Synopsis
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.
From: Fantagraphics Books
Notes on This Title
Wuvable Oaf was originally self-published in five issues before being collected by Fantagraphics Books.
A prequel, Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal, was published in 2016.
Awards
28th Lambda Literary Awards LGBT Graphic Novel - Nominee
Reviews
“Large, hirsute, buck-toothed cat-orphanage proprietor and former professional wrestler Oaf Jadwiga has a romantic history marked by failure and disappointment. Following a lengthy dry spell, he finds himself attracted to the diminutive Eiffel, an “aggro massage” therapist and frontman for a band called Ejaculoid. The big sweetheart’s search for a loving connection will have readers rooting for the huge bear of a man. Originally published as a comics periodical, Oaf’s saga already has a sizable gay following, but this human tale of the struggle to make the connection that we all yearn for will touch all readers. Told with an appealing visual style, and loaded with evocative characters, Oaf’s adventures are heartwarming, humorous, poignant, and engrossing from start to finish.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)
“Sure, Oaf Jadwiga may be enormous, muscled, extravagantly bearded—indeed, so hirsute that when he shaves his chest, the hair springs back out mere moments later. Sure, Oaf’s been known to crush a man just by rolling over onto him. Sure, he was once the fearsome masked wrestler Goteblüd, who sprayed gore over vanquished foes from his enormous goat horns. But Oaf just wants to be loved. And in Ed Luce’s indie comics series Wuvable Oaf, readers have seen poor Oaf cuddle his rescue kitties, get dumped by San Francisco jerks, lovingly construct his limited-edition stuffed animals—and, finally, meet Eiffel Desmarais, the lead screamer for disco-grindcore (or is it black spazz-metal queercore?) band Ejaculoid. Now collected into a very funny book by Fantagraphics, the tentative-yet-sexy romance between gigantic Oaf and tiny Eiffel will be catnip to bear-lovers and the bears who love them—but also to readers not steeped in the queer scene who simply love a witty, warm-hearted story and a lead character who’s worth rooting for.” (Source: Slate)
“Written and drawn by Luce, the comic chronicles the life and escapades of the titular Oaf, a burly, hairy, music-loving gentle giant looking for love while caring for his dozens of cats. Luce’s writing is as endearing as his protagonist, sweet and humble, well-intentioned and genuine.
Sure, the comic is sexualized, but so many are these days. Luce’s depiction of Oaf’s love life isn’t overly graphic; it’s tasteful, honest, and quite often funny. As a protagonist, Oaf comprises the perfect portions of sweetness, shyness, and nervousness to endear and make him relatable to any and all readers who have ever had a crush or fallen in love. The fact that he is gay both is and isn’t relevant to the reader’s experience. Granted, one cannot disregard Oaf’s orientation or the setting in which his story takes place, but Luce’s work is universally applicable. Gay or straight, there’s much to wuv about Wuvable Oaf.” (Source: Under the Radar)
Interviews
CBR: “Fantagraphics to publish Ed Luce’s ‘Wuvable Oaf’: An interview with the author”
Comicosity: “Queer Visibility Interview: Ed Luce Talks WUVABLE OAF“