The Violent, Hilarious Return of "Hothead Paisan"

"Beloved by fans for its mix of old-timey cartoon violence with the struggles of regular queer existence, it gives expression to lesbian rage, its strung-out protagonist transformed into a superhero who can escape any danger and flatten any foe. It's pleasantly silly for today's queer reader, for whom homophobia can be such a downer, but "Hothead" never had only lesbian fans."

""Hothead will get violent," DiMassa says in the interview, but nobody is free of violent thoughts. The question then becomes what will you do with them? You may punch the wall, yell, do drugs. "You have to get it out physically," DiMassa says, but "not violently, in my opinion." Her suggestion: "Like singing, picking up your guitar, something you can really put yourself into. Smash it.""

Hothead Paisan blends exaggerated old-timey cartoon violence with everyday queer struggles, turning a strung-out lesbian protagonist into a superhero who defeats foes. The satire amplifies a coiled, cathartic tension in bold black-marker artwork that conveys serious emotion beneath the silliness. The comic powerfully addresses women's anger and reached diverse audiences, including a therapist who displayed it in a waiting room. DiMassa advocates channeling violent thoughts into physical but nonharmful outlets like singing or playing guitar. Settings merge New Haven, San Francisco, and Bridgeport into a broader American urban condition, and DiMassa illustrated for queer avant-garde writers without pursuing mainstream branding.

Read at The New Yorker