The Bellybuttons Book 3: The Bonds of Friendship
The Bellybuttons Book 3: The Bonds of Friendship, by Marc Delafontaine & Maryse Dubuc, Cinebook
CREATED BY a Quebec-based married couple and debuting in the French Canadian magazine Safarir; it was later picked up and serialised in Belgium’s Spirou and has subsequently been collected in album format, with writer Dubuc winning the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Writer in 2010.
Anyone with a daughter of a certain age will nod their head or tut over the antics within this perfectly slim 48 page collection: aimed at an age range older than your average Disney channel girly-fodder, and far less Chav-orientated than my initial fears.
This is chick-lit comics, accessible to the casual reader, and fun for fans of cartoons too.
It’s the tale of three schoolgirls, bitching about each other, making up and trying to make out with boys. Or more appropriately, selfish Jenny and Vicky no longer talking because the former’s going out with bad-boy motorcyclist John John and she wants him. Despite this, however it’s actually poor Karine and her own relationship with good-egg Dan that suffers... And all for friendship!
Initially this book comes across as a series of short vignettes, daft tales of ludicrous girls in silly situations, and prospers from each piece’s varying length. As the pagination increases so too does the degree of sub-plot, maturing themes and developing characterisations.
The reason John John never takes off his helmet is signposted well before it actually happens, but rather than coming across as a bland joke takes on an unexpected poignancy as the book nears its conclusion.
The running tagline for this series is “Life is cruel. Deal with it.” It’s apt, to say the least, but funny nonetheless.
For more about The Bellybuttons visit Cinebook.
Sponsored by Target Media.
