Unlovable by Esther Pearl Watson

At the end of 2014 fall semester, a series of books was sweeping through the students at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). The title? Unlovable. Spear-headed through recommendations by Anna Sellheim, the sudden popularity of Unlovable, Vol. 1, urged the Schulz Library to get the other two volumes as well. I was among those caught in the whirlpool of Tammy Pierce.

Three volumes of Unlovable in all their glittery glory.

The books are fiction but are based on a 1989 diary that the creator, Esther Pearl Watson, found in a truck stop bathroom. The comics read as a diary of Tammy’s life. Through the first three volumes (I can only hope there are many more), we follow Tammy through the first semester of her sophomore year of high school (volume 1), winter break and the second semester of her sophomore year (volume 2), and her subsequent summer vacation (volume 3).

Opening page of Volume 2, a drawing of an endearing photo we can all sympathize with

The glittery covers of each volume shout that they are set in the 80s. The covers are neon pink, green, and orange. Actual glitter is spewed behind Tammy’s ridiculous but enthusiastic portrait. Tammy shows us how much she seems to be unlovable, but after a romp through the story inside, just as when meeting real people, we see there is so much to pity, admire, love, and root for.

80s fashion done right. And so wrong. (Page from Volume 3)

The scratchy artwork perfectly displays the awkward teen years; nothing goes right. Everything and everyone is on edge. Through the narrative, you can quickly switch between cheering on, yelling at, and dissing the ever optimistic Tammy. She is blind to her idiotic friends treating her like garbage, as I am sure so many of us realize looking back at our own high school years. She blindly crushes on and even worships the strangest and sometimes inappropriate “men” in her life. The strange craze of creating shrines is so accurate. I was only in grade school in the 80s, but these love stories drive me back to my friends’ passions with a dizzying force. By the end of volume 2, I was literally pumping my fist, rooting for Tammy and her love interest.

And I’m lucky I got Tammy. (Page from Volume 3.)

Each book is just over 400 pages. The third volume was recently published in May 2014. The story is serialized in Bust magazine and Fantagraphics is currently selling the three volumes as a bundle, as well as individually.

Don’t we all want to shop for a little “wuv”? (Pages from Volume 2.)