Ina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch, ein Klassiker!
    Reviewed in Germany on October 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Tolle Zeichnungen, tolle Stories .
    Report
  • Adrien
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bonne idée de cadeau
    Reviewed in France on May 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Un livre à offrir !! Cette BD est un classique à partager avec ses amis.
    Report
  • Jose Manuel Garcia Perez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unas bollos de cuidado.
    Reviewed in Spain on February 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Divertido culebrón lésbico editado en una magnífica edición que recopila la larga trayectoria de la tira cómica de Alison Bechdel.

    Decenas de personajes interaccionando de forma real, con un toque cómico, y un análisis de las relaciones sentimentales, de amistad y laborales conforman el 'Moeverso', la parcela de realidad que rodea a la protagonista Moe, alter ego de la autora.

    En definitiva, obra recomendable para cualquier amante del cómic independientemente de su inclinación sexual.
    Report
  • Stevie
    5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful reflection of lesbian life in the period.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I love this set if Cartoons. As a gay woman it is refreshing to read a clever, funny and political set of graphic stories. The characters are a blast from the past and after a few pages I was hooked. This is a must for any lesbian who wants to spend some time reflecting on the lesbian library verses the pub. Excellent writing at times laugh out loud a comic time machine. The drawings are fantastic the characters feel like old friends. Read it she is fantastic.
    Report
  • Stomiidae
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lesbian must-read
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    So many lesbian life insights in an engaging and fun format with interesting (although sometimes detestable) characters. Highly recommended. Whenever I pick it up I spend at least an hour reading it!
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report