Alice In Leatherland #3 & #4 Review – Of Dating Disasters & Do-overs

If Issue #1 & #2 of ‘Alice in Leatherland’ seemed fun, the party is only getting started, because things get kinkier and funnier from issue three onward.

Quick recap – Alice is a children’s writer who has moved to San Fransisco. She lands a job at a sex-toy shop, courtesy her new flatmates who are into BDSM.

Issue #3 begins on a festive note, it’s Valentines Day, Alice seems to have settled in her new job and is practically best-friends with her kinky flatmates. But as far as her romantic life is concerned, there’s zero progress; and we all know how V-Day can become a little overwhelming for singletons, what with all the hearts & mush floating around. So as Alice tries to sell vibrators on V-Day, she cannot help but think about her own dry state of affairs. It’s her boss who pushes her on to a dating app to put an end to her moping around for a ‘fairy tale’.

Iolanda Zanfardino & Elisa Romboli make a rip-roaring writer-illustrator team, there’s so much joy in their work, that they are able to infuse a breezy charm in the most awkward situations (even if they are sexual in nature) Alice gets into. While it becomes evident where the story is headed, Alice’s adventures via dating apps is relatable and amusing.

Issue #4 sheds more light on Robin’s character, total chick-magnet, but is also a bit of an asshole with the classic cold rule of ‘no sleeping over post sex’. Alice on the other hand continues to go on a slew of disastrous dates, before realizing she can be her own liberator on bed. So there’s a lot of body positivity & sex positivity in these two issues.

“It’s a sex-positive shop! We save the world one happy orgasm at a time!”

Alice says when a friend finds out where she works.

That was one of the most hilarious quotes in the series and also nicely sums up one of the major themes of the comics. Doubt if there are readers who haven’t given dating apps a chance, but those who haven’t might be put off by the whole concept… but hey, remember this – in real life, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before one finally turns into your Prince/Princess charming.

I don’t care if there were a cliche or two in there, these comics are entertaining, and it’s a 5/5 from me. Again.