Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist [Paperback]

“Hothead is the backlash to the backlash.” —Alison Bechdel

Hothead Paisan, a murderous icon of the ’90s lesbian comics scene, comes roaring back into print in this fresh edition (including a new interview and supplemental materials) of one of the funniest, sharpest, and most unexpectedly warm comics of the late twentieth century, still as shocking today as it was more than two decades ago.

Hothead Paisan is an icon of the ’90s lesbian DIY scene, a patron saint of those who wonder if going off the deep end is the only sane response to life in modern America.

Diane DiMassa’s Hothead starts out in a murderous frenzy—taking out a variety of chauvinists and creeps—but soon deepens into a reflection on oppression, self-destruction, and living it up outside the conservative norms of the ’90s. Hothead’s rage is stoked by her inner demon, Personality #2, but sometimes tempered with the help of Roz, her friend who offers Zen wisdom and tough love, and Chicken, her cat and constant companion.“The radical lesbians of the early 1970s who declared that ‘a lesbian is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion’ were speaking figuratively. But when Hothead Paisan hit the scene twenty years later, the blast was literal and resounding. Lobbing grenades, toting an assault rifle, and swinging her redemptive ax, this dyke was done with the patriarchy—whether it was organized religion or a random man-spreader on the bus. Diane DiMassa’s endearing Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist claimed space for herself and brought the rest of us along for the cathartic ride. Thank god these comics are back in print because we need Hothead now more than ever.” —Alison Bechdel, creator of l£‰