BOOK REVIEW

By Jason Fuller
4/12/00

Teen Beat

Chynna Clugston-Major has been contributing stories (including ones involving the Blue Monday characters found here) to a variety of anthologies, most notably the all-girl Action Girl series. Now finally the Blue Monday kids have been unleashed in their own miniseries. Bleu Finnegan and her friends are your average teen outcasts in the average suburban high school. That is, with the exception of Bleu’s unhealthy obsession with Adam Ant. The aging alternative icon happens to be coming to town and Bleu will do whatever it takes to meet him.

Major’s slice-of-life tale has all the makings of a teen comedy: daydreams of taking Blur’s Damon Alburn to the school dance, detention and an ongoing battle of pranks with the neighborhood’s teenage Peeping Toms, including the kidnapping of their prized porn collection.

The tone is light, fun, fast-paced and quick-witted. The dialogue between characters is well-written and there are some truly funny moments. Clugston-Major’s artwork is cartoony and influenced by Japanese manga, which fits well with the book’s spirit. Blue Monday, while not groundbreaking, is definitely worth a look; it’s a fun read by new blood whose future in comics looks bright.

Jason Fuller writes about book and music for Metro Times.