Astral Panic

This graphic novel has me in a quandary. There is a lot I admire about it and as much that baffles me. Gale is an extremely anxious young man who has become dependent on a phone app that purports to befriend and support him with advice and pear-based products but is really feeding his anxiety and social paranoia with unrealistic goals and harsh criticism. Aidan, a new roommate, invites him along as Aidan goes in search of a part-time job at a series of businesses aimed at the teen market. Everywhere, Gale’s awkwardness leads to catastrophes that heap embarrassment upon embarrassment and a lot of comic possibilities. Aidan is impressed by Gale’s artistic abilities and has such a high embarrassment threshold that he persists with the friendship regardless of the mayhem that seems to follow them both. Finally, Aidan provides his friend with a better perspective on life, an injection of confidence and a new circle of friends. Gale’s situation is one that many of us will recognise, and Katie Hicks makes some strong satiric points about the pressures on young people in the age of social media. My misgivings are about the age of the characters and the age of the intended readership. Gale appears to be a younger teenager but seems to live a college-like life, with no mother or father in sight, while the style of the illustrations seems to suggest a virtual world designed for pre-teens.