52. Blue Monday

Blue Monday (Chynna Clugston-Major)

Vol 1: The Kids are Alright (2000)
Vol 2: Absolute Beginners (2001)
Vol 3: Inbetween Days (2003)
Vol 4: Painted Moon (2005)

I'm counting all four volumes of this comic as one book. I hadn't heard of Blue Monday until SJ included it in her two-part guide to women lead characters in graphic novels at BlogHer last month. Check out parts one and two.

It sounded perfect for me because it's set in the late 80s/early 90s and follows a group of kids into punk and new wave music. The musical references were great, and I liked the characters okay, but I got a little tired of it by volume four. I really think comics are best served up slowly over time. These collections make me gobble up the whole thing at one time because I have no self-control. But I liked it and will probably look for Clugston's other work.

15. A Strange Day

A Strange Day (Damon Hurd & Tatiana Gill, 2005)

I love this comic. The "backward" says it all--that the book is for the teenagers we once were. Basically, it's the story of two kids who meet while skipping school to buy the new Cure album and end up killing time together and getting to know each other a little. Very sweet and well done. I especially love the way Tatiana Gill drew the characters. I hear this team has a new book coming out soon and I'm looking forward to it.