We Are Become Pals!

Intern Grace’s Team Pick:

starting-ufo-websites-and-stuff — "They used the library computers to start a website where people could report UFO sightings in their city. They never got one email."

“We Are Become Pals!” is about Helen and Jane, two friends with cute haircuts who like science and talking about serial killers. They play chess, give class presentations on UFOs and learn how to pick locks together. The writing is blunt and clever, and the illustrations are adorable. Everything about this is so good. You will probably like it.

Written by the charming but twisted Joey Comeau of A Softer World and illustrated endearingly by Jess Fink, “We Are Become Pals!” is a story about two teenaged girls who have a healthy, intense friendship with each other. It’s not The Baby-Sitters Club; it’s a story about two people who aren’t afraid to be eccentric and creative together.

That’s what friendship is really about, I think: finding someone who you can trust and confide in but also relentlessly make fun of and do stupid things with. Helen and Jane remind me a lot of some of my friends, which I think should concern me, but it actually makes me really happy.

This series is beautiful because it’s simple. The girls are complete weirdos, and it’s great. They don’t worry about boys, they don’t worry about fitting in, and they don’t worry about what other people say about them. They just do what makes them happy, and if that means taking an impromptu hot air balloon ride at 5 a.m., then that’s what they do, damn it.

It’s hard to argue with the grandeur of lines like, “Please treat my friend the way you would treat someone with a regular-sized head.” Also, chapter 5 might be in my top five things I’ve ever read. Possibly even my top three.

Read all of “We Are Become Pals!” here.

fbi-agents — "This is how Jane and Helen met. It was the Halloween dance. They were both dressed as male FBI agents. "

Intern Grace

Grace Ellis has been writing and making hack-job graphics for Autostraddle since 2011 and is a co-creator and co-writer of the comic book series Lumberjanes. She is mostly an intern in name only. (Mostly.) She lives in Columbus, Ohio because why anything. Also, she wants to write the Black Widow movie and feels like if she just keeps telling people, eventually she will be allowed to do it.