Customer Reviews

The Whole World's Crazy

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Amelia Rules! is a tough gem, a weepy comedy, a painful joy and an hysterically funny tragedy waiting to happen. Amelia and her buds--Reggie, Rhonda and Pajamaman--are struggling with the ins and outs of 4th Grade society, the very real problem of poverty, divorce and just pure meanness. The situations are SO realistic that, in the wrong hands, they could become maudlin and cliche.
But Gownley doesn't do cliche. To relieve the pain, he breathes each situation full of snappy humor and the awe you first felt when you discovered something "new." Reggie is obsessed, not only with superheroes, but with telling colorful background tales for the most mundane of concepts (the "Latchky Kids"--yes, the spelling is correct--is priceless); Pajamaman is the silent loner who sees all and who acts as everyone's therapist. Rhonda Bleenie is that delicate mix of lovestruck girl and amazon tough guy. And then there is Amelia, miss mouth, confused about her place in the universe and worried that she is the reason for her parents' divorce, even as she yells at them for getting their divorce. The kids are so real it's impossible not to want to reach into the frames of the comic and hug them all. If you loved Calvin (another very real little boy) and Hobbes (a pretty
realistic imaginary tiger) you will also love Amelia and the Gang.

Walk into any comic book shop, and you'll be overwhelmed by a slew of ugly
books selling sex and violence. It sometimes seems as if the entire industry
has given up on what was once their core demographic...children.
Into this environment steps Amelia Rules! a hip, funny, and literate book that
should appeal to kids and grown-ups alike. Make no mistake, this is great work, and a worthy heir to the cartooning crown of Charles M. Schulz.

This is (next to Cerebus) the best graphic novel collection I have ever read.

jimmy gownley's amelia is an all-american girl--fun to be with, fun to read and beautifully drawn in comics style. finally a comic book that's "G" rated for content and A+ for style.