The Clique by Lisi Harrison and Yishan Li is a manga adaptation of a popular teen fiction series. I only read this because it was a comic, and it took me about an hour or so, but I’m glad I did. Not so much for the story (Mean Girls-esque bullying and snobbery), which I’m probably about 14 years too old for, but because it made a really interesting read considering my interest in comics aimed at young women and girls. As manga is generally considered more successful with this demographic, I’d like to compare The Clique with the unsuccessful graphic novel imprint MINX, which ended in 2007.

Unlike MINX titles such as ‘The P.L.A.I.N Janes’ and ‘Emiko Superstar’, the characters in this book are extremely wealthy and display a lifestyle that almost all girls can only dream of. This doesn’t make the characters admirable, but the appeal of this fantasy lifestlye is something that was discussed a lot during my workshop at the Alternative Press Festival. Also, there is a lot of attention to detail regarding fashion, which could be significant. 

Most significantly I think, is that although the characters are supposed to be entering 7th grade and mention their first bras and starting periods, they look and act much older. This could be more a successful approach for girls of that agegroup, who prefer to read ‘older’, meaning they may come across material that is unsuitable for them.

In conclusion, I’m not saying The Clique is better than MINX (I personally prefer the latter), but it’s interesting to make some observations about the differences between teen girl manga and western comics aimed at the same group. I think MINX’s real problems lay with marketing and distribution, but it’s quite possible that style, character and story also need addressing if a similar imprint is to be launched in the future.