Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Caitlin Rose Boyle
Colors by Mickey Quinn
Letters by Corey Breen
Published by BOOM! Studios
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, writer Sam Humphries (Weirdworld), artist Caitlin Rose Boyle (Nickelodeon Animated Short “Buck n’ Lou & the Night Crew”), and colorist Mickey Quinn (Bravest Warriors) unleash Jonesy #1, the story of a Hispanic high school girl, who can make people fall in love with anyone or anything except herself sadly. Cupid has never been this much into anime and ferrets and less into other people, and she definitely didn’t have a dad who owns a rad donut store and continually makes puns on the word “niña”. And Boyle’s art style in the comic is super fun as she combines the surreal style of Bryan Lee O’Malley with fanzine collages and even a hint of animation. She’s also great at giving different characters different hairstyles and isn’t afraid to use the melodrama of young romance for visual comedy without laughing at the kids, who are falling hopelessly in love. Quinn’s colors are brash and bold, especially when Jonesy is being the center of the universe.
Jonesy isn’t evil just chaotic for now. (If there was a chaotic chaotic alignment in Dungeons and Dragons, she would definitely fill the bill and laugh at you for being such a nerd.) Humphries has her narrate the entire issue, which isn’t a problem because she has so much energy, a unique set of interests and moral code, and gets some funny lines. For example, some girls make fun of her for getting a white carnation because it’s probably from her grandma and not a secret admirer, and Jonesy darkly quips that her grandmother is dead. And the mean girls still laugh because they’re just terrible. But, by the end of the issue, Humphries and Boyle dispel the myth that popular equals evil with a heart to heart between Jonesy and Susan, a girl who got millions of carnations, because her powers backfired, and now is accusing of sleeping around and treated as a joke by her schoolmates. Beneath all the heart eyes, hilarious flower and dollar bill pile-ups, and audience asides, this is a nuanced piece of characterization from Humphries and Boyle.
Jonesy #1 is a super fun comic to read because Caitlin Rose Boyle and Mickey Quinn bring a hyperactive energy to the art and colors. Think Quicksilver as played by Evan Peters in X-Men: Days of Future Past channeled through one of those super cool fight scenes in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but done in the style of a colorful Tumblr zine. And anime! Boyle definitely wears her love for shoujo manga and anime on her sleeve as Jonesy finds out about her powers as she wishes her favorite ship to kiss on screen, and it happens. She’s also not afraid to get a little creepy in her art work like when Jonesy tries to use her power on a cute boy, and a full page splash is filled with weird energy flashes, close-ups of confused eyes, and plenty of pink from Quinn. Quinn’s colors make Jonesy stand out with her pink and yellow striped pants and big sweatshirt with “No” written in blue compared to the blase, muted blues and pinks of the background. She is self-aware and acts like the star of her own story, but giving her “writing” privileges might not be a good idea, but it will definitely hook readers and have you coming back for another issue. There is also the mystery of Jonesy’s crush, which Humphries and Boyle set up fairly early in the comic.
With its visual flair courtesy of artist Caitlin Rose Boyle and colorist Mickey Quinn and a lead character that is part passionate fangirl and part misanthrope, Jonesy #1 is one of the most fun new releases of 2016. Boyle and Quinn go haywire with the artwork as Jonesy works her romantic magic on her high school while writer Sam Humphries keeps the story grounded in the struggles of growing up, like getting rejected by peers and the heartache of young love, while being quick with a quip.
