I’m beginning to adore graphic novels and this book is to blame for it. I bought it at a bookstore in Giant for only RM16.90. What an awesome bargain!

It begins with Jane who had to move to suburbia Kent Waters. She and her parents were living in Metro City until an unexpected bomb exploded in a café in the city. Jane was strolling past the café when it happened. She wasn’t hurt but she didn’t look forward to entering cafés anymore.

She was surrounded by dead bodies but she managed to save a young man’s life. He’s known as John Doe throughout most of the story and is in a coma. Jane tries to visit him often and tells him stories of her everyday life. John Doe appears to be an artist since he had a sketch book with him. As Jane is also an artistic person, she keeps the sketch book with her and fills it with her own sketchings.

Afraid that another bomb would explode or some other disturbing event would occur in the city, Jane’s parents moved the family to peaceful Kent Waters. Jane attends the school over there and awkwardly befriends the reject group of girls: Jane, Jayne and Polly Jane. That’s how Jane got the idea for P.L.A.I.N.

The three Janes only allowed Jane into the group after she suggested a seemingly brilliant idea that’ll somehow make their voices be heard. They were the rejects in high school and it was thrilling to leave eccentric messages for the people in an anonymous way. It’s as if they weren’t that invisible after all. Soon, they go on to leave their P.L.A.I.N. marks all around their neighbourhood. P.L.A.I.N. stands for People Loving Art In Neighbourhoods.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story now. There are only around 100+ pages of the story with great graphics and great storyline. I was simply hooked till the last page. The sequel to this book is Janes in Love! I’m definitely looking out for that.

A few graphic novel titles such as Re-Gifters, Clubbing and Good As Lily were advertised on the final pages of this book and they do seem fun to read. If you’ve read them before, please tell me all about it!

You can check out the preview for this book here.

Buy The Plain Janes (Minx)


Popularity: 3%


I started reading Calvin & Hobbes when I was in my primary school years mainly because it was a comic! The comics are colourful, humorous and incredibly entertaining. I used to read C&H for hours. Calvin is smart yet stupid at the same time.

He uses big, bombastic words but he is frightfully hopeless in Math. His best friend is a stuffed tiger toy, Hobbes, which he imagines is a real and talking tiger.

He detests girls and loves to bully his classmate and neighbour, Susie Derkins. I truly enjoy the ones where there are Calvin and Susie. Susie is smart and friendly. Unfortunately, Calvin stubbornly remains unfriendly and hostile towards her. However, it may be possible that he likes her!

He frequently gives his teacher, Miss Wormwood, lots of headaches. He is also afraid of Moe, a big but not-that-smart bully who always asks him for money. Moe calls Calvin ‘Twinky’.

Calvin is also afraid of his teenage babysitter, Rosalyn. Rosalyn also considers him a little monster but she baby-sits him because she needs the money for college. Something always goes wrong when she comes over to baby-sit him for the evening.

His mom loves to throw him out of the house as he is always making a mess in there. His dad tells him things, which are not quite true. It seems that Calvin’s dad is a resemblance of the comic’s author, Bill Watterson.

The characters in Calvin & Hobbes never grow old. Calvin will be 6 years old forever. It would be awfully interesting if he did grow. But, I guess Mr. Watterson had no plans of making him older!

It’s still fun reading the comics anyway. =D I wonder how many Calvin & Hobbes books are there in total. There is a box set – The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – that includes ALL of Calvin & Hobbes comics and would be a must-have treasure for any Calvin & Hobbes fans. It is also priced at a whopping $90.00!

Buy The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes)

Popularity: 27%