Wuvable Oaf

Wuvable Oaf (collected editions) #1

by Ed Luce

Wuvable Oaf is the first-ever collection of the acclaimed self-published comic book series by cartoonist Ed Luce. Oaf is a large, hirsute, scary-looking ex-wrestler who lives in San Francisco with his adorable kitties and listens to a lot of Morrissey. The book follows Oaf s search for love in the big city, especially his pursuit of Eiffel, the lead singer of the black metal/queercore/ progressive disco grindcore band Ejaculoid. Luce weaves between the friends, associates, enemies, ex-lovers and pasts of both men into the story of their courtship. A romantic comedy at its core, Wuvable Oaf recalls elements of comics as diverse as Scott Pilgrim, Love and Rockets, and Archie, set against the background of San Francisco s queer community and music scene."

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics

264 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2015

Reviews

[Ed Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh...I made it, so I like it!

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun comic. Oaf is a rather big and hairy guy who runs a home for cats in his own home, and makes soft toys from his body hair. Oaf is also an ex wrestler, charming and kind and a great friend. He is also looking for love.

This book consists of a set of stories about wuvable Oaf and his friends, family and felines. He is just adorable and the stories had me laughing out loud. I was not familiar with the artist (Ed Luce) before I bought it but I am glad I took the risk.

I only wish there were online comics I could follow but since there isn't I will just re-read this volume and hope a second volume of stories will be published some time soon.

Great stuff for comic books fans!!!!

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t understand it all but I just loved this book, its big, hairy, scary-looking protagonist Oaf, an ex-“wrassler” who runs a feline sanctuary out of his house (his musky man-scent attracts stray cats like a magnet), and the tiny, grumpy black metal singer Eiffel, who he pursues after falling in wuv wif him, and Eiffel’s band, and the cats—did I mention the cats?—particularly Pavel, a special-needs kitty plagued by horripilating visions from beyond the veil. Oaf is the only one who can calm him down.

[Mery ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a big hardcover version of Luce's self published comic where he creates this elaborate queer universe of mostly huge, hairy guys. A version of one mashup collection of the San Francisco music scene, I am told. Oaf is very hairy, loves cats, makes and sells toys he stuffs with his own shaved body hair (yes, that hairy), loves Morrissey, is in love with the lead singer, Eiffel, of some band named Ejaculoid, a sort of queercore band. Former professional wrestler. This feels like a gay Love and Rockets-Hernandez world/story, with a similar sense of humor. It's basically a romantic comedy, and is pretty funny. It creates a pretty complete world I am basically not the target audience for, but was still amused by its energy.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book almost solely by the cover and the title. How could I not?!! It's not like it was a true gamble because the publisher (Fantagraphics Books) puts out great work, it cost me nothing (Viva la Library!), and graphic novels just don't take that long to read. But I had no idea just what a treat I was in for...

Luce creates an entire universe of mostly hirsute "bears" in San Francisco revolving around the quite "wuvable" Oaf. He's a doll-maker who stuffs his creations with his own body hair (which he can grow back by force of will alone):


He's also a self-proclaimed cat-philanthropist. Out of dozens of cats, he cares for one special-needs kitty named Pavel. Pavel only calms down when in direct physical contact with Oaf. Here is what he is like when left alone in his own private, padded room:


But before Oaf became Oaf, he grew famous as a professional "wrassler" known as Goteblud:


Oaf is looking for love and acceptance. He has a musky scent about him that almost never leaves. His first kisses often involve an awkward clashing of teeth. He loves hard metal, but also Morrissey. He falls for a disco grindcore metal singer name Eiffel. Eiffel's singing is described as a combination of the following artists:


What the hell does all this add up to? A truly bizarre and hilarious self-contained world complete with beard contests judged by Yukon Jack, gay metal band love trapezoids, and riffs on all manner of media and culture (a celebrity chef's restaurant called Rage Against the Cuisine where diners get to kill their own dinner, a pro-wrestling subculture, various tributes to the '80s, and sub-universes based on Oaf special- or one-time issues). Fun, funny, and disgustingly adorable.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! A cat loving "bear" with magical hair abilities. His aroma is irresistible to cats. What a relatable fantasy!

There is humour here, and insight, as well as playful fantasy. All in all, the Oaf seems like a real character. And a lovable one, too.

This series has devoted fans.

