Alleycat (18+)
Writer/Artist: Molly Ostertag
A review by Samantha Pearson
HEADS UP! Alleycat is decidedly NSFW! 18+ only!
Molly Ostertag’s Alleycat is a short, wonderfully breezy comic about two anthropomorphic cats having some alone time in an alley. Celia is just trying to get through her shift at the bar, but a “skinny little alleycat” is asking for her outside. What starts as a lover’s spat quickly becomes something else.
This book is lovely. It’s 39 pages in black, white, grey, and shades of red; the lack of color beautifully accentuates the erotic nature of each page. Many pages are just single panels, but they all focus on one thing: the pleasure of these two women getting each other off. Alleycat is sensual without being male gazey, and the fact that one of the characters has thick thighs, belly rolls, and stubble on her legs makes me all kinds of giddy.
I bought Alleycat for three reasons: I always support LGBT comics whenever I can; the cover art on this short comic is flawless; the proceeds go toward hurricane relief efforts. When I saw Kate Leth sharing Ostertag’s tweet, I couldn’t resist clicking through, even though I could only afford the minimum $5 purchase price on Gumroad.
I’ve read Alleycat three times now, and suspect I’ll come back to it again. I’m thoroughly in love with the world Ostertag has created here and love that there’s an opportunity to imagine what came before and after. For such a short, sexy story, the possibilities are endless. It’s a nod to Ostertag’s character building skills that this piece feels so perfectly complete.
Verdict
Buy it! Not only will you get a super sexy story featuring two gorgeous cat women, but you’ll be supporting LGBT comics and assisting with hurricane relief efforts. There’s literally no reason to say no to Alleycat (unless you’re not into smut, which is totally cool, but you could still share this link with your friends!).
