I am a simple woman. I see a comic about how women rule the world and I read it.

In the not-too-distant future, a scientist discovers a genetic defect in the human genome that's causing all those with a male gender identity to die young. In addition, the genetic quirk increases the chances of new humans to have a feminine/female gender identity. In a process reminiscent of how world leaders/corporations treat climate change, everyone ignores the problems until it's too late. Within generations, men are wiped out. Women are left to rebuild a society devastated by global warming, natural disasters, and zero men.

Despite the grim premise, the comic is surprisingly humorous and hopeful. The round, pastel art, the newspaper funny comic format, and the casual diversity of the cast make for a light-hearted read of a soft apocalypse. The characters muse over big questions (is feminism a reality now; will men come back; how does healthcare and reproduction work; how do we connect & relate to each other; what norms do we keep, what gets lost) and smaller ones (how to deal with anxiety, I'm in love with a married woman HELP, awkwardness about female bodies and scars). For those worried, a main cast member is a trans woman, and it's explained that having a vagina is not necessary to being a woman. I was left wondering about nonbinary folk's fate, but that might be addressed in a comic not included in the collection.

Though the comic succeeded in being feminist and funny, a niggling feeling made me forgo the fifth star. I wanted more answers to the big questions and, while we're assured of everyone's positive fate at the end, I wanted the comic to be longer and show us more of that journey. For example, two characters express their loneliness and sit on a specific log when their feelings are especially bad. Over the course of the comic, the characters finally acknowledge they must deal with the loneliness. In the end sequence, they burn the log. It's supposed to signify that they've overcome their problem, but the moment didn't feel earned to me. Acknowledging the problem is only the first step. What do they do to combat loneliness?

In any case, Woman World is a quick and entertaining comic collection of a soft feminist apocalypse. If any of that sounds fun to you, definitely pick Dhaliwal's work up.