[Meepelous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content notes for a lot of sexual material without almost any nudity and actual sex depicted, lots of bodily fluids (including a chef putting bodily fluids into the food he is serving), general griminess, dead cats, child and cat birth, cat put into solitary confinement and magic ritual.

Clicking over to Wikipedia, one of the few places I could track down a bio of Ed Luce, he is described as "an American cartoonist, best known for his indie comics series Wuvable Oaf... Originally funded by a grant from Prism Comics, it was self-published in five standalone chapters until being compiled in graphic novel form by Fantagraphics Books... a two-time Ignatz Award nominee for the series, garnering nominations in 2009 for Promising New Talent and in 2015 for Outstanding Artist, [Ed Luce] was a 2016 Lambda Literary Award nominee for LGBT Graphic Novel.  A second volume, Wuvable Oaf: Blood and Metal, was published in 2016, and won the Award for LGBT Graphic Novel at the 29th Lambda Literary Awards.
Luce lives with his husband Mark in San Francisco, where he teaches at California College of the Arts."

What kinds of keywords came to mind reading this book: grime, hair, cats, crafting, camp, out of step, queer, underground, dating, romantic comedy, and wrestling.

The volume summery over on Goodreads reads "Oaf is a large, hirsute, scary-looking ex-wrestler who lives in San Francisco with his adorable kitties and listens to a lot of Morrissey. The book follows Oaf's search for love in the big city, especially his pursuit of Eiffel, the lead singer of the black metal/queercore/ progressive disco grindcore band Ejaculoid. Luce weaves between the friends, associates, enemies, ex-lovers and pasts of both men into this story of their courtship. A romantic comedy at its core, Wuvable Oaf recalls elements of comics as diverse as Scott Pilgrim, Love and Rockets, and Archie, set against the background of San Francisco's queer community and music scene."

In an interview I found on comicosity interviewer Sam Marx asks Ed Luce "In your stories there are often experiences about bad dates, falling in love, and crazy metal fans. For new readers who might not know your work – how much of the comic is autobiographical?" to which the creator replies "I like to describe the book as 'exaggerated autobio.' My real life just isn’t that interesting, but I think my perspective is. There are kernels of truth throughout, gleaned from my own personal dating experiences and those of my partner Mark and best friend Matt. Some things are observed, some overheard. Much of the cat stuff is me coming to terms with them… they’re these wild little creatures we let into our homes and lives. Lord knows what goes on in their tiny heads. I write their parts in the story as an attempt to explain my own cat’s behavior and motivations. Ultimately, my experience has taught me that she just thinks I’m another large uber-cat. So the kitties in the story treat Oaf accordingly. Oaf’s basic personality is largely pulled from the nicer parts of my own, the boy my mom raised. I also describe him physically as me dosed with gamma radiation. Eiffel is more my real life stature, and his less endearing traits are pulled from my own dark side, my pettiness and jealousy. So when the two get together, they form this conceptual comic self-portrait."

A short while later Luce also says, in reply to a question about what he hopes people take from the comic "I never set out to have a message really, but I think what has emerged is this idea of accepting and loving yourself. Oaf starts out hating all his eccentricities, thinking he’ll never find anyone who will love him for who he’s become. He feels like he doesn’t fit into all these molds he’s supposed to. When we meet him, he’s largely withdrawn from the social scene, especially bars and clubs. He just feels like a freak, so he cuts himself off from everyone but his closest friends. After he meets Eiffel, each of his insecurities gets tested or brought under a spotlight and Eiffel ends up sticking around…at least ‘til the end of the date. So ultimately, Oaf ends up learning to embrace his inherent weirdness. I think people have really responded to that aspect of the story."

My second attempt at reading Wuvable Oaf, I initially tried picking it up near the start of this channel (I think) but I didn't make it all the way through so I never logged it. Anyway, I've been thinking about re-reading it for a while now - particularly since I joined in on the a to z of queer lit. The wait proved to be worth it and while this book remains pretty wild and gross (in my opinion) I got more of the references this time around and overall found it pretty entertaining. Oaf is after all an oversized hairy smelly cat person who misses a lot of social ques - for all the points of identity that separate us, this time I could see all the obvious things we had in common and really relate.

