“Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam” by Simon Hanselmann is first and foremost a comic depicting Megg, Mogg, and Werewolf Jones a.k.a WWJ (a witch, cat familiar, and werewolf respectively) avoiding any type of responsibility however they can, while generally trying to make the life of the one productive figure (Owl) substantially worse. The story is presented in nonlinear vignettes, with some only going about a page long, but its probably safe to say that they all include some form of illicit drugs, callous pranks, partying, general debauchery, depression, all of which accomplishing absolutely nothing. Really, it’s a good time, I promise.
Alright, so a trashy comic about drugs, sex, and terrible people probably isn’t going to lead into a presentation of a healthy relationship. Don’t worry, I’m not going to throw a curveball and say it does; of course it doesn’t. The main relationship presented, that of the titular Megg and Mogg, consists of the core tenants the comic lives by.
The two are in a sexual relationship where the entire dynamic is that they get high, play pranks, and generally fuck around with nothing of any importance beyond what they feel like doing at that very moment. The main story presented is that they go off to Amsterdam for couples time, the entire plan boiling down to smoking in weed cafés and getting high on pills. In typical fashion, they fuck up and leave behind their luggage that contained not only their clothes, but their anti-depressants. Owl has to head over, give them their luggage, and pretty much just babysit the two. By the time he comes, the two have already freaked out, and subsequently decided that its out of their systems and toss their anti-depressants before roaming around Amsterdam (high). Megg has another breakdown, decided she still needs them, and retrieves them from the river she tossed them in to take all of them at once. They head home after a binge to WWJ taking over their home for a “Fuck Zone”, Megg and Mogg decide they can’t stand each other alone anymore, and the relationship is left ambiguous by the end.
Like I said, it’s not a healthy relationship built on love/trust/stability, it boils down to sex and drugs. While the two are high at any time, they get along fine. When sober, their interactions are awkward and generally dismissive of each other. This is exemplified in the main “Amsterdam” story arc, but even more details come out in the other stories included.
“Low Key Monday Night” shows them having sex and snorting lines of cocaine in a public bathroom, “IKEA” shows them having sex in an IKEA before drinking in a graveyard, “Thirty Seconds” shows Mogg pressuring Megg into analingus, “Twin Peaks” and “Sex Towels” show Megg in sexual situations with WWJ and their other mutual friend, Booger, a transgender woman made out of boogers (a boogeywoman, if you will) only for Megg to reveal in “Drama” that she may be in love with Booger, and confesses to Mogg that she has been sleeping with her.
No curveballs.
The relationship between the two is surface deep, and essentially comes down to what one can do for the other. However, with Booger, the two bond over their disgust with Booger’s sister and her friends, relating to each other more personal details. Megg is looking for more female companionship, as all three of her main friends are men, and Booger admires Megg’s ability to speak her mind, or more accurately, her lack of inhibition. The relationship is further supported in “Megg, Booger & Werewolf Jones” where Megg defends Booger’s gender identity in a clothing store, furthering Booger’s admiration.
Neither Megg nor Booger’s sexuality is given a firm label, but they don’t need one. The two get something personal from one another, and while it may not include anything more substantial than casual sex, they enjoy each others company sober, and maybe that’s enough. It’s certainly better than the forced sex with Mogg, being hit on by her therapist (“Megg’s Therapy” and “Drama”), and being lusted after by both WWJ and Owl (an overarching theme in the series). Whether it’s the desire for female companionship or just looking to have someone that values her above sex is left as ambiguous as her relationship with Mogg at the end of the book.
Either ways, don’t look to the comic for anything substantial in terms of relationship advice. It’s good for a few laughs, but if there’s any lesson to be learned here, it’s to avoid any and all choices that the characters would make.