Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

A whip-smart all-ages adventure series starring the daughter of an archaeologist and a masked superhero as she uncovers danger, magic, and thrills beyond the school gates.

Alison Dare isn’t your average seventh-grader. She’s the whip-smart daughter of Dr. Alice Dare, a globe-trotting archaeologist who’s cracked more curses than the Vatican, and the Blue Scarab—a masked superhero whose civilian identity is, of all things, a mild-mannered librarian. Throw in a super-spy uncle with more disguises than a traveling circus, and you’ve got a family tree that practically begs for trouble. Her parents, hoping high walls and strict nuns might contain their daughter’s thirst for the extraordinary, enroll her at St. Joan’s Academy for Girls. Spoiler: it doesn’t work.

What unfurls is an Eisner-nominated all-ages adventure series that proves the most dangerous place in the world isn’t some hidden tomb or a villain’s secret lair—it’s a Catholic boarding school brimming with unexplored corridors, ancient secrets, and girls who absolutely refuse to stay put. Alongside her best friends Wendy (the brains of the operation) and Dot (sensible, loyal, and perpetually exasperated), Alison plunges into one pulse-pounding escapade after another. She uncovers magic lamps holding real genies in Egypt, foils the schemes of the magnificently mustachioed Baron Von Baron, and unravels mysteries buried in her own school’s foundations. Publishers Weekly praised the series for its “fluid, confident B&W art,” noting the tales “give the sometimes predictable story-line a charm and freshness.” These adventures crackle with the spirit of classic serials—Tintin, Jonny Quest, and Indiana Jones all echo through these pages, filtered through the singular sensibilities of two Canadian creators at the peak of their craft.

The series launched in 2000 as a double-sized one-shot from Oni Press, written by J. Torres with effervescent, kinetic art by J. Bone. That first adventure sparked a three-issue miniseries, The Return of Alison Dare, followed by the two-issue Alison Dare and the Heart of the Maiden, plus webcomics that stretched the world even further. In 2002, the collection The Return of Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures earned an Eisner Award nomination for Best Title for Younger Readers—a landmark achievement for an indie all-ages comic that helped cement Oni Press as a powerhouse alongside Herobear and the Kid and Little Lit.

Bone’s black-and-white artwork is the series’ secret weapon. His clean, animated linework—reminiscent of the finest DC Adventures titles—infuses every page with Saturday-morning-cartoon energy, delivered through expressive character designs that sell both the humor and the heart. His panel layouts keep the action zipping along, whether Alison is shimmying down a sheer wall or trading quips with a genie. The art appears deceptively simple, but look closer and you’ll discover meticulous storytelling craft in every expression, every gesture, every perfectly timed beat.

What truly elevates Alison Dare, though, is its emotional undercurrent. Alison’s parents are separated—a quiet, tender reality that threads through the stories without ever overwhelming them. Torres trusts his young readers: he doesn’t belabor the point, but lets it sit there, a reminder that even swashbuckling heroines navigate complicated home lives. This emotional honesty is why the series struck such a deep chord with librarians, educators, and young readers alike—here was a heroine who was brave, brilliant, and funny, and just a little bit vulnerable.

As Torres reflected to Publishers Weekly in 2010, “I was pleasantly surprised that not only comic fans who frequent comic shops were finding and reading the books, but also educators and kids were finding them in libraries.” The series was picked up for reissue by Tundra Books in 2010, introducing Alison’s adventures to an entirely new generation through bookstores and libraries nationwide.

Perfect for fans of Bone, Lunch Lady, and Babymouse—and anyone who remembers that the best adventures start the moment you decide to look behind the curtain.

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

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