Blue Monday
Chynna Clugston-Major
Reviewed by Robin Fisher

Finally, finally, a comic that somewhat resembles my life. The void left by the demise of Caffeine by Jim Hill is no longer permeating my existence : I have Blue Monday now, thanks to the creative mind and talent of Chynna Clugston-Major and the brains at Oni Press. What can I say, I’m a sucker for teen comics that involve ska, scooters, Paul Weller and plaid. (But gasp! I haveyet to spy any Morrissey.) This is not the first appearance of Bleu and the gang. Humble beginnings brought Clugston-Major and her manga-ized teens to Action Girl, where she eventually became a mainstay. Somewhere during that time she also contributed short stories to Dark Horse Presents and Oni Double Feature, cute little stories of the trials and tribulations of Bleu Finnegan. What they lacked in depth they made up for in laughs, for Bleu is certainly one of kind, which really is the best thing about her. How many teens do you know appreciate the subtle nuances of Buster Keaton? The only thing I didn’t like about her early stuff is the lack of it. Bits and pieces here and there are all fine and dandy,but I wanted more. For tired was I of the vague angstyness of the Tomine’s of this world. I wanted silly teen shenanigans.

So now she has a full-on Bleu and only Bleu comic series, “The Kids Are Alright,” with a world revolving around The Specials, checks and mods. Just what the doctor ordered. The first issuefeatures a variant cover by Adam Warren, manga guy extraordinaire. I thought it kinda odd that she would take advantage of the whole fanboy gimmick ’oh-so-special-oh-so-rare variant cover’, but it sure is purdy. Vital, too, as Clugston-Major’s style is manga. Not the lame-ass, obscene-titted Madureirea hybrid-manga, but simplistic shojo manga. What a wicked combination and a refreshing change. Her talent has grown over the last couple of years. Much more refined and well done, it’s manga with a capital M. Lotsa big heads and little bodies. Lotsa huge eyes, close ups and cheesy background music. All manga plot devices employed to make ya laugh, just the way I like it.

We’re introduced to Bleu as she’s dreaming about Paul Weller and her beloved Adam Ant, to name a few. It’s the early ’90s and Bleu’s dreamland is sweet. The real world, however, is not so nice, as Bleu discovers that Ant’s playing in town and she will practically have to go through hell and high water to get tickets to the show. Of course it sold out, like, 3 minutes after the announcement, silly. Meanwhile back at the ranch, ’the guys’ steal some Home Ec. cookies and Bleu and her friend Clover end up taking the rap for it. Revenge is the menu item of the day as the rest of the comic is devoted to an ingenious give and take of practical jokes between the guys and the gals. It’s easy stuff to read, folks, and most of all it’s fun.

I like the fact that it’s a teen comic. A teen comic with a bit of love and a bit of wickedness too, which makes it appealing for boys and girls. Not to mention, opposed to the many other teen comics out these days, they’re not superheroes, they’re not goth and they’re not bogged down by the weight and angst of being a teen. They go to school, they goof around, and they, well Bleu, has crushes on guys like Damon Albarn. So yeah, I’m looking forward to the other issues. All right, all right, here’s another fanboy incentive : #3 will have a supersexy cover by that Danger Girl artist who never works, J. Scott Campbell.