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WORK TITLE: The Wendy Project
WORK NOTES: illus by Veronica Fish
PSEUDONYM(S):
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http://www.emetcomics.com/osborne-fish/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and actor. Creator of the iPhone game, Campus Crush; creator of the short film, Oma. Has been affiliated with theatre companies, including FAB Women, Stella Adler Studio, and IAMA.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Melissa Jane Osborne is a writer and actor. She has been affiliated with theatre companies, including FAB Women, Stella Adler Studio, and IAMA. Osborne has released a short film called Oma. She is also the creator of a popular game for the iPhone called Campus Crush.
In 2017, Osborne released her first book, The Wendy Project. The volume was illustrated by Veronica Fish. It is a retelling of the classic story of Peter Pan. The titular protagonist is a sixteen-year-old girl, who survives a car accident. Her two brothers, John and Michael, are in the car with her when she loses control. The car ends up in the lake. Just after the crash, Wendy sees a green-clad boy fly in and take off with Michael. Wendy and John survive the accident, but Michael is gone. Wendy’s parents worry about her strange claim about the flying boy. They send her to get help from a therapist. Wendy’s therapists suggests that drawing might help her overcome the loss of her brother, so Wendy begins sketching the incident and her life in general. She envisions Peter Pan taking her younger brother away to his home in Neverland, where he encounters other characters from the fairy tale, including Tinkerbell and Captain Hook. The characters from her imagination begin invading her reality. A new boy named Eben Peters begins attending Wendy’s school, and Wendy is instantly drawn to him. He reminds her of her vision of Peter Pan. A police officer she encounters looks to her like Captain Hook.
The Wendy Project received favorable assessments from reviewers. Peter Dabbene, contributor to the Foreword Reviews website, asserted: “Wonderful in every sense of the word, The Wendy Project tells a moving story about … the loss of a family member.” Writing in Xpress Reviews, J. Osicki remarked: “This unexpected gem stands out among latter-day versions of Peter Pan thanks to its embrace of genuine emotion.” School Library Journal critic, Anna Murphy, described the book as “poignant.” Murphy added: “This clever and touching adaptation of the classic tale will appeal to the angstiest of teens.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly noted that the book featured “tight writing that’s true to the rawness of teenage feelings … [and] smart artwork.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews was impressed by “the sheer emotional impact of this beautifully tragic story and its gravitas.” The same contributor described The Wendy Project as “an ethereal and haunting exploration of grief and death.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2017, review of The Wendy Project.
Publishers Weekly, May 29, 2017, review of The Wendy Project, p. 71; December 4, 2017, review of The Wendy Project, p. S120.
School Library Journal, April, 2017, Anna Murphy, review of The Wendy Project, p. 160.
Xpress Reviews, November 18, 2016, J. Osicki, review of The Wendy Project.
ONLINE
Emet Comics Website, http://www.emetcomics.com/ (April 11, 2018), author profile.
Foreword Reviews, https://www.forewordreviews.com/ (March 16, 2018), Peter Dabbene, review of The Wendy Project.
Melissa Jane Osborne is an actor and writer who has worked with Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Samuel French Festival, NYFringe, Playwright’s Horizon’s Theatre School, and Stella Adler Studio of which she is an alum. Her work in new media spans from the Internet sensation The Burg to creating the first interactive scripted iPhone game Campus Crush for the Episode App, which has spawned multiple sequels and become an international teen sensation with over 6 million views per month. Her short film OMA is currently in production starring Lynn Cohen (The Hunger Games). She is a member of NYC's FAB Women and Los Angeles's IAMA Theatre Co. When Melissa was a kid, she broke four puppet theater kits from telling stories too hard. Now that she’s an adult, she hopes to break even more.
Melissa Jane Osborne is an actor, writer, and creator. She is a two time O'Neill National Playwrights Center finalist. She is the creator of the interactive scripted iPhone game “Campus Crush” for the Episode App which garners 6 million views a month. Her short film 'Oma' starring Lynn Cohen (Munich, The Hunger Games) is currently out to festivals nation wide, while her first feature film is set to film next Summer. She is a proud member of Los Angeles's IAMA Theatre Co.
As a kid she broke four puppet theaters after telling stories too hard, and hasn't let up since.
NYTheatre.com once called her 'funny, insightful, and intriguing' 'a writer and actor to keep eye on', but her friends just call her Mo.
