Coming-of-Age Comics
by Jessica Yurasek
Fall 2004

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It seems that everyone has a coming of age story worthy of telling. Many comic artists draw inspiration from the awkward transitional years between childhood and adulthood. Such comics commonly cover topics of insecurity, sex, drugs, and other conflicts faced when realizing one’s self. Coming to terms with such challenges like religion, romance, and death provide for confusing, conflicted, and even humorous experiences as one grows from a child to an adult. Usually in coming of age comics, the main adolescent character matures or comes to understand and accept responsibility for something. In other words, their simple childhood world of innocence disappears with the realization of the complications and, oftentimes, sad reality of adulthood.
Although countless comics have been written on this subject, Craig Thompson’s 2003 graphic novel, Blankets, fits perfectly into this genre. The comic follows a young man through the experience of his first love, and eventually his struggle with his fundamental Christian upbringing. Other comics such as Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, examine a child’s exaggerated perspective towards sex and religion and the confrontation of disillusions resulting from their upbringing. It is not uncommon for the comic artists of such stories to address the reader, whether in an introduction, or later in an interview about the piece, stating that the story is semi-autobiographical. For example, Ariel Schrag’s graphic novel, Potential, was written the summer after her junior year of high school and based on the real life exploration of sexuality and finding her place amongst her peers. Overall, such coming of age stories exist as outlets of expression for the artist. Coming of age comics can be especially enjoyable because everyone has their own story of growth and can identify with such confusing times of change.


On Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, a coming of age story:
http://www.free-definition.com/Binky-Brown-Meets-the-Holy-Virgin-Mary.html
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.12.95/comics-9541.html

On Ariel Schrag’s Potential, another coming of age story:
http://www.villagevoice.com/vls/165/vincentelli.shtml


Images from:
Hey, Wait… , by Jason. Published: Fantagraphics Books and translated from Norwegian. 2001.
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, by Justin Green. Published: Last Gasp, 1995.

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