How Real Men Do It

Rating:
Summary: You probably know these people.....
Review: "How Real Men Do It," the fourth volume of "Leonard and Larry" comics from Tim Barela, continues in the same vein as his first three. As their lives continue, Larry Evans and Leonard Goldman face day to day situations like most middle aged marrieds. The kitchen needs remodeling. The grandkids need a bedtime story. The son needs a new apartment. The neighbors are getting nosy. The crucial difference is that Leonard and Larry are a happily committed gay couple in Los Angeles.

The typical nature of Barela's storylines is part of the brilliance of all his books. Borrowing liberally from 50's and 60's sitcom humor but remaining stunningly of the day, Leonard and Larry could be the American any-couple next door. They have friends that kvetch over the relatives, fight midlife flab and try to do right by their families. At the same time, they also have to deal with what many gay couples in America go through every day; homophobia, job discrimination and trying to protect their children (be they adopted or from previous marriages) from a world that eyes them with suspicion or hatred. Every so often, a panel with poignancy will leap from the page and strike you, as does the one single strip that mentions 9/11.

That is not to say that Barela's terrific sense of humor isn't splashed liberally throughout "How Real Men Do It." The travails of soap opera star Merle Oberon and his quest to save his failing TV show, and Larry's obsession with Bruce, the house repairman, are probably the funniest series in "How Real Men Do It." Leonard and Larry remaining a refreshing alternative to the twinky obsessed standard gay literary fare. "How Real Men Do it" shows you who the real men are -- real men have beards and may just be celebrating 50. It makes each of Tim Barela's four books national treasures.