Comix for Chix #4: Likewise


In her first three series--Awkward, Definition, and Potential--cartoonist Ariel Schrag gave us the autobiographical stories of her freshman, sophomore, and junior years of high school, respectively. Now with her current series, Likewise, Ariel is completing the cycle with the story of her senior year.

In the current issue (no. 2) Ariel spends way too much time alone and we become privy to her thoughts, which are largely centered on her friend (girlfriend? ex-girlfriend? ah, the joys of ambiguous high school relationships!) Sally, who is a year older and now away at college. She also thinks about an upcoming interview she has with Bitch Magazine, her recent yeast infection, the battle of wills between her divorced parents; but mostly about Sally, who is--as Ariel angrilly writes to her in a letter near the end--"not even gay!"

The level of honesty that Ariel is able to portray about herself and others is amazing. At one point, after masturbating, she remarks to herself: "why do my vaginal secretions have to smell so damn much like Sally's!"

Many comics contain letters section at the end, but Likewise is the only one I know of that prints letters from people who are in the book! No. 2 has letters from Sally, Ariel's sister, and Ariel's mom. (Her mom! I can't imagine my mom reading stuff like this about my life!)

(There's a good four year old interview with Ariel in Sequential Tart.)

If your local comix shop doesn't carry Ariel's comics, you can get them from the publisher or probably from Amazon and the like.