Comics for Girls: Not So New

So everybody's been talking about DC's upcoming Minx imprint (including Nick and Dan on this blog) and that it will be the first line aimed at teen girls. While I'm sure there will be some great titles from Minx, they will not be the first books aimed at teen girls.

Most obviously are the hundreds of manga titles aimed at that demographic. Love Hina, Tokyo Mew Mew, Peach Girl, Fruits Basket, the list goes on and on. Sure, girls looking for gritty realism may not be into these books, but there's no denying their popularity among teens.

Then there are books like Runaways, Emily the Strange, and Bone. These are very mainstream books that feature strong young female characters that teen girls can identify with. Persepolis is also a great read for more serious teens, as is Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

And very recently, Breaking Up: A Fashion High Graphic Novel was released by the Graphix line. This book seems to be everything the Minx line promises, but Scholastic has beaten DC to the punch. In Breaking Up (written by Aimee Friedman and with art by Christine Norrie), we see four friends at a trendy art high school go through some of the hard times of growing up. The best thing about the book is that it doesn't condescend to its demographic the way some young adult reads do. There is partying and mild language and general teen behavior.

In any case, teen girls don't need to wait for the Minx line to start reading comics. The books I've mentioned here are just a small sampling of the many many graphic novels perfect for girls!

-Elizabeth