Jane's World
Encyclopedia
Jane's World is a comic strip
by cartoonist Paige Braddock. Debuting on March 25, 1998 it stars Jane Wyatt, a young lesbian
woman living in a trailer with her roommate, Ethan, and follows the life of her and her circle of friends. The ensemble cast features many lesbian or bisexual characters.
in late March. In 2001 United Media
's Comics.com website picked up reprints of Jane's World, making it the first gay-themed work to receive distribution by a national media syndicate. They began publishing new works in 2007. In addition to web and newspaper publication, Braddock publishes the strip in a comic book format through her own publication house, Girl Twirl Comics. The trade paperback
versions feature covers created by different artists.
in 2001 (although Paige Braddock says it was 1991) when she discovered aliens on the road. When she arrived home she discovered that her then-roommate had moved all her things to the garage. Since, she has moved in to a trailer with Ethan and worked a series of mid-level, low-income jobs. In 2003, Dorothy hired her a life coach. Her full name is given as Jane Tiberus Wyatt, because her dad was a Star Trek fan.
. Dorothy is bisexual
, but she usually doesn't admit it. Unbeknownst to either of them, their mothers arranged for them to get together for the night on one occasion, though they did not continue their relationship because Jane was still involved with Skye and has been indecisive about which one to choose.
male roommate. Jane complains that she doesn't like "chest hair before coffee", meaning that she is grossed out when she sees Ethan shirtless before she has a chance to drink her morning coffee and eats her cereal.
background. She and Jane were once an item, but broke up upon independently reaching the conclusion that the other was more and more the kind of person who annoyed them. In 2003, Chelle blew her cover
at the local newspaper, being revealed to be an operative of a private detective or intelligence agency. A secretly nice person, she arranged for Jane to take her job at the newspaper.
, creator of Pearls Before Swine, this character appears only occasionally as a breast-obsessed, straight
male
. Shallow Breast Guy is drawn to look like Pastis. He once took control of the strip and drew Jane's World in the style of Pearls Before Swine, endowing the women with large breasts and portraying them as hyper-sexualized, thereby earning his name. In turn, Pastis has featured Braddock's wiener dog Andy (and, less frequently, Olive) in his strip.
. Skye claims that Jill was a SEAL
, however, the actual SEALs do not accept women.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by cartoonist Paige Braddock. Debuting on March 25, 1998 it stars Jane Wyatt, a young lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
woman living in a trailer with her roommate, Ethan, and follows the life of her and her circle of friends. The ensemble cast features many lesbian or bisexual characters.
Comic strip
Braddock created Jane's World so that women, particularly lesbians, would have a comic strip character that they could relate to, though it's meant to be accessible to a wider audience. Braddock devised Jane in 1991 but never actually put her onto paper until 1998, and began publishing on the InternetWebcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
in late March. In 2001 United Media
United Media
United Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
's Comics.com website picked up reprints of Jane's World, making it the first gay-themed work to receive distribution by a national media syndicate. They began publishing new works in 2007. In addition to web and newspaper publication, Braddock publishes the strip in a comic book format through her own publication house, Girl Twirl Comics. The trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
versions feature covers created by different artists.
Characters
Jane's World characters are all friends of Jane, to various degree, along with the occasional ex-girlfriend and, coworker, or boss in the mix.Jane
The main character of the strip, Jane Wyatt was driving on a road in central OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in 2001 (although Paige Braddock says it was 1991) when she discovered aliens on the road. When she arrived home she discovered that her then-roommate had moved all her things to the garage. Since, she has moved in to a trailer with Ethan and worked a series of mid-level, low-income jobs. In 2003, Dorothy hired her a life coach. Her full name is given as Jane Tiberus Wyatt, because her dad was a Star Trek fan.
Dorothy
Jane's best friend, and occasional crushPuppy love
Puppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...
. Dorothy is bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, but she usually doesn't admit it. Unbeknownst to either of them, their mothers arranged for them to get together for the night on one occasion, though they did not continue their relationship because Jane was still involved with Skye and has been indecisive about which one to choose.
Ethan
Jane's straightHeterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
male roommate. Jane complains that she doesn't like "chest hair before coffee", meaning that she is grossed out when she sees Ethan shirtless before she has a chance to drink her morning coffee and eats her cereal.
Chelle
Chelle Archer is a dark character with a special opsSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
background. She and Jane were once an item, but broke up upon independently reaching the conclusion that the other was more and more the kind of person who annoyed them. In 2003, Chelle blew her cover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
at the local newspaper, being revealed to be an operative of a private detective or intelligence agency. A secretly nice person, she arranged for Jane to take her job at the newspaper.
Talia
An ex-girlfriend of Jane's that pops in and out of the strip. She's been described as a "geek" when she and Jane knew each other.Shallow Breast Guy
Based on cartoonist Stephan PastisStephan Pastis
Stephan Thomas Pastis is an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine.-Background:...
, creator of Pearls Before Swine, this character appears only occasionally as a breast-obsessed, straight
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
. Shallow Breast Guy is drawn to look like Pastis. He once took control of the strip and drew Jane's World in the style of Pearls Before Swine, endowing the women with large breasts and portraying them as hyper-sexualized, thereby earning his name. In turn, Pastis has featured Braddock's wiener dog Andy (and, less frequently, Olive) in his strip.
Skye
A red headed waitress at a health food diner (The Garden of Vegan) and an ex-missionary. She is currently Jane's girlfriend, however Jane is still drawn to her friend Dorothy. An avid vegan, Skye is always trying to get Jane to eat healthier, much to Jane's chagrin. In one instance, when Jane was not home, Skye threw out all of Jane's sugary cereals and junk food.Jill
Chelle's on-again, off-again girlfriend, and former partner when they were both on the police force. Prior to being a cop, Jill was a pilot in the NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Skye claims that Jill was a SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
, however, the actual SEALs do not accept women.
External links
- Jane's World at Comics.com
- The Digital Jane's World Archive (1998-2001)
- Interview with Jane's World creator Paige Braddock, Part I at The Daily Cross Hatch, from March 22, 2007
- Interview with Jane's World creator Paige Braddock, Part II at The Daily Cross Hatch, from April 4, 2007
- Review of Jane's World, Volume 7 at The Daily Cross Hatch, from May 22, 2007