Taking a step back, I think what might surprise people the most is how genre this volume is. As already mentioned, this volume was previously published as individual shorts. So there is a pretty strong overarching plot that holds this volume together, but there's also a lot of randomness mixed in. Taking the characters we see in the contemporary setting and remixing them into different scenarios from realistic to fantastical. There's a lot of pop culture references and monsters that also happen to look like dicks. The dead cats I mentioned earlier are limited to a straight up fantasy sequence featuring an ogre character who wears cat pelts.

The art has a very strong sense of style to it that I'm sure is not for everyone, but I thought it was pretty fun. Mostly a very dynamic and dramatic black and white, there were a few issues that used a third colour and it really popped.

Moving right along to representation, obviously most of this volume is largely about men largely involved in same-sex relationships. Reading other people's opinions, a theme that kept recurring was people commenting on how while the influence of the gay bear scene is obvious, Luce avoids putting labels on things. I largely agree, although I think labels can also be helpful at times as long as they not being used to gatekeep; the term aromantic does come up a few times in the book to describe Oaf. Which I did find a bit confusing... but as no one else I saw has commented on this it might be confusion on my end rather then confusion on Luce's end as to what that term generally means. Please feel free to share your thoughts if you have any.

I also felt like Oaf was a pretty good example of showing someone who outwardly represents a lot of masculine ideals while also subverting them with Oaf being so not an alpha male in real life. The character started his life as a paper doll design for heavens sake. Love it.

Although they were fewer and further between, the women of Wuvable Oaf certainly left a distinct and (for me at least) positive impression.

Race and class felt underexplored.

As far as ability and disability, while none of it is labeled and some of it (at the very least) is probably not intentional... I do not sign off on Oaf and family's treatment of a cat who is apparently living outside of consensus reality. Do not put anyone human or creature in solitary confinement, this is literally torture. I feel like this was not entirely thought through.

On a brighter note, along with subverting gender expectations, it also felt to me as if one of the things that Oaf and myself have in common is being neurodivergent. More specifically, it felt like Oaf was on the autistic spectrum. But I'm not an expert so take it with a grain of salt. It just felt nice, honestly, to centre a character like Oaf no matter how they do or do not identify/are diagnosed.

To conclude, another one of those books that is certainly not a MUST READ for so many reasons I'm glad I revisited it and I think I'm going to rate it four out of five stars.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is fantastic and a big reason I kept reading though I wasn't really engaged in the story. No fault in the writing/storytelling at all. In fact, I really love Oaf and the other cast of characters. The humor, especially in the asides about the dating history of the characters was great. Over all this felt like a modern, queer, and much better quality underground comic book. Reminiscent of Crumb and other Zap Magazine staples.

Only I actually like these characters and the artwork, opposed to Crumb who's objectification of women always made me uncomfortable and grossed out. That's not to say there's not over the top objectification, but it's of men.

Big, bulging, hairy men. That was down right refreshing and s big part of why I picked up this book. I saw Luce speak on a panel about body positivity and representation. When he spoke about about big hairy men's bodies and the lack of love and representation for those bodies it resonated with me.

I am so glad I picked up this book, even though I didn't engage with the story. I'm a fan of Luce's art and writing style. I won't hesitate to picks up a book by him again and I'm buy copies of this to give to friends, who deserve to see their bodies represented, especially in queer media.

Will you like or want to read this? I'm not sure I can tell you. Its aggressively queer. Very reminiscent of the 60s-70s art styles of the gay underground scene both in San Francisco and NYC of the time. The art is stunning and worth a look no matter if the subject matter is your thing. The humor is specific subset of this subculture.

Like are you a fan of big hairy gay men who love cats, wrestling, hardcore metal and hyper masculinity? If so this book just might be your flavor of catnip.

The body hair dolls are creepy and awesome and I'm going to see if Luce is selling real versions of them. I want one.

[Chris Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wuvable Oaf by Ed Luce stands alone, in a very fluffy room, as a one-of-a-kind, hilarious, weird, graphic, insane piece of work.

The black and white (and once, pink) artwork is lovely and mixes the crazy illustrations of Oaf and other characters among cute kitties and some really wild and creatively bizarre creatures and nightmarish visions. It's just unlike anything else you will read.

