by Nicole Hollander
There aren't many women cartoonists, and there certainly aren't any others as raunchy as Hollander, a free-lance commercial artist from Chicago. Her main character, a middle-aged woman named Sylvia, always wears hats or hairnets, even in the bathtub. She has cats, birds and a grown daughter. Sylvia talks to her television set and has to deal with men who are begging for a putdown. Man in glasses: "How come only ugly women are for the Equal Rights Amendment?" Sylvia's reply: "How come the guys who ask that question always have bad breath?" In another strip, Sylvia tells a bartender: "The network rejected my script. Said it was too feminist. You know—too much talking, not enough hitting." In a third, a dapper gentleman with a martini says, "I read that even in old folks' homes, women are still primping, still competing with each other for male attention." Sylvia replies, "Like biting your nails; an unattractive habit, but hard to break." (St. Martin's, $3.95)
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