Spent, by Alison Bechdel—celebrated creator of Dykes to Watch Out For—is another sharp, introspective entry in her autobiographical graphic novel repertoire. With her signature wit, dry humor, and unflinching honesty, Bechdel explores the surreal experience of being “discovered” and having her work optioned for television. The book delves into the emotional and professional complexities that arise when fame shifts the dynamics in long-standing relationships and friendships. Bechdel doesn’t shy away from the awkwardness, jealousy, or vulnerability that come with success, making Spent both deeply personal and universally relatable. It’s a smart, self-aware, and compelling look at identity, art, and ambition. Note: there are some instances of full nudity so be mindful if reading at work!

Spent is exactly the sort of thing I expect to get from an Alison Bechdel graphic novel. Reading as a biography (versus an autobiography) this book is a slice of life during unprecedented times. It's what you need to feel less alone.

This is a Graphic Novel. I read this book, and I listen to the audiobook. I think that the audiobook was done really well. I found the pictures were very cute, and I did get pulled in this story. I did find it looking on the negative side of everything which did get on my nerves. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

More like a 3.5. This book took me ages to get through. But the ending was very hopeful and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately it was a bit of a slog in the middle. I think this is going to be a book that will resonate with a lot of people and I appreciate all the commentary. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Spent is a metacomic where a fiction version of Alison is working on a graphic novel called Sum, while living with her partner on a goat sanctuary. In true Bechdel fashion, this graphic novel tackles the state of the world, her family, her friends and love/sex/relationships. The part I enjoyed the most involved her friends and their shared housing set up. I feel like I probably missed a few throw back since I've not read Dykes To Watch Out For, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you to Mariner Books, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Just zipped through Spent in one sitting. It’s equal parts hilarious, self‑deprecating, and painfully real—Bechdel’s uncanny ability to poke fun at herself while tackling big ideas (like capitalism, creativity, aging) is pure magic. Shout-out to Mariner Books (HarperCollins) for the ARC—really appreciate the early read!

Loved the intergenerational interactions in the queer community. The community is deep and wide, and the conversations and situations depicted gave a fair and humorous look at how some of these differences could play out in family and friend groups.

some of the most clever, socially-aware, self-referential comedy i've ever read. if you're an OG reader of dtwof, you'll love to see the return of some of those characters, but that's not even the best part. the meta nature of spent is a time capsule of the covid era, both loving and critical of leftist spaces. i was so entertained by this and really enjoy bechdel's return to fiction-y narratives.

3.75 stars

Reading the latest Alison Bechdel book was the perfect lead-up to pride month.

Bechdel is a writer who reminds me of words I haven’t heard in a long time, that I am never too old to learn a new word, alliteration does delight readers, and it truly can be rewarding to read the acknowledgments.

If you have not read Bechdel’s early career work, “Dykes to Watch Our For”, perhaps familiarize yourself (as I wish I had) before reading this work.

One note of issue: the entire story is self-referential (meta, as it were) almost to the point of hubris.

Overall, a very queer read with a rewarding ending.

Thank you to Alison Bechdel and Mariner Books for granting me an eARC through NetGalley.

This is one of the weirder books I've read in recent memory, but even if you're not especially compelled by the thread about trying to write an anti-overconsumption guide based on Marx or the weirdness of getting famous because of an adaptation of your memoir, it's really nostalgic to revisit the characters from Dykes to Watch Out For and imagine what they would see in our world today -- Covid, climate change, and rising censorship and all.

☆☆☆☆☆4 out of 5 stars. · a few seconds ago
Good read and funny
The celebrated and beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Fun Home presents a laugh-out-loud, brilliant, and passionately political work of autofiction.

I'll admit I've never heard of autofiction but I have heard of AlisonBechdel. I have read "DTWOF, so many times and still have such fond memories of the group.
Bechdel help me in my own coming out process more than I thought was possible.
So seeing a new graphic novel was exciting and I just couldn't wait.
I still love her art work, and its both sad and satisfying to see the old gang, grayer and older than I remember but then so am I.

Maybe because of how bad things have become I don't come away with that same feeling of years gone by. I'm not sure I buy that any protest or activism will save us this time. How many times do we have to keep.fighting for the right to simply live and love? To feed our families instead of the pockets of the megarich?
So forgive me if I found the story itself a bit of a downer. It also moved slowly and for me took forever to get to its point if it had one.
So not the best Bechdel has ever done, but still heads above the rest.

