“There was a pop and then nothing,” Jane states on the first page of this graphic novel. The next panel is black with the text “I didn’t know what was happening.”

Cecil Castellucci’s “The Plain Janes” follows Jane after she has moved to the suburban town of Kent Waters. Before she leaves Metro City, she cuts off her hair and dyes it black. She changes her outward appearance to reflect the changes in her after that day – the day of the bomb explosion.

Jane is a reluctant loner. She wants friends but not the kinds of friends she had before. She is drawn to the nerds, benchwarmers, theater kids and the outsiders. In this short graphic novel, the reader follows Jane as she copes with what happened in the city, her relationship with “John Doe”, her move to the suburbs and the fear the engulfs her family through art and humour and a little help from her new friends, who all happen to be named “Jane.”

Fast-paced, humourous, inspiring, empowering – this is definitely a great book to give to that girl or boy who just fits a little bit outside the “norm.” It is a great g.n. and highly recommended.

I was actually planning to read a different graphic novel by the same author, but this was the one the library had. The story did seem a bit low on the ground, with this whole bizarre dichotomy between town and city that was never clearly explained, but I can see how the overarching message would be really empowering to younger women, probably. It did show a world where difference was strength, even if the characters did tend entirely toward stereotype.

i have already talked about how i find these illustrated novels seem to lack depth and a bit of talent. it is like having pictures alleviates the need for a well thought out story line and having a story excuses the poor drawings… well, this story is a bit more thought out than most and seems a bit more well written. though they did just wrap it up at the end almost as if they had the thought, “wait, what are we going to do to end it? because we have to end it quickly!” the story is kind of scattered and it tends to tumble along. case in point (spoiler alert) the main character suffers from heart ache way before emotions are even established.
all in all it is better than some i have read and i look forward to reading books from minx in the future, hopefully they will continue to get better.

Recommended if you like Pump Up The Volume, All I Wanna Do, and Sugar & Spice.