A Much-Needed Escape
Between living in a country run by soulless, money-grabbing monsters with no sense of right or wrong, genocide in Palestine, bombs and tanks tearing through Syria and Lebanon, and juggling my own search for freedom while reading James Baldwin and bell hooks – oh, and work on top of all that – I desperately needed something to let my brain breathe, even just for a moment. That something came in the form of one of my all-time favorite comic books: I Hate Fairyland.
The first time I stumbled upon this chaotic masterpiece was about five or six years ago. How I found it? Not a clue. But boy, am I glad I did. And now, hoping to escape reality for just a little while, I’m taking you with me and Gert on this bizarre adventure. Who knows? Maybe you’ll want to stick around in this weird world with us.
What’s It About?
I Hate Fairyland is a comic by Skottie Young, a guy who’s done some seriously cool stuff with Marvel – Spider-Man, Deadpool, Iron Man – and even won awards for his work on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. If you’re a comic geek, you probably know about these. If not, trust me when I say this dude is good.
The story? Oh, it flips every “magical fairy tale” right on its head.
We follow Gertrude (Gert), a woman who, as a little girl, was whisked away to the whimsical land of Fairyland. Sounds fun, right? It was supposed to be. She had a simple quest: find her way home. Except… 30 years later, she’s still there. Trapped.
The kicker? Gert still looks like a six-year-old, but mentally, she’s a bitter, foul-mouthed forty-something who despises everything about Fairyland. Armed with a giant battle-axe and exactly zero patience, Gert hacks, slashes, and swears her way through this pastel-colored nightmare, leaving destruction in her wake.
Her BFF on this journey? Larry. He’s a snarky, chain-smoking fly who’s supposed to guide her, but honestly, he spends most of his time rolling his eyes and muttering sarcastic remarks at Gert’s… enthusiasm. Their dynamic? Chef’s kiss. Think chaos meets reluctant friendship, with Larry’s dry wit cutting through Gert’s unhinged rage.
Why I Love it so much
When I read I Hate Fairyland, I feel like Gert’s an old friend I haven’t seen in a while. She pulls me into her twisted little world, and for those moments, my own reality fades. That’s rare for me – there’s not a lot of art that can do that, over and over again.
And Larry has to be one of my all-time favorite characters. Honestly, I probably feel more like him – sarcastic, frustrated, and just trying to get through the day without losing my mind. I’ve had a comic panel from Issue #10 – where Larry mutters “Really helps” – on my tattoo list for years. One day, I’ll get it.
The real magic of Fairyland
Beyond the gore, dark comedy, and candy-colored chaos, I Hate Fairyland resonates on a deeper level. It’s not just a story about a battle-axe-wielding kid in a magical world; it’s about refusing to conform.
Fairyland is a prison disguised as a whimsical paradise, a place where everyone expects Gert to play along – smile, follow the quest, be happy. But Gert can’t fake it. She won’t. She knows it’s all bullshit, and she’d rather tear the place apart than pretend it’s something it’s not.
If I’m being honest, that pressure to “play along” is something I’ve felt my whole life. Maybe that’s why I love Gert so much. She’s vile, violent, and sometimes a little crazy – but she’s a fighter. She fights through a world that doesn’t fit her, battling all the crap that’s thrown her way.
There’s something cathartic about admitting, like Gert, that the world isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes it feels fake, too cruel, or just not meant for us. And that’s okay. Like Gert with her battle-axe, we can carve our own path, make noise, and refuse to stay silent in a world that tries to shut us up.
Sometimes, in hating the world around you, you end up finding who you really are.
P.S. If you want to check out the comic, you can find it online here – Highly recommend diving into the chaos – it’s worth it.
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