Graphic Novel Review: Paper Planes by Jennie Wood (writer) and Dozerdraws (artist)

Posted on January 4, 2024 at 7:50 am by Gene Ambaum

Paper Planes by Jennie Wood (writer) and Dozerdraws (artist). Maverick, 2023. 9781952303548. 216pp.

Dozerdraws’ art in The Last Session turned me into a fan, and this graphic novel is amazing, too.

At Camp Bloom, Leighton and Dylan are distant. There’s been some incident, and both have to stick to the rules and show growth or face life at a crappy high school. Leighton’s type-a parents have always thought Dylan was a kid their daughter should not hang out with. Dylan’s mom seems pretty cool and accepting of Dylan, though. Their differences, plus a nasty school bully, brought the two together five years ago, which we see in flashbacks. And along the way Dylan fell for Leighton. But Leighton isn’t into boys or girls. And at camp an out and outgoing queer student, Cricket, seems to want to be friends with Dylan, which is complicating Dylan’s friendship with Leighton.

I love the way this book flows back and forth in time, and the fact that it doesn’t offer any easy resolution. I also want to offer compliments on the book’s design. I love the cover plus it’s compact but not-too-small-to-read (even for my eyes). And the paper is excellent — it’s thin but not see-through at all, and I assume it’s one of the reasons this book’s price is so reasonable.