Bitchy! The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCracken

One of the most influential, feminist comics series — the riotous “Bitchy Bitch” stories by pioneering cartoonist Roberta Gregory — is now in one definitive collection. Midge McCracken is the abrasive, self-destructive pessimist every office has. Not to mince words, she’s a bitch: bitter, mistrustful, racist, and completely unfiltered in her words and thoughts. But she comes by it honestly, growing up with hateful, racist parents, suffering sexual abuse as an adolescent, experiencing an unwanted pregnancy, etc. Did we mention that this is a comedy? Roberta Gregory’s unflinching sense of humor is the engine driving Bitchy! This mammoth collection includes all of Gregory’s “Bitchy Bitch” stories, presenting a life from childhood into middle age, following the character through multiple decades. Along the way, Gregory’s wider cast of characters are introduced, notably Bitchy’s suffering and insufferable coworkers: the obnoxiously cheerful Sylvia (who never met a problem that positive vibes won’t cure); the upwardly mobile and power-hungry Pam (aka Bitchy’s boss); the intolerant, God-fearing Marcie; her hapless friend-with-benefits, Kenny; and many more. In 1976, Roberta Gregory released Dynamite Damsels — the first underground solo comic created and self-published by a woman. After contributing regularly to the influential anthologies Wimmen’s Comix and Gay Comix throughout the 1980s, she launched Naughty Bits in 1991 while working as a production artist at her publisher, Fantagraphics. It became the longest-running solo alternative comic book series by a female cartoonist, coming to an end in 2004 after an influential and pioneering 14-year, 40-issue run. The Bitchy Bitch stories remain the pinnacle of a historic career, and a highwater mark in comics and graphic novels over the past 40 years.