The Graphic Reader

8 March 2018

Alfie

Written and Illustrated by http://incaseart.tumblr.com/

www.buttsmithy.com/

  Alfie is the story of a young hobbit who wants to get out and see the world, but has been constrained by the fierce over protection of her mother, Vera. Alfie is a grown woman, er, hobbit, and she’s facing societal pressure to marry and start a family in her town when a caravan shows up with intriguing folks - humans. As the story begins, Alfie and her friend, Melly have gone to investigate the caravan. Melly is no stranger to the caravans, but it’s Alfie’s first time, and you quickly see just why I’m reviewing this on Tumblr.

  As the story progresses, we find out more about Alfie and her relationship to the rest of the town. Damn near everyone in town hates her mother, and it seems that the feeling is mutual. Vera, Alfie’s mother feels constrained by her situation - she’s trapped in a town that she doesn’t care for, in a relationship that is no longer fulfilling, hoping desperately that Alfie will make the right decisions, but unwilling to allow her daughter to follow her own path. Vera’s story gets upended (in more ways than one!) when she meets the financier of the caravan, a windsome elf by the name of Alduin who is the poster boy for kink. The two of them start an illicit relationship - one that Vera comes to enjoy very much, but once Alduin leaves town, Vera figures that it that - until she discovers that Alfie has snuck out with the caravan, and has begun the adventure of a lifetime.

New reviews up over at The Graphic Reader!

The Campbells by Jose Luis Munuera

&

Oh Joy, Sex Toy Vol. 1 Written by: @erikamoenedits & Matthew Nolan

Ilustrated by: Erika Moen

Published by: @limerencepress; 2017

ISBN: 978-1620103623

$ 29.99

  Every once in a while, a book comes along and raises some eyebrows. Either because it’s shocking, or it causes a major shift in the zeitgeist, or it titillates and excites. Oh Joy, Sex Toy does all of these, but in a very small dose. Presented as a no nonsense guide to sex toys, wife and husband team of Moen and Nolan talk about a different sex toy each week (sometimes they change things up with visits from adult stars or guest illustrators). Moen illustrates the toys and what they’re uses are for (or claim to be for), and while she and her husband speak from first hand experience, she never illustrates herself of Nolan as naked - that’s what the stand-ins are for. These nameless stand-ins represent the entire spectrum of humanity in all its diversity. Funny, factual, and approaching a subject matter that many find embarrassing or “inappropriate”, Moen and Nolan seek to demystify the experience of intimate personal contact between one or more people in a way that is positive and enjoyable.

As you can see, this is *not* a title you would leave laying around the living room for anyone to stumble across (or maybe it is, I’m not judging), but there is a lot of good, solid information in these stories that can help you and your partner(s) find a more satisfying personal relationship. The artwork is cartoonish enough to keep folks from getting squeamish, but not to the point of distracting from the main thrust of the theme - a healthy and happy sex life.

While I consider myself pretty open-minded about this subject, I discovered that there was a lot of things I didn’t know when it came to this, and I feel much more secure in discussing such a topic than I did prior to reading Oh Joy, Sex Toy.

While this title may not appeal to all audiences, there is a lot of sold information here with a strong emphasis on body positivity and loving not only your partner(s), but yourself as well. If even one person were to come out of reading this with a more positive outlook on human sexuality, I would call that a ringing success.