Blue Monday (comics)

Blue Monday is a comic book title by Chynna Clugston.^[1] It is published by Oni Press in the form of one-shots and several miniseries, which have also been collected into trade paperbacks, with the first four-issue mini-series being published in 2000. The series follows the adventures of Bleu L. Finnegan and her friends as they attend high school during the early 1990s, specifically between the years 1991-93.^[2]

Plot summary

The series follows the main characters through several scenarios, which include high school events such as dances and detention. The first volume has Bleu and Clover seeking revenge on Alan and Victor for putting them in detention over the two boys giving them cookies that had been baked for a fundraiser. Other storylines in the series include the guys filming Bleu naked while she takes a bath; masturbation; Alan trying to get Bleu to go out with him; and a murder mystery dinner gone haywire after three different attendees independently spike the punch. There is also an overlying story arc of Bleu's crush on one of her teachers and the romantic tensions of several of the other characters interacting.

Main characters

• Bleu L. Finnegan - The main female character of the series, Bleu is a fan of Adam Ant, Buster Keaton, Paul Weller, and Blur, among many others, and is obsessed with mod culture.
• Clover Connelly - Born in Ireland, Clover moved to the United States in ninth grade with her whole family and befriended Bleu at a Valentine's Day dance. She's aggressive and dresses in a punk manner.
• Alan Walsh - A foul-mouthed, perverted character, Alan has a crush on Bleu and in one volume attempted to adopt features from the mod culture in an attempt to impress her. Alan is dating Erin O'Neill.
• Victor Gomez - Alan's best friend, Victor has a crush on Clover, which was reciprocated in Inbetween Days.
• Erin O'Neill - A schemer, Erin is attracted to Alan and has attempted to interfere with his advances on Bleu through several different schemes One such scheme involved persuading Victor to pursue Bleu instead of Clover, inferring that Clover was gay. As of Painted Moon she is dating Alan Walsh.
• Monkeyboy (Chris) - The youngest member of the group, Monkeyboy is one of the peripheral characters of the comic. Monkeyboy works at a diner and aspires to be a chef.
• Donovan Bishop - Mr. Bishop is a history teacher, a permanent substitute for a teacher recovering from surgery. Bleu has a crush on him, as he is her ideal man, from watching Buster Keaton silent films to driving a "beauty of a Falcon."
• Seamus - Seamus is a pooka in the form of an otter. He is known for drinking beer and for having bad flatulence. While only Bleu can see him (Clover apparently pretends she can't see him), everyone is able to smell him.

Influences and background

Clugston has stated that her own personal experiences from high school have helped shape the series, with a scene surrounding Bleu's attempt to mascot for her school being almost identical to her real life experience in school.^[3] Manga has also affected the series, with Clugston listing Rumiko Takahashi and Adam Warren as influences.^[4] The Mod subculture is prevalent throughout the series, with Christine Feldman writing in her book We Are the Mods that the series reconceptualized Mod feminity.^[5]

Of the series, Clugston initially had difficulty finding a publisher to carry the work until the series was noticed by Jamie S. Rich and got picked up by Oni Press.^[6]

Collected editions

The chronology of the collected editions is different from the numbering. Timewise, the volumes come in the order: one, two, four, three. As several stories make reference to past events, this order can become confusing. In an add-on comic in volume four, Clugston addresses this issue.

Germfree Adolescents

In July 2015, Image Comics announced that it had acquired publication rights to Blue Monday and would be releasing a single-volume anthology containing all previously published miniseries and one-shots, entitled Germfree Adolescents.^[7] Continuing the Blue Monday tradition of music-related titles, this volume is named after the 1978 album and song by British punk band X-Ray Spex.

Thieves Like Us

A fifth miniseries, entitled Thieves Like Us, was scheduled for release in 2009,^[8] but only the first issue was published. In an interview conducted at WonderCon 2012 (March 16–18, 2012), Chynna Clugston Flores stated that she was working on "finishing up" Thieves Like Us after its extended hiatus.^[9]

In January 2013, Clugston Flores stated that she had finished scripting Thieves Like Us, was in the process of drawing it, and had many more Blue Monday stories left to tell.^[10]

In July 2015, Image Comics announced that it had acquired publication rights to the Blue Monday series and would be releasing Thieves Like Us as a series in 2016.^[7]

References

External links

• Official Oni Press Blue Monday page