The Wendy Project
Publishers Weekly. 264.49-50 (Dec. 4, 2017): pS120.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Wendy Project
Melissa Jane Osborne, illus. by Veronica Fish. Super Genius, $12.99 ISBN 978-1-62991-769-6
Debut author Osborne's grim, fast-moving reboot of Peter Pan starts when 16-year-old Wendy's car plunges into a lake. She and her brother John survive, but a flying boy dressed in green carries away their younger brother, Michael--or so Wendy claims. (Readers believe Wendy; they witness it.) Her devastated parents despair, and a therapist prods Wendy to draw her grief. In assuredly sketched panels, comics artist Fish draws the story as a journal, with Wendy as both subject and author. Everyday life appears in stark black and white; by contrast, as elements of Barries story surface--when Eben Peters, an alluring boy at Wendy's new school, appears as Peter Pan, or when a cop morphs into Captain Hook--they stand out in brilliant color. By pursuing these moments, Wendy gets one last chance to see Michael. Tight writing that's true to the rawness of teenage feelings ("Eben's only good in the present.... Trust me," says Jenny Wren, Eben's cynical sidekick, when he stands Wendy up), smart artwork, and a girls'-eye view of a boyhood tale will make readers believe--maybe not in fairies, but in Wendy. Ages 12--up.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Wendy Project." Publishers Weekly, 4 Dec. 2017, p. S120. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A518029951/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=5528b1fe. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A518029951
QUOTED: "the sheer emotional impact of this beautifully tragic story and its gravitas."
"an ethereal and haunting exploration of grief and death."
Osborne, Melissa Jane: THE WENDY PROJECT
Kirkus Reviews. (May 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Osborne, Melissa Jane THE WENDY PROJECT Super Genius (Children's Fiction) $12.99 7, 18 ISBN: 978-1-62991-769-6
In this heart-wrenching graphic novel, a teen girl responsible for her younger brother's death must decide to accept the harsh reality or lose herself in escapist denial. One fateful evening, Wendy Davies' car goes off the road. Her brothers, John and Michael, were inside, and Michael doesn't survive the wreck. After the crash, Wendy is sent to therapy to help her process her feelings and is instructed to draw her emotions. She envisions that Peter Pan has taken Michael to Neverland and begins seeing parallels in her everyday life. As Wendy becomes more enmeshed in her reveries, her grasp on reality becomes ever more tenuous. Will she be able to leave her daydreams behind and see the accident for what it was? Through a dreamlike and elegiac lens, Osborne and Fish conjure a visually striking portrait of mourning and acceptance. Wendy's reality is evinced through black-and-white sketches, transitioning to a glorious wash of watercolors when her imagination takes over. While undeniably breathtaking in its style, the narrative of this slender volume occasionally falters. Its secondary characters--such as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and their real-world counterparts--are intriguing but not as well developed as Wendy, and though Wendy's plight is moving, it resolves itself a bit too tidily. However, readers should easily overcome these quibbles due to the sheer emotional impact of this beautifully tragic story and its gravitas. An ethereal and haunting exploration of grief and death. (Graphic fiction. 12-adult)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Osborne, Melissa Jane: THE WENDY PROJECT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491002779/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=c062d602. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491002779
QUOTED: "Tight writing that's true to the rawness of teenage feelings ... [and] smart artwork."
The Wendy Project
Publishers Weekly. 264.22 (May 29, 2017): p71.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Wendy Project
Melissa Jane Osborne, illus. by Veronica Fish. Super Genius, $12.99 (96p) ISBN 978-162991-769-6
Debut author Osborne's grim, fast-moving reboot of Peter Pan starts when 16-year-old Wendy's car plunges into a lake. She and her brother John survive, but a flying boy dressed in green carries away their younger brother, Michael--or so Wendy claims. (Readers believe Wendy; they witness it.) Her devastated parents despair, and a therapist prods Wendy to draw her grief. In assuredly sketched panels, comics artist Fish draws the story as a journal, with Wendy as both subject and author. Everyday life appears in stark black and white; by contrast, as elements of Barries story surface--when Eben Peters, an alluring boy at Wendy's new school, appears as Peter Pan, or when a cop morphs into Captain Hook--they stand out in brilliant color. By pursuing these moments, Wendy gets one last chance to see Michael. Tight writing that's true to the rawness of teenage feelings ("Eben's only good in the present.... Trust me," says Jenny Wren, Eben's cynical sidekick, when he stands Wendy up), smart artwork, and a girls'-eye view of a boyhood tale will make readers believe--maybe not in fairies, but in Wendy. Ages 12-up. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Wendy Project." Publishers Weekly, 29 May 2017, p. 71. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A494500808/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1659a370. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A494500808
QUOTED: "poignant."
"This clever and touching adaptation of the classic tale will appeal to the angstiest of teens."
Osborne, Melissa Jane. The Wendy Project
Anna Murphy
School Library Journal. 63.4 (Apr. 2017): p160.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
OSBORNE, Melissa Jane. The Wendy Project. illus. by Veronica Fish. 96p. Papercutz/Super Genius. Jul. 2017. pap. $12.99. ISBN 9781629917696.
