Menopause

January 27, 2020
This eclectic anthology in the graphic medicine genre illuminates a subject seldom discussed in comics, as more than 20 creators share their experiences with menopause. The wide range of approaches includes Maureen Burdock’s elegantly illustrated ode to the neopagan triple goddess and “moonblood,” Lynda Barry’s witty recollections of the opinionated old ladies in her Filipino family, Joyce Farmer’s playful answer to the question “Do Menopausal Women Even Get Horny?” and an appearance from Roberta Gregory’s alt-comics heroine, Bitchy Bitch, who deals with “the Change” by snarling, “Has it really been over five hundred gushers?” One of the strongest and funniest pieces, Mimi Pond’s “When the Menopause Carnival Comes to Town,” follows a mother and daughter through a fairground where attractions include the Mood Swing and the Hormone Scrambler. Several pieces are authored by medical professionals, including the editor, a nurse and educator who calls herself Comics Nurse. Trans and genderqueer creators offer perspectives, as do artists who have gone through hysterectomy and early menopause. Like many anthologies, it’s uneven, with the contributors’ artistic abilities ranging from amateur to fully assured. But the volume’s exploration of what Barry calls “un-becoming a woman” is often informative, sometimes moving, and ambitious in its frank talk about what is oddly taboo: an inevitable experience for half of humanity.

Starred review from July 1, 2020
As editor Czerwiec, a nurse, artist, and coeditor of GraphicMedicine.org, explains in her introduction to this valuable, 26-piece anthology, comics "make literal the metaphors we use to describe our bodies, and they can be playful and enjoyable, even if the topic they tackle is not." (Czerwiec's own contribution includes the terrific line, "Here's my theory: Hot flashes are actually give-a-shits burning off.") Spanning a range of ages, gender and sexual identities, and artistic styles, the stellar roster of contributors (Lynda Barry, Leslie Ewing, and A.K. Summers among them) makes for a provocative collection that spikes, echoes, and ventures off topic. Attention is paid as much to the emotional side of menopause as to physical symptoms like hot flashes, six-month-long periods, and vaginal dryness. Some pieces don't even mention the m-word, focusing entirely on the concurrent experiences of their contributors. Among too many standout contributions to name, Dana Walrath's charcoal-sketched comic grounds her experience in that of Mother Earth and contemporary society; Ajaun Mance's bright, digitally drawn piece considers the intersection of menopause and genderqueerness; and Roberta Gregory's cartoon contemplation of her last period brings up the story of her first. Playful and enjoyable indeed, as well as moving, affirming, and solidarity-sparking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)