Girl Comics

Occasionally, I have a weakness for young adult literature. It's easy to read, often adorable, and unriddled with the darkness that often plagues adult literature. Last week I came across the Minx series of graphic novels, targeted at teenage girls. The first one that I read had a bit of substance, as it dealt with the cultural importance of art, specifically street art, and presented some biting commentary on suburbia. The Plain Janes was the story of a girl who had been present at a cafe bombing, and as a result, her parents moved her to the suburbs where she attended the very boring local high school. Rather than fighting to enter the popular crowd, she fought to befriend the misfits by developing a guerrilla art project that made the whole town descend into irrational fear. The comic I am currently at the heart of is far less redeeming. Clubbing is the story of a rich, goth snob from London who is sent to her grandparents' house for the summer to prevent her from getting into too much trouble. But there is something infectious and adorable about these graphic novels for teens. They are like tv shows. And because I don't have a tv, they seem to fill the place that tv might if I had one.