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Jess Fink travels back in time to save her younger selves from doing things that would either lead to embarrassment, discomfort or trauma in the adult graphic novel memoir “We Can Fix It”. So, one of the first few things Jess does is stop her younger self from making out with a “jerk” and instead makes out with herself to satisfy her hormonal rage. Yeah, that’s kind of weird, but also funny, and if you take a moment, it makes complete sense – self-service over bad-service.
Just a little over 100 pages, “We Can Fix It” is a quick, quirky read, where creator-artist Jess Fink uses to time-machine to revisit both awful and fun events of her life, doling out constant advice to her younger selves. But will younger Jess really listen to her future self or continue to do whatever she feels like?
Jess Fink’s artwork is simple, expressive and engaging to follow, and while a colored comic would’ve been more visually appealing for this time-travel memoir, the black-and-white panels have their own retro charm. From early 2000s, to 1990s, Jess keeps traveling to different points in her life, giving viewers quick humorous glimpses to her life, varying from “sexy” moments to not so sexy ones.
While much of “We Can Fix It” comprises random incidents strung together, it does contain some humorous moments, and its limited length makes it a very easy read. On the flip side, for a graphic novel memoir, it may feel rushed or shallow to some readers. However, the creator is self-aware that her life doesn’t seem all that bad. “It obviously doesn’t look like I ruined our life or anything. So why can’t you just let me make my own mistakes?” – her college version reprimands her future self at one point in the novel. Jess Fink wraps up the memoir with a familiar life lesson, something we often lose sight of—that perhaps we tend to focus too much on the negatives to appreciate the better things in our lives.
Rating: 3 on 5. “We Can Fix” is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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