Silver Sprocket is the reigning champion of the radical, quirky indie comic. Pinky & Pepper Forever—lesbian humanoid dogs and their journey to Hell, is no exception. Pinky & Pepper Forever opens with a bang. Pinky, the fun-loving, wild, pigtail-donning performance artist dines at a restaurant in Hell with her (only slightly) more demure girlfriend, Pepper. From there the story of how these two ended up in Hell, eating human remains out of a river of blood, begins.
Rife with cartoon violence, torture, sexual themes, images of suicide, and bondage, Pinky & Pepper Forever is most definitely a niche comic. However, for those that are curious, Pinky & Pepper Forever is a lot of darkly humorous fun. Atoms’ writing is full of energy. This comic is nonstop. It is a weird, sexy rollercoaster with no time to stop for air. And, yet, somehow it is also the oddly romantic story of two young women in love. Atoms’ writing is wholly sincere and the Pinky and Pepper’s relationship is completely genuine. Atoms’ candid writing style is in total synchrony with the accompanying artwork of the comic.
Atoms’ artwork is crudely drawn and occasionally experimental. Panels are full of rough lines and, upon close inspection, a few tiny errors following the tracing of the artist’s pencil. Similarly, the coloring is an eccentric blend of ink and colored pencil. Pencil marks created while coloring each character are visible on just about every page of the comic. And, yet, this is part of the appeal of Pinky & Pepper Forever. It is unique. The artist is clearly passionate and that passion emanates through every crooked line in every panel. These images could have been lifted directly from Atoms’ personal journal—which makes them all the more appealing. But, despite these qualities, Pinky & Pepper Forever is likely going to be a hard sell for most readers.
Though Pinky & Pepper Forever is certainly worth the time of any indie comic enthusiast, this one is going to be difficult to incorporate into your library’s graphic novel collection. Frankly, a story about the love between two performance artist dogs in Hell is pretty niche. Pinky & Pepper Forever, at face value, is only going to appeal to a specific demographic of comic readers. Many people may be turned off by the art style, the violence, and the fantastical storyline. These elements are what make Pinky & Pepper Forever as great as it is. But, frankly, if purchasing for your library, demand will have to be generated via reader’s advisory. Ultimately, Pinky & Pepper Forever is a very beautiful, weird, fun comic that will attract fans of queer comics and zines.
Pinky & Pepper Forever
By Ivy Atoms
Art by Ivy Atoms
ISBN: 9781945509223
Silver Sprocket, 2018
Publisher Age Rating: 18+
Series ISBNS and Order
Title Details and Representation
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Character Traits: Lesbian
Related to…: Book to Comic