Oaf, our lead character, is... well, he's wuvable. Cats love him, and he loves them, and so they crawl all over him and he owns a ton. He is super hairy and he makes his own Oaf Dolls which he stuffs with his own shaven body hair. It's already out-there, isn't it? Well, it takes to the skies with it's outlandish stories, and I loved it. There are some stand-alone strips in here, as well as a long story that makes up the bulk of the book. Oaf meets a singer from a band and the story follows his relationship with him, as well as Oaf's past, his hobbies, his love-life. The stand-alone stories are even wilder and more peculiar, with stories of internal organ staining, cat-apocalyptic-fighting and more.

To explain Wuvable Oaf is to take the fun out of your experience though. Just head into this blind and with a sense of humour and you will truly find something completely unique. For me, as graphic and adult and messed-up as it often was, I ate up every last page. This was bloody magnificent.

5 out of 5

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oaf is, indeed, wuvable. This is a deliberately strange book. Oaf, a former "wrassler", lives in San Francisco where he rescues cats and makes dolls which he stuffs with his own body hair. He falls for Eiffel, the lead singer of a disco grindcore band called Ejaculoid. Romance seems to blossom. There are side stories featuring minor characters, future incarnations of Oaf's cats, and even an Ogre. Steep the entire business in gay culture, and you have Wuvable Oaf. Yes, there are grotesque aspects, but Luce's drawing style gives it all a certain charm. If Aubrey Beardsley and Junko Mizuno had a child, he or she would probably draw like Ed Luce. Part of the fun, for me, were all the characters from other comics and movies who show up to populate the crowd scenes--I was particularly impressed to see the two main characters from the movie Liquid Sky hanging out at a bar in one panel. Also worth noting is Kerry King of Slayer who makes a cameo in one story. I honestly don't think I've seen comics in which music plays such a large role since first discovering Matt Howarth's work so many years ago. Wuvable Oaf is unlike anything else currently being published, and that's a good thing.

[Alex Sarll]

To be honest, looking at that cover will give you more of an idea of this than anything I can write. The often icky yet somehow innocent tale of Oaf, a big gay bear whose body odour is oddly attractive to cats, and his search for someone non-feline to wuv in a San Francisco where it’s easier to find a threesome or a disco grindcore gig than romance. But that doesn’t really take in the fact that at least one of the cats is either totally insane or getting visions of Outside, meaning the story occasionally detours through cartoonishly Gigeresque genitalscapes. Or the copyright-dubious guest appearances by everyone from Alpha Flight and the protagonists of Blue Monday to members of Slayer and a porno version of Prince. For all I know of Ed Luce, it may be the pen-name of a happily married woman living in rural Minnesota, but this feels very much like the sort of comic where one man’s put his own idiosyncrasies, fetishes and sense of humour boldly and baldly on the page. And I’m glad he did, because it’s utterly unique and more charming than you might expect.

[howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have never felt more seen in my entire life

[Joseph Gagnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the same problem with this comic i had with Great Expectations. It ended way before it should have. There is one more book, but it is a prequel. Almost half of this book were side stories. The closest Oaf actually gets to wuv in this book is a succession first date with Eiffel. And the Pavel stuff ends strange, but without enough really.

Everything about this was great. Except the fact that it is all unfinished from a storytelling standpoint.

[Linda Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this hairy Oaf who tends to kitties and searches for love while making his own dolls with his own hair. Some really memorable first dates and some serious backstabbing from all the assorted exes....

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... different. I loved the San Furrancisco Special. The rest was a cute graphic novel about the romantic struggles of a feline-loving gay man. I liked the comic itself more than the character pages, although those were nice to have for background info. 3*

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable. Little Eiffel’s face is so grumpy and darling at the same time.

[jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this tbqh. extremely gay and extremely charming.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could I not refuse Wuvable Oaf? the premise alone is something that appeals to me : A hirsute, cat loving, Morrissey fanatic and his burgeoning romance with the lead singer of a disco-grindcore band. Cats! Morrissey! Music! Humor! yes, yes and yes!

Thankfully I was not disappointed by this collection of the first Wuvable Oaf comics and then some short pieces which help the reader put things in perspective. There’s also a detailed character index at the back of the book and it’s a great help.

Like all good comics, there’s an underlying themes.Wuvable Oaf playfully satirises hipster culture ; musical attitudes, performance art and conceptual restaurants and this is pulled off brilliantly. However at it’s core it is a love story albeit one with pretty weird moments.

