Back in 1998, for those among us who can remember that far, it wasn’t a super awesome time to be a gay lady. Ellen’s TV show had just been cancelled. “The L Word” wasn’t a thing yet. Rosie, Portia, Jodie and Wanda weren’t out yet. And AfterEllen (may it R.I.P.) and Autostraddle definitely weren’t things yet. All we had were Melissa and k.d. and Martina. And, for some of us, Jane. You know Jane Wyatt, the bespectacled short-haired, swoopy-banged blonde lesbian who was perpetually bad at dating? Yeah, that Jane.
The syndicated online comic strip “Jane’s World” by Paige Braddock debuted in 1998 and was a favorite and a staple for me back in the day. It was one of my lifelines to lesbianism in those nascent days of finding my community. And it remains an impressive not to mention historic achievement. In 2001 it became the first LGBTQ-themed comic strip to receive national media syndication through Comics.com (now on GoComics.com). You can read fresh “Jane’s World” comics there to this day. Right now. Seriously, go do it.
Now, to commemorate its 20th anniversary, Paige is releasing an anthology retrospective called “Love Letters to Jane's World.” Besides offering a collection of the strips, it also features fan stories and letters about the comic and characters. The book it available starting today at comic stores and Aug. 21 at bookstores and online. Paige, by the way, keeps rather busy between her comic, being the Chief Creative Officer at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and writing a line of graphic novels for kids.
So consider this my own little love letter to “Jane’s World.” I, too, had a crush on Trinity Chelle, like everyone else. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that Jane’s best friend’s name is Dorothy.