Recommend. Expected publishing date May 20, 2025

Thanks to @netgalley and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I didn't finish this one - I got to 22% but couldn't get into it. I think if I read previous works by the author, it would be more intriguing, as well if so much things weren't going on in the world that I keep remembering as she talks about them. I still gave three stars as I think there are people out there who would enjoy it!

Grateful for another great graphic novel from Bechdel. Keep them coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alison Bechdel's latest graphic novel is at the same time self-referential, self-effacing, and self-aggrandizing. She gently pokes fun at herself, her friends, and their carefully curated progressive lifestyle in Vermont where they care deeply about social issues without ever dirtying their hands with anything messier than organic goat feed. Bechdel struggles with her own privilege without giving excuses or easy answers, and her humor and ability to squeeze so much pathos and satire into a single panel is as strong as ever. I do think, however, that this book is for Bechdel fans, not for the casual reader.

i screamed when i got this.

alison bechdel is such a time capsule author for me so it was interesting to see spent, a novel that blatantly details the noxiousness of modern society compared to like, dykes to watch out for.

here, alison's trying to write something new. why? money! because money makes the world rotate on its axis! because capitalism is killing us all! and we also have to commodify our art! which sucks!!!!

i felt like this one did a good job breaking down how art rarely exists for art's sake anymore - art exists for netflix to make a tv show out of it, to put vampires in the show, to slap a label on it calling "inspired by a true story" while nothing remains true about it. this is also so for alison's maga-loving sister who decides that she wants to write a response to fun home and tell her side of the story. that was interesting - perspectives differ but like, we're all human.

some interesting subplots here that were being explored were polyamory and the deconstruction of the nuclear family. that was cool, especially when the characters we see going through it are older and older generations are typically left out of the cultural zeitgeist and discarded for new, new, new. we also get some talk about gender through a non-binary character which i loved as it really clarified the evolution of alison's work.

conclusion: there's no ethical consumption under capitalism, nor is there much chance of any of us divesting from it, but it's still cool when we try.

Bechdel is the master of clever but emotional autofiction, and this is another worthy chapter in her increasingly impressive oeuvre. Chock full of jokes both silly (“Cedilla Umlaut”) and insightful (“when had she started using upspeak?”), this is entertaining throughout; a real page-turner, as far as fictionalized meditations on art and commerce and goat-farming from 60-something lesbian cartoonists go. One of the best things about this is how “Alison” gets to be vapid, hypocritical, out of touch, and still relatable. It’s never punching down even when it’s silly or on the nose. Great stuff.

Another great graphic novel from Alison Bechdel -- I laughed (often in recognition of seeing myself in the liberal who also wants her fancy foods). The characters are great and I loved the story line. She is able to weave together many story threads that all connect together. The illustrations are outstanding too, with incredible detail - like words floating in the air representing news from the radio and little faces with a thought bubble. She also has a plot line with her sister which was really interesting too. Who could not love all the goats and cats too. I read this in one sitting and highly recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

I was so thrilled to learn that a new Alison Bechdel book was coming out, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by it. I think this is such a smart work of autofiction, with a lot of clever nods to things that have actually happened in Alison's life but with a dramatic twist. A lot of her musings on how it feels to be a marginalized person (or just any person, really) living in this time of uncertainty, extreme political unrest, and climate change are incredibly relatable and timely. There's so much anxiety to be had about things that are beyond one person's control, and that's largely what this book is about. It's impressive that Alison was able to talk about such serious topics in a way that still had comedic relief, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek delivery. Definitely the most delightful book I've read that happens to be about late stage capitalism!

This is a fun read with just enough reality interspersed to make it feel hilarious yet relatable. I want to read Dykes to Watch Out For now...

Will the real Alison Bechdel please stand up? Bechdel is famous for graphic memoirs like “Fun Home,” but her latest work “Spent” is a graphic novel — despite the close resemblances to her life in Vermont. Bechdel’s fictionalized version of herself is also a lesbian cartoonist who garnered fame through queer comics and critically acclaimed autobiographies. Paralyzed by her professional success, the protagonist wants her next project to help people live more ethically in a modern society plagued by climate change and on the brink of civil war. As long as she doesn’t get distracted by her girlfriend’s pygmy goat sanctuary/influencer career, her friends’ foray into polyamory, or the absurdities of late-stage capitalism. This tongue-in-cheek graphic novel is a pointed commentary on how privileged people who claim to want to lead the revolution can easily opt out of doing the real work.