While driving from Vegas to San Francisco, Esther Pearl Watson found a high school diary from the 80’s. Unlovable is a comic based off that diary. It is hilarious. I remember showing my friend Matt one these comics for the first time and he was hysterical through the entire thing. Tammy Pierce, the main character, gets drunk at school dances and pukes, has backstabbing best friends, teases her hair and thinks a classmate Ken has a “nice package”. It brings back memories of high school, all the really fun parts. The drawings make this comic work. They look like the kind of drawings you might draw in the back of your notebook in high school making fun of your teacher. They are kind of gross in an amazing way, filled with all the eighties essentials- lots of mascara, leg warmers with heels and the biggest hair. Ester Pearl Watson happens to also be one of my favorite painters. Check out her paintings and illustrations here. I love her folk art style and the colors she uses. Her husband is Mark Todd who is also an awesome artist. They made a book together called Whatcha mean, What’s A Zine? about creating zines and mini-comics. You can pick up Unloveable at pretty much any good comic book store but learn more about it here.

© Julia Rothman 2007