"Some things you notice when you try to compile a list of 50 must-read comics about friendship:
- A lot more is written about female friendships than male ones.
- YA and children's books are fertile ground for tales of friendship, both when it feels like the greatest thing ever and when it feels like the worst thing ever. But as Shannon Hale writes encouragingly in the author's note to Real Friends, "Friendship in younger years can be especially hard because our worlds are small…If you haven't found your 'group' yet, hang in there. Your world will keep growing larger and wider."
- If you were basing your understanding of social reality based entirely on books, you'd assume that friendship doesn't matter past a certain age. In particular, it's hard to find graphic stories of elderly people's friendships—even though it would be fascinating to explore maturity and aging through the lens of peer, rather than family, relationships. Writers, get on it!"
