I don't fully remember when I first read this comic, it was earlier this year right after the Lansing Comics and Zines Fest. I picked up a copy at one of the tables there and the artist was there to sign it for me!! I had vaguely heard of this comic before online, I think I'd seen some panels from it fully out of context and really liked the art style.
One of the many things I really enjoy about this comic is that many of the characters in it are based off of other popular comic and cartoon characters. I was not prepared to see Charlie Brown saying the T slur lmao. And then Felina kicks the shit out of him. Thankfully Clifford The Big Red Dog is an ally,, is that spoilers? Maybe,, why are you reading this very much not professional review of a comic if you want to avoid spoilers? That's silly.
The writing is really beautiful and so heartfelt. Reading this story made me feel for a moment like I was living the life of the main character, Felina. Seeing the kinds of situations she found herself in made me feel such deep concern and fascination. It's so far removed from the kind of life I have lived, which is very sheltered in comparison. I appreciate learning more about the experiences of poeple who have done sex work, as it is something I am personally very unfamiliar with.
The comic starts off really strong talking about 'fiscally conservative' young men and how they'll pay for a trans woman to have sex with them whilst they berate them for being gay. I find it both fascinating and deeply upsetting how many of the clients featured in this story are agressively heteronormative in public, but in private they'll pay young feminine men or trans women to fuck. Taking out their closeted pent up gay rage on them,,, something something patriarchy,,, I don't really have the credentials to talk about that can of worms in this review. But it's there. It's present throughout the whole story. The way men use her and treat her horribly just to validate their own masculinity and bury their own true feelings under layers and layers of hatred.
Remy Boydell pulls no punches in this story, she is so direct and brutally blunt about the horrible things that she has probably encountered in her own real life. There is one scene in particular that really sticks with me. It's very quietly done, the colors are subtle and there is no dialogue except for her recalling a time when she cried at a call center after doing a survey with a woman who had just been in a horrific car accident that took her childs life. Felina walks into the bathroom at work. Then there are four panels of the closed bathroom door. She steps out of the bathroom, her clothes messed up and bleeding from her nose. She doesn't show the violence that occured, but we know. We can guess what happened. That scene in particular leaves me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's very powerful.
I could say more about this comic, but honestly I think you should read it yourself if you can. It's short and very worthwhile.
Take Me Back Home