Scan barcode
jugglingpup's review against another edition
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I had never heard of Jane’s World until I saw that this collection was up for grabs. I also didn’t have consistent access to newspapers at any point in my life. So it isn’t all that surprising that I was not able to get into this comic when it was on going. I am very thankful that parts were collected, but I really wish they had been collected in order and released in a multi-volume way instead of selected pieces. I would have been able to follow the story line better if the story line wasn’t organized in any which way the way it seemed, unless Chelle and Jane really were together five or six times. This is my first of three major complaints.
The second complaint was how often the straight male characters “stole” the comic and made it into a “lesbians just really need a good man” grossness. The first time it happened, it was pretty amusing because Jane shut it down and made it clear that that behavior wasn’t ok. The fact that it kept happening and that Jane was still best friends with the guy who did it is just really gross to me.
The third complaint is the couples always just seemed random. I think that is mostly due to the collection not being complete so the buildup was missed in the sections that were not in the book. I didn’t hold this one against the book or the author, because it was easy to blame it on limited space in a collection.
It read like a more gay version of Ellen (the sitcom). Jane very much was a calmer version of Ellen, well, since the comic came first, Ellen was a more hyper and anxious version of Jane. Jane/Ellen lived with a straight guy and had feelings for women. Jane/Ellen never really had good luck with dating. The basics were similar, but Jane’s World went much further than Ellen ever did. Jane was allowed to have more queer friends. Jane got abducted by aliens, not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. It seemed really odd and out of place for the rest of the collection even.
The book itself wasn’t funny. This was more a slice of life variety than a regular funny pages comic. I am a tentative fan. I would like to see more to see how I really feel about the series.
I got an ARC of this book.
I had never heard of Jane’s World until I saw that this collection was up for grabs. I also didn’t have consistent access to newspapers at any point in my life. So it isn’t all that surprising that I was not able to get into this comic when it was on going. I am very thankful that parts were collected, but I really wish they had been collected in order and released in a multi-volume way instead of selected pieces. I would have been able to follow the story line better if the story line wasn’t organized in any which way the way it seemed, unless Chelle and Jane really were together five or six times. This is my first of three major complaints.
The second complaint was how often the straight male characters “stole” the comic and made it into a “lesbians just really need a good man” grossness. The first time it happened, it was pretty amusing because Jane shut it down and made it clear that that behavior wasn’t ok. The fact that it kept happening and that Jane was still best friends with the guy who did it is just really gross to me.
The third complaint is the couples always just seemed random. I think that is mostly due to the collection not being complete so the buildup was missed in the sections that were not in the book. I didn’t hold this one against the book or the author, because it was easy to blame it on limited space in a collection.
It read like a more gay version of Ellen (the sitcom). Jane very much was a calmer version of Ellen, well, since the comic came first, Ellen was a more hyper and anxious version of Jane. Jane/Ellen lived with a straight guy and had feelings for women. Jane/Ellen never really had good luck with dating. The basics were similar, but Jane’s World went much further than Ellen ever did. Jane was allowed to have more queer friends. Jane got abducted by aliens, not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. It seemed really odd and out of place for the rest of the collection even.
The book itself wasn’t funny. This was more a slice of life variety than a regular funny pages comic. I am a tentative fan. I would like to see more to see how I really feel about the series.
jrc2011's review against another edition
3.0
Jane's World was something I would read occasionally in one of San Francisco's free weekly newspapers. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was, well, kind of boring. I have to confess - I read through the first 100 pages or so of "Love Letters to Jane's World" and was reminded of why I quit dating: SO. MUCH. DRAMA. Seriously.
There are some funny bits - like where a chick fight turns into a hot tub and that turns out to be Jane's roommate altering the comic she's writing. Aside from a few crazy/wacky twists here and there - it's a lot of quotidian lesbian relationship drama. I read this in Kindle format and it was not so easy to flip pages to browse as a paper copy. If you are a fan of "Jane's World" - get the paper version and flip and browse to find the funny bits - and let me know!
Jane is still good for me to read in small doses - not all the way through like a book!
There are some funny bits - like where a chick fight turns into a hot tub and that turns out to be Jane's roommate altering the comic she's writing. Aside from a few crazy/wacky twists here and there - it's a lot of quotidian lesbian relationship drama. I read this in Kindle format and it was not so easy to flip pages to browse as a paper copy. If you are a fan of "Jane's World" - get the paper version and flip and browse to find the funny bits - and let me know!
Jane is still good for me to read in small doses - not all the way through like a book!
hawkietta's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
torikiza's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a free e-copy of this book!! I genuinely loved this. I honestly never knew this comic existed until I saw it on Net Galley but I am forever thankful I picked it up. So the history surrounding this is amazing in itself. A lot of queer characters and story line focusing on their relationships with each other as a whole and not just “he’s gay, she’s gay. The end.” This comic had to have been absolutely revolutionary when it was released. Even reading it now, around 30 years later, I’m refreshed and in love. And I’m it even disappointed that I’m becoming a fan as this collection gets released. On the contrary, I loved the letters from other artists and fans talking about how Jane’s World affected them over the years. It seriously has me wondering how I have never heard of this before! So maybe I’m giving it full five stars because to me, this is New, refreshing and beautiful. I hope fans, New and Old can appreciate this collection of amazing comics and stories along with letters from others who love it as well!
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Love Letters to Jane's World is an anthology collection by Paige Braddock with an anticipated release date 21st August, 2018. Published by Lion Forge, it's 304 pages of previously released material with new background info and commentary. It's available in paperback and ebook formats.
I love the ensemble cast in Jane's World because they highlight the innate random absurdity of the universe (talking dogs, aliens, bigfoot (bigfeet?) glasses wearing crabs), whilst still remaining firmly human in their day-to-day travails (crap job, relationship problems, money issues). I love the escapism and humor (and there's lots of both to be found here). The book doesn't spend any page content getting new readers up to speed, so it's good to have a little background familiarity going in.
Underneath the random weird stuff, the cast seem to be (mostly) decent and kind. There's no hidden agenda, they're just folks living their (slightly weird) lives. Jane's something of an everyperson dork and she's really easy to like, even when she's being clueless and annoying.
I would strongly recommend not trying to compare this series to anything else. I think a lot of reviewers have such strong preconceived ideas of What It Means To Be A Gay Comic that they sort of miss the point. Jane & co. are people going about their lives, buying wine and groceries and going to work and don't HAVE (and shouldn't need to have) an agenda. It's a mostly humorous comic book about life whose titular character happens to be gay. Don't read it just for the gay.
I really enjoyed the book a lot.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Love Letters to Jane's World is an anthology collection by Paige Braddock with an anticipated release date 21st August, 2018. Published by Lion Forge, it's 304 pages of previously released material with new background info and commentary. It's available in paperback and ebook formats.
I love the ensemble cast in Jane's World because they highlight the innate random absurdity of the universe (talking dogs, aliens, bigfoot (bigfeet?) glasses wearing crabs), whilst still remaining firmly human in their day-to-day travails (crap job, relationship problems, money issues). I love the escapism and humor (and there's lots of both to be found here). The book doesn't spend any page content getting new readers up to speed, so it's good to have a little background familiarity going in.
Underneath the random weird stuff, the cast seem to be (mostly) decent and kind. There's no hidden agenda, they're just folks living their (slightly weird) lives. Jane's something of an everyperson dork and she's really easy to like, even when she's being clueless and annoying.
I would strongly recommend not trying to compare this series to anything else. I think a lot of reviewers have such strong preconceived ideas of What It Means To Be A Gay Comic that they sort of miss the point. Jane & co. are people going about their lives, buying wine and groceries and going to work and don't HAVE (and shouldn't need to have) an agenda. It's a mostly humorous comic book about life whose titular character happens to be gay. Don't read it just for the gay.
I really enjoyed the book a lot.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
loverofeels's review against another edition
2.5
if i was already familiar with jane's world, perhaps i would have enjoyed this more, but as i wasn't the overarching plot was difficult to follow, the characters felt underdeveloped, and the characters drifted in and out of the storyline seemingly at random. i also didn't find any of the panels very funny. the fantastical storylines (aliens, zombies, etc) were particularly not my cup of tea.
i admire paige braddock greatly for the place her work has in lesbian history, but this comic isn't for me and i wouldn't recommend this volume to any jane's world newbie.
i admire paige braddock greatly for the place her work has in lesbian history, but this comic isn't for me and i wouldn't recommend this volume to any jane's world newbie.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
Paige Braddock is apparently the first cartoonist to write a comic strip with a lesbian as the main character, that was widely distributed. If you are thinking, well, what about Dykes to Watch Out For, that had much more limited distribution.
And while there have been gay and lesbian "episodes" in comic strips, Jane's world didn't shove the lesbian theme in the background, but had it front and center throughout.
If you have been following Jane's World, this is some of the stories that have run in the series. This is not all, since it has been going for 20 years. If you are new to Jane's World, this is an interesting selection to give you an idea of what you have been missing.
For example, this story, below, is when Jane had a dream about being washed up on the shore of an island of Amazons.
In this one, she has to deal with Chelle, her on again, off again, love interest.
And here the cartoonist herself breaks the fourth wall to complain about what the characters are up to.
There are zombies. There are aliens. There are spies. And there are normal, every day things, that lesbians and straight people do, such as work, and drink coffee.
For those who want to be introduced, and for those who know Jane's World, and want others to know about her too.
#LoveLettersToJane'sWorld #NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
And while there have been gay and lesbian "episodes" in comic strips, Jane's world didn't shove the lesbian theme in the background, but had it front and center throughout.
If you have been following Jane's World, this is some of the stories that have run in the series. This is not all, since it has been going for 20 years. If you are new to Jane's World, this is an interesting selection to give you an idea of what you have been missing.
For example, this story, below, is when Jane had a dream about being washed up on the shore of an island of Amazons.
In this one, she has to deal with Chelle, her on again, off again, love interest.
And here the cartoonist herself breaks the fourth wall to complain about what the characters are up to.
There are zombies. There are aliens. There are spies. And there are normal, every day things, that lesbians and straight people do, such as work, and drink coffee.
For those who want to be introduced, and for those who know Jane's World, and want others to know about her too.
#LoveLettersToJane'sWorld #NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
jhstack's review against another edition
4.0
I was already slightly aware of Jane's World, but this 20-year-spanning collection was a delight to read, even with some slightly dated strips here and there. (e-galley from NetGalley)
jmontg18's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kimily's review against another edition
3.0
I feel that if I had been previously acquainted with the Jane's World comic, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I had a hard time keeping up with the comings and goings of all the different women and their shenanigans. Jane came across as being flaky and clueless, which is funny at times, but frustrating at others.