Graphic Novel Review: Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol
Posted on January 23, 2025 at 6:41 am by Gene Ambaum
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol. First Second, 2024. 9781250314864. 364pp. Includes an author’s note, sketches, beat boards, and two wonderful pages on the coloring process at the end. (The book was colored by the mighty Alex Longstreth.)
Jane’s parents have just died, and her awful male cousin is set to inherit everything. He also intends to kick Jane out of her home. She has nowhere to go, but if she gets married, she’ll receive a sizeable dowry.
Jane secretly loves Peter. He works with his father, a fisherman who enjoys his son’s manner as little as Jane’s parents liked how she looked. Jane works up her courage, though, and proposes to Peter. He’s more than a little rude about it, and then he’s kidnapped by a mermaid. With a little magical help from a woman in town, Jane sets off after him.
What follows is an adventure involving selkies, a mighty water demon, undead sailors, and the quest for eternal youth. Throughout, Jane is brave and kindhearted and the kind of person I wish I had more of a chance to root for. This may be my favorite of Brosgol’s books, which is saying something considering how much my daughter and I love Anya’s Ghost; her art and storytelling get better with every book.
Worth noting: This graphic novel uses spot gloss perfectly on the cover. Hats off to Kirk Benshoff, the cover designer.
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