Comics artist and illustrator Philippa Rice (Soppy) captures the love-hate relationship between sisters in the cute graphic novel Sister BFFs. The story, based loosely on Rice's relationship with her younger sister, Holly, does not glamorize sisterhood. Instead, it runs the gamut of exchanges as these siblings poke and prod each other: food fights and disagreements about clothing choices, makeup and hair, as well as straight talk about work, romance and everyday life.
The figures are drawn as curvy and obnoxious with pouty lips. They are childishly cartoony yet mature at heart. As Rice delightfully demonstrates in her vignettes, they'll sit on each other, fart on each other and mock each other ("You're tacky and boring and I roll my eyes at you so much my eyeball wires have gone curly"). At the same time, they'll cheer each other on and celebrate minor accomplishments, lift each other up when their own self-esteem fails.
They navigate real-life dilemmas of young adulthood with reckless abandon and a fear that may feel familiar to many. Rice renders this with introspective dialogue in a discussion about the nature of romantic crushes:
"True crushes are best left in the imagination. As soon as you actually approach them in reality, the façade of perfection is shattered and you can't enjoy dreaming about them anymore."
Rice's stories are candid, self-deprecating and endearing. They will have sisters in stitches and nodding their heads in earnest. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant