Janes in Love - Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

Janes in Love
Cecil Castellucci (Author)
Jim Rugg (Illustrator)
Minx a abandoned division of
DC Comics
ISBN 9781401213879

This graphic novel continues nearly a year after The P.L.A.I.N. Janes. Where the first in this series dealt with the Janes learning to have confidence in themselves, and doing something they believed in, this one takes place a year later and as Valentine's Day is approaching the Janes realize they want to find love and happiness.

The Janes are:
Jane - DramaticJane
Jayne - BrainJayne
Polly Jane - SportyJane
Jane - MainJaneMainJane is still dealing with the aftermath of being near ground zero of a terrorist attack. She is getting better but her mother is getting worse. All of Janes' art is an attempt to bring her mother back out of her shell. I liked this story but enjoyed the first one more. This one does go into greater depth about relationships and overcoming adversity. It is a good story by a gifted writer. It really is a pity that DC Comic discontinued this MINX line; they were supposed to be heralding in a new era of graphic novels, novels written with girls as the main audience, with strong female characters that could be role models. The line was announced in 2006, with much fanfare, but was cancelled part way into 2008, thus leaving that target audience again under-represented in North America. But the 13 books in the line that were released all look interesting, and like the type of book I will want to share with my daughter as she grows up. This is a shining example of that sentiment.

Books by Cecil Castellucci:
Boy Proof (2005)
The Queen of Cool (2006)
Beige (2007)
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (2007)
Janes in Love (2008)
Geektastic (Editor & Contributor 2009)
Rose Sees Red (2010)
Grandma's Gloves (2010)
First Day On Earth (2011)
Odd Duck (2013)
Tin Star (2014)
Stone in the Sky (2015)
The Plain Janes 3 in 1 (2020)

...

Music By Cecil Castellucci
Twist Her - Nerdy Girl (1996)
Whoever - Cecil Seaskull (1998)

A Visual Bibliography for Cecil Castellucci
Author profile interview with Cecil Castellucci
MINX Graphic Novels:

The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (May 2 2007)
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey, Marc Hempel, and Sonny Liew (Jun 6 2007)
Clubbing by Andi Watson and Josh Howard (July 11 2007)
Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm (Aug 1 2007)
Confessions of a Blabbermouth by Mike Carey, Louise Carey, and Aaron Alexovich(Sep 12 2007)
Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich (Nov 7 2007)
Burnout by Rebecca Donner (Jun 24 2008)
Water Baby by Ross Campbell(July 8 2008)
The New York Four by Ryan Kelly (July 22 2008)
Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci (Sep 23 2008)
Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki (Oct 14 2008)
Token by Alisa Sheckley (Nov 4 2008)

All Nighter by David Hahn (Unreleased)
Janes Go Summer by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (Unreleased)