The Plain Janes

"Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg’s young adult comic about four teenagers-turned-guerrilla-artists charmed critics when it debuted in 2007. Now, in a reissue that includes the original tales along with a new story, Castellucci ages up her message. While the Janes’ lives have grown more complicated, Castellucci’s theme remains earnest, peppy and – in these trying times – something many of us struggle to keep in mind: That art has the power to transform and invigorate us. Rugg stretches his wings here, too. He generally strikes a balance between realism and abstraction, but his experiments with character design in the last story add a hint of insurgency."