Lynda Barry

I find Lynda Barry's comics enjoyable and easy to read. I particularly enjoyed "Common Scents." The play on words within the title captured me and I found myself laughing out loud at the comic itself. The comic brings attention to something I was extremely intrigued by as a kid- how all people smelled different. I used to come home from friends, neighbors, and babysitters houses and ask my mom, "Why does 'so-and-so' smell funny?" As I got older, I remember becoming seriously aware and self-conscious, that I too, smelled funny. I used to ask my friends, "Do I have a scent?" This makes me laugh; as we have grown older it just becomes a known and common part of life. As a young child, it was a mind-blowing concept. Just the other day a friend borrowed a shirt of mine and said "This smells like you." I asked her if she meant my perfume, my shampoo, my detergent, etc. She claimed that it was not any of those things, it just simply smelled like me. This made me laugh as I had forgotten about the 'common scents' we all have.