I loved the art style – think of the rubber quality of Robert Crumb’s characters, with a touch of Jaime Hernandez in there. Most of the panels a stuffed with detail so it pays to notice the details. The dialogue is funny and the stories are interlinked. Wuvable Oaf is an unpredictable and original headrush . Hopefully I’ll be able to invest in the second volume as I am curious to see how far Luce will take this character =.

[Derek Royal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually try to keep up with Fantagraphics releases, but this one apparently got by me. I decided to read it given its recent nomination for an Ignatz Award. I was also ignorant of the Wuvable Oaf comic, in general. This is an unfortunate oversight on my part, and I should have been on the lookout for it given the fact that Luce has done work on Neely's Henry & Glenn. Wuvable Oaf works in the same comedic vein. I hope I can talk with Luce at this year's SPX.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic is fantastic. Ed Luce has built a rich world around the very, very "wuvable" Oaf.

The book is really in three parts: a story, short comic adventures, and an appendix of character guides. You can read and multiple times and get more out of it.

At times sexually explicit, but at its core the story is a romantic comedy.

Unlike anything else. Ed Luce is amazing. I want to read it again.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creatively Wuvable Oaf is up there with Stuck Rubber Baby and Dykes to Watch Out For. I love this book on so many levels. The drawings are gorgeous. The stories are hysterical and so true. It's sweet and dirty at the same time. The perfect combination. Is there Oaf merchandise out there? I need to investigate. Kitties and Queercore Bands and First Dates and Wrestling and Dollies. And lots and lots of body hair. It's all so hysterical and real. Thank you Ed Luce. I wuv this graphic novel!

[Jason]

Oaf himself really grew on me (and I his adoptive father is a sweetheart), but a lot of the other characters are kind of egotistical and self-serving. It's definitely unlike anything I've read before, so I'll give it that.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastically amazing collection of images and ideas! Luce creates such a vivid world that is outrageous, yet just close enough to reality that the characters within it can genuinely tug at your heart strings every now and then.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one weird book. I liked it though. Oaf was a pretty likable character. Rough around the edges but also sweet and kind. His world though, whew. The band and the members were...interesting. I did like Eiffel and he and Oaf together were pretty sweet.

My face the entire time: (O.o)

[Larry C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry & Glenn Forever + Scott Pilgrim. Cute, funny, adorable, gross, sweet, irreverent, and pop-culturally smart. Can't wait to read it again.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterwy dewightful.

[Paul Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joyous experience. I'm slightly obsessed.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too hairy.

[The Bibliopossum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wuvable Oaf. I wasn't expecting that many crotch shots so close together in this story. Jeans let guys' packages hang low, the gym scene has a guy's pelvis in the foreground so we're looking up from his speedo.

So many bulges, my guys. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't start reading this book at work, but--


oops

This is a sexually charged story with all of the visual manservice. Unfortunately, that doesn't affect me. Fortunately, there was more than just the images to entertain a reader like me.

What Works
- A very likable protagonist. Oaf is adorable, lemme say that first and foremost. He's dedicated to his interests, he's unashamed about liking Morrissey when his previous dates chided him about it, and once I got to understand the logic behind the creation of his dolls, I thought the sentiment was really sweet.
He's a retired wrestler with a Devil motif whose horns would rain down fake blood, and that's metal as hell. He's got a cute lil' dad who he can talk with in sensible and sometimes playful manners.
And Oaf's the ultimate cat dad. Look at all the cats on that cover and tell me I'm wrong.

- A believable romance. Eiffel and Oaf got some nice chemistry. They're upfront about their feelings, they handle drama with Eiffel's ex with a certain maturity and dignity, Eiffel doesn't try to cover up that he has in fact slept with most of his band mates, and this part of the story ends in a very nice note of "we absolutely gotta do this again." And I'm rooting for them.

What Doesn't
- Half of this book is short stories, you tease! When I saw the page count, I thought "Oh! This is gonna be a realized romance with a bear* and his new boyfriend with so much metal culture being celebrated and poked fun at", but nope! We got one shots of Oaf, Eiffel, and the rest of the cast doing things that aren't congruent with the aforementioned romance. You build up something that piques my interest and wants me to read more, and then you don't go further into it? You're leaving me out in the cold, Luce.

But yeah, this is a book I'd definitely recommend if you wanna see a lovable--excuse me, wuvable-- large guy try to land the man of his dreams.


*not to be confused with an actual bear. Please don't date an actual bear.