The Wendy Project

Peter Pan. Neverland. Pirates. Mermaids. It's always been one of my favorite stories, and it's constantly being retold and reimagined. I spend more time than most thinking about Peter Pan.

There are so many books that are prequels and sequels and companion stories and alternate versions of JM Barrie's text that it's impossible for me to list them all here. But there are not nearly as many graphic novel adaptations as there are picturebooks and novels, so Melissa Jane Osborne and Veronica Fish's The Wendy Project is already set apart by its format.

The story has a modern setting, but it's not a simple retelling. I'm always a little critical when it seems a classic story is put into a modern setting just for the novelty of it.  The character of Wendy is on a journey of grief; after she crashes a car, her brother Michael is lost. Wendy insists that she saw him fly off in the night with another boy, and her brother John agrees with what she saw. However, just like grown-ups, their parents do not believe them. They decide to send Wendy to psychologist to help her work through her grief and guilt. Her therapist gives her a sketchbook so that she can draw out the things she cannot say, and the story is told through her own illustrations.

Despite the fact that Wendy's car crashed into the water, where it remains, no trace has been found of Michael. Wendy continues to believe that he is not dead, simply lost. In the meantime, she befriends a boy at school named Eben Peters, whose carefree, and careless, manner attracts and frustrates Wendy.

The themes of Barrie's story are well preserved, and quotes from the original text are peppered through the sketchbook.

The portions of the book that depict 'real life' are black and white, with blue highlights. This communicates the harsh realities of everyday life, as well as the grief that Wendy carries with her every day.

The illustrations that relate to Peter Pan and Neverland are brilliantly colored- really, worthy of framing and hanging on your wall.

Through Wendy's eyes, we see the characters she encounters in her life drawn as Barrie's characters. Eben Peters becomes Peter Pan, an unfriendly cop becomes Captain Hook, and a party girl bears a striking resemblance to Tinkerbell. There aren't really any references to the Indians, except that the boys are once shown as having arrows while they're playing. I'm not sure I agree with deleting them altogether, but depictions of Tiger Lily are difficult to navigate sometimes.

This tactic also pays homage to the stage traditions of Peter Pan, with the same actor portraying both Mr. Darling as well as Captain Hook.

Wendy goes on a quest to find her brother Michael.

While in Neverland, Wendy finds many boys who have been Lost, along with Michael. Since he does not have any memory of her (Neverland makes people forget), Wendy tell him stories to try to get him to remember:

"I told him about birthday parties and LEGOS and how music feels.  .  .The way library books smell and that moment when you're sitting in the movie theater and the lights go down.  .  .I told him about Mom and Dad, laughter, peanut butter, school, lightning bugs, the valuer of naps, sledding, the nice guy at the car wash, and what a hug feels like.  .  ."

I'm probably going to end up buying this book for myself; even if it wasn't one of my all-time favorite stories, the illustrations are just too beautiful to not look at, over and over again.

***POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD***

The ending of the book reminded me alot of the movie The Shack, and the encounter that Mack has with Missy after she is 'lost.'