P.L.A.I.N. Janes is not a comic about a group of superheroines.

It’s about something better.

The basic concept: a girl by the name of Jane moves with her parents from the city to a suburban town after a bomb at a local cafe´ explodes, nearly killing Jane. However, before the move, Jane begins to change, discovering a love of art and a desire to find something more in her life. This is spurred on by her obsession with a comatose young man, also a victim of  the explosion, known at the beginning as only John Doe.

At her new school, Jane is courted by the cool crowd, butchooses to instead try to befriend a group of “outcasts.” She quickly discovers that all of these girls are named “Jane” as well. Pretty soon, Main Jane has convinced her new friends, Brain Jane, Theatre Jane and Sporty Jane, to help her with several guerilla art projects around town. The group begins calling themselves P.L.A.I.N.: People Loving Art In Neighborhoods.

However, living in a post 9/11 world, the girls quickly find themselves being called criminals by local adults, including the extremely difficult chief of police.

Published in 2007 as the debut title of DC Comic’s MINX line, aimed at young adult women, the title focuses on the all-girl art gang who dare to try and change their world, or at least their suburban town, through art. Written by Cecil Castellucci, author of young adult titles Boyproof, The Queen of Cool and Beige, and illustrated by Jim Rugg, the co-creator of Street Angel, the title proved popular enough to lead to a sequel, entitled Janes in Love.

Castellucci’s writing is as fresh and relatable as it is in her novels. She once again presents a young woman at a crossroads, someone you might not always like or agree with, but someone you want to see succeed because you see a part of yourself in her. She also presents the idea of art as a common thread connecting people, while all of the girls have their own interests it is art that begins to draw them together. Castellucci also breaks the stereotype of setting the “different” girl against the “normal” girl. While there is a blonde cheerleader who occasionally antagonizes the Janes, she is never simply a foil or an example of what “good” girls shouldn’t do. She blossoms as her own character in both installments.

Rugg’s artwork compliments the story just about perfectly. He manages to illustrate the girl’s artistic exploits, whether they be the building of pyramids in an empty lot about to be developed, a path of sock monkeys leading to a holiday donation bin or their ultimately original dresses for a Sadie Hawkins Dance, in a way that draws in the reader and does the Janes total justice. He also manages to draw the Janes as real girls: Drama Jane is presented as believably “chubby,” not just Hollywood’s conventional “I’m over 100 pounds for this role!” without her weight becoming a sight gag. And being a Pittsburgh native, Rugg also manages to sneak a few nods to the ‘Burgh into his art, most notably in Sporty Jane’s occasional wardrobe choices.

The Janes had extreme promise, and a third volume with the rumored title Janes Go Summer was planned. However, in late 2008, DC announced they were shutting down the MINX imprint due to low sales. The move left Rugg “disappointed and surprised,” as he told me in a recent interview. He also told me that the future of the Janes is bleak. “It would be difficult to free the property from DC legally, and it probably wouldn’t make a lot of financial sense to continue the series.” On top of that, “Only 10-15% of the artwork for volume three was completed.”

Despite their early curtain call, the two existing Janes titles are fantastic and I highly recommend them for teens and adults. Can art save the world? I don’t know, but I know that these graphic novels made me believe that art can save teenage girls.