A Bitch Is Born #[nn]

Roberta Gregory's sharp wit is on full display in this Fantagraphics collection, whose cover lays out a mordant visual biography: a scowling little girl clutching a lunchbox, a dreamy hippie flashing a peace sign, and a furious adult woman with hair practically exploding off her head — three stages of one gloriously unfiltered personality. Peter Bagge, creator of *Hate*, called it "funny and horrifying at the same time," which feels exactly right looking at that progression. Gregory's expressive linework crackles with personality, making this 1994 volume a genuinely engaging entry in the tradition of underground-inflected alternative comics.