WATER BABY

Writer and artist Campbell introduces Brody, a rude surfer chick with a bad attitude who lives and plays by her own rules. While out surfing, she falls victim to a vicious shark attack that results in the loss of her right leg. Aided by her best friend and possible love interest Louisa, she tries to adjust to life after the accident. Plagued by nightmares, Brody struggles to keep up her tough exterior and not let those around her see how much she’s frightened. The two girls embark on a road trip up the East Coast to get Brody’s ex-boyfriend off Louisa’s couch—and out of Brody’s life—once and for all. Drawn with clean lines, Campbell’s trademark punky characters fumble their way through this graphic novel, trying to define themselves with no satisfactory resolution and no clear purpose. Clearly a stronger artist than writer, Campbell’s clumsy plot development plods along. Trying to be edgy with its no-holds-barred dialogue, this latest offering in the Minx line misses the mark and comes off as crude and at times, offensive. (Graphic novel. YA)