Gr 7 Up-This poignant modern retelling of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan is heavy on magic and teen angst. Wendy is a typical adolescent until she accidentally drives off a bridge with her brothers in the backseat. When they're rescued, Wendy is told that although John has survived, her youngest brother Michael's body cannot be found. He's presumed dead, but the teen knows he can't be, because she saw him flying off into the sky holding someone's hand. While her family members grieve around her, Wendy is committed to finding out where Michael went. And somehow she knows that his disappearance has something to do with Eben Peters, the enigmatic hunk who attends her school. Concerned by Wendy's insistence that Michael is alive somewhere, her parents send her to a therapist, who encourages her to draw her feelings (the result of her art therapy is the book itself). Fish's expressive illustrations are gorgeous watercolor auras that show Wendy's hopeful glimpses of magic among the otherwise banal gray of grief Osborne's story and dialogue are well written, deftly conveying Wendy's feelings of confusion, love, unhappiness, and guilt. VERDICT This clever and touching adaptation of the classic tale will appeal to the angstiest of teens and the most fervent believers in magic.-Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Murphy, Anna. "Osborne, Melissa Jane. The Wendy Project." School Library Journal, Apr. 2017, p. 160. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488688306/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=96135876. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A488688306
QUOTED: "This unexpected gem stands out among latter-day versions of Peter Pan thanks to its embrace of genuine emotion."
[STAR]Osborne, Melissa Jane (text) & Veronica Fish (illus.). The Wendy Project
J. Osicki
Xpress Reviews. (Nov. 18, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
Full Text:
[STAR]Osborne, Melissa Jane (text) & Veronica Fish (illus.). The Wendy Project. Super Genius: Papercutz. May 2017. 96p. ISBN 9781629917696. pap. $12.99. GRAPHIC NOVELS
Here, Peter Pan's Wendy Darling is reimagined as a 16-year-old who survives a car accident that renders one of her brothers mute and the other missing. Is that brother's body lost to the watery crash site, or did Wendy really see him fly away with a mysterious figure? As Wendy struggles at a new high school, the people in her life begin to resemble Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and other J.M. Barrie characters. Wendy's therapist prescribes drawing in a sketchbook as a coping mechanism, but the journal takes on a life of its own, one that may let Wendy shape her circumstances in more ways than one. Osborne sensitively scripts this tragic scenario--which has an especially satisfying conclusion--and Fish's (Archie Comics) well-matched artwork often fittingly resembles that of a talented teenager, with color skillfully used to denote Wendy's visions intruding into reality.
Verdict This unexpected gem stands out among latter-day versions of Peter Pan thanks to its embrace of genuine emotion and psychological gravity. Highly recommended to all graphic novel and fantasy fans, and especially to YA readers. Some disturbing content; suitable for all but the youngest.--J. Osicki, Saint John Free P.L., NB
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Osicki, J. "[STAR]Osborne, Melissa Jane (text) & Veronica Fish (illus.). The Wendy Project." Xpress Reviews, 18 Nov. 2016. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A473692715/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f64f4279. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473692715
QUOTED: "Wonderful in every sense of the word, The Wendy Project tells a moving story about ... the loss of a family member."
THE WENDY PROJECT
Melissa Jane Osborne
Veronica Fish (Illustrator)
Super Genius (Jul 18, 2017)
Softcover $12.99 (96pp)
978-1-62991-769-6
A girl whose brother is killed in a car accident finds herself torn between reality and fantasy, in Melissa Jane Osborne and Veronica Fish’s The Wendy Project, a beautiful and touching graphic novel.
After the accident, Wendy, the story’s sixteen-year-old protagonist, recalls seeing a boy looking much like Peter Pan flying away with her brother Michael. With Michael’s body unrecovered from the lake at the scene of the accident, Wendy wonders if it what she saw could have been real as she notices more and more “Neverland” influences—a police officer resembles Captain Hook, shadows seem to move independently of their owners, and a boy at school might be Peter Pan himself.
Quotations from J. M. Barrie are effectively placed at key points in the story, including this one, as Wendy chases a phantom she believes could be her brother: “The difference between HIM HER and the other BOYS GIRLS at such a time [was] that they knew it was MAKE-BELIEVE, while to HIM HER make-believe and TRUE were the EXACT SAME thing.”
Fish’s illustrations are a model of clear pictorial storytelling while also conveying the emotions that run thick throughout the book. Spot applications of vibrant color offset the mostly black-and-white images, as a recurring motif whenever the “Neverland” influence is present.
Wonderful in every sense of the word, The Wendy Project tells a moving story about not only the loss of a family member but also the loss of innocence as children become adults.
Reviewed by Peter Dabbene
March/April 2017