Plutona Review

"Because Mie, this is Plutona. Can you imagine what all the supervillains would do to the city if they knew she was dead?"

Review:

If you read much about Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox’s Plutona the phrase “Stand By Me meets Superheroes” or something close will come up a lot and boy, it’s a very fitting description. Not just because we do in fact have kids who find a dead body who happens to be a superhero but it deals with the relationships and various problems the very different, young kids are going through and their quiet secluded suburban life is thrown for a loop. 

There’s Mei who is becoming closer to “bad boy” Ray who bullies her best friend Diana which causes a rift between the girls as well as other problems such as Mei being oblivious to Diana’s feelings on other matters. Ray himself has to deal with living in a bad home with a drunken father. We also have Teddy who is a quiet, typical nerdy kid who also endures Ray’s insults and has a very, very big interest in superheroes to the point of “spotting” them and tracking their whereabouts. Lastly, there’s Mei’s younger brother Mike who is a quiet kid absorbed in his gameboy who initially finds the body of the titular Plutona. The discovery of the body causes a change in the kids and their relationships to each other. The burden worsens when they agree to keep it a secret due to fear the news of Plutona’s death creating a panic in the superhero community. Especially when she’s considered the last of any “real” superheroes with the others more like celebrities with powers. In each issue we not only get more on the kids and their discovery but a back-up written and drawn by Lemire himself about Plutona’s “Last Days” up until the children found her. It gives her character more depth as we learn in her civilian life she’s a humble waitress and single mother who will pass the Plutona mantle onto her young daughter someday.

After reading Plutona you’ll have a mix of feelings, that are hard to digest as it steadily crawls the the breaking point of the kids and delivers surprising twists while hinting on age-old superhero tropes. Lemire gives us the viewpoint of everyday kids living in a superhero populated world and as you read along you’ll catch some nods here and there. One interesting thing about the Plutona back-up is it contradicting the main story’s down-to-earth, slice of life feel in a super universe by focusing on a more traditional superhero tale. Really, the story over-all contradicts the heavy narrative set in normal life with standard superhero fights in the back-up. Emi Lenox’s adorable art itself like other media such as the anime Madoka Magica gives a cute, ultimately misleading style and feel to the story, which I firmly believe adds to the appeal. And really, Lenox’s art is just wonderful from the young kids and cute puppy to the more intense scenes concerning Plutona's body up to the soul crushing conclusion.

Recommendation:

Plutona is at least for YA but given some moments I can see why a librarian would want to put it on the adult shelves. Honestly, it’s a raw, difficult read that is told from young teens’ perspective that most would be fine with.