Getting Married and Other Mistakes

When Jo Hudson’s husband leaves her, she falls into a downward spiral of depression that has her lying in bed crying and re-examining her choices in love from childhood until now. Through this examination and through the support of her many painfully quirky friends, Jo discovers that her choices have always been guided by other people and learns to move according to the drive of her voice. Slate’s attempt to present an insightful message of empowerment through a light and ostensibly funny narrative is flattened by art that is, even for the undemanding genre of chick lit comics, overly simplified. In addition, Jo’s level-headed handling of her earlier life crises—a cheating older lover, parental disapproval of her artistic bent—leaves the reader little doubt that she’ll bounce right back from a crap marriage with a cute lover and a rediscovery of her talent. Slate has been writing comics for girls for decades, but this one isn’t quite the deeper scrutiny of a woman’s experience she might have hoped. (June)