Jackson’s Diary is a supernatural coming-of-age webcomic by Paola Batalla.
The year is 1989, and former foster kid Jackson Smith is starting his senior year at a brand new school in his hometown where he used to live with his mom, before she died and Jackson was Happily Adopted. At Jeanes High, he meets the über-popular Exer Campbell and his extroverted best bud, David Miller. Though David is eager to become friends with Jackson, Exer is giving the new guy bad vibes.
It’s not long after meeting Exer that strange things start happening to Jackson. Now he must navigate this eerie situation on top of navigating the ups and down of friendship, crushes, and just finding his place at Jeanes High.
The comic is available for free on Webtoons here
This webcomic provides examples of:
- The Ace: Exer Campbell is the best at everything he does at Jeanes High, from sports to academics to all other areas. He was even named Junior Honor Student the year before. Then Jackson showed up.
- Always Someone Better: Exer was The Ace and Big Man on Campus at Jeanes High. But then Jackson transferred and started outdoing him at sports, academics, and even landing the lead in the school musical over him.
- Betty and Veronica: For Jackson Brenda is the sweet and popular "Betty" while Pamela is the moody and sarcastic 'Veronica'. Jackson eventually develops feelings for Pamela and backs off from Brenda when he realizes Exer is in love with her.
- Big Brother Instinct: David has proven to be protective of his sister Brenda when it comes to male attention, even keeping her away from Jackson when a misunