Modernist Funnies

At the climactic moment of the final chapter of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Alison and her father Bruce are taking a drive together to watch the 1980 film, Coal Miner’s Daughter (fig. 1). For the first time since she has come out to her family, Alison tries to have a frank conversation with her father about her sexuality—and his. She has recently learned that her father has