Amelia Rules! Written and drawn by Jimmy Gownley

In the brave new world of comics and graphic novels in the 21st Century, much attention is focused on the fact that comics now feature mature themes, explicit language and adult subject matter. But let's not forget that there's a reason they're called 'comics.' Case in point: Amelia Rules!, the genuinely charming series written and drawn by Jimmy Gownley.

Amelia Louise McBride is a bright (but not obnoxiously precocious) fourth grader. Her parents have divorced, and she now lives with her mom and her aunt in a small town in Pennsylvania, miles removed from her native New York City. Her new coterie of friends includes her sort-of rival Rhonda, the superhero-obsessed Reggie, and Pajamaman, a kid who wears sleepwear almost exclusively. (Gownley swears this last character is based on someone he knew. We'll take his word for it.)

Gownley walks a very fine line with this series. On the one hand, the wacky characters and their outrageous exploits are enough to appeal to most kids. At the same time, he sensitively touches on subjects - including divorce, death, and the aftermath of September 11 - with wit and insight in a way that adults can appreciate. It doesn't hurt that he'll throw in a reference that goes sailing over the heads of most kids. (Not many "kids" books quote Bob Dylan's "Tombstone Blues," to cite one example.)

Perhaps no story better illustrates this balancing act than the recent 'The Things I Cannot Change.' Amelia is asked by a boy to go a dance, and part of the story deals with her attendant feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness. But the comedy of these scenes serves as counterpoint to a serious discovery: a friend's father is in the Army, and he is going to be deployed in the Middle East. It's the kind of story that adult and a kid could read and share with each other, and each would get something out of it.

Gownley has enough confidence in his material that he allows his characters (including Amelia herself) to be flawed: occasionally petty and self-centered, sometimes out-and-out mean. There are moments of pure pathos and dollops of melodrama. Throughout, Gownley does his best to steer clear of clichés and phony sentiment.

In of the artwork, Gownles has one of those deceptively simple styles that, on closer study, is meticulously detailed. He knows when to use exaggeration for comic effect, but he also knows when and how to let honest emotion come through. He also clever apes the work of other artists for effect. When Amelia's aunt Tanner reminisces about her college days, the panels are drawn like one of Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" strips.

About 10 years ago, Gownley was writing and drawing a series called Shades of Gray, which dealt with a circle of friends in high school. That, too, was a hip and literate series about young people, and one hopes that he'll one day return to those characters. (Ironically, the series ended just around the time you started to see stories about the WB Network and the plethora of shows and books aimed at the teen-female market. In a perfect world, Shades of Gray would have fallen into the niche.)

But as good as his work on Shades of Gray was, Gownley truly seems to have found his métier with the 4th graders of Amelia Rules!. It's the kind of book that gives a good name to 'all-ages entertainment.'

Amelia Rules! The Whole World's Crazy, Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy, Amelia Rules! Superheroes, and Amelia Rules! When the Past is a Present are published by Renaissance Press. Amelia Rules! is also an ongoing series from Renaissance Press. All are appropriate for all ages.

© Copyright 2008, WNTI

Bill Nutt is host of The Nutt-House, Sundays 6 to 8 p.m., Eastern Time U.S. on WNTI - 91.9 or Online - 'Now On Air - Listen Now'
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© Copyright 2008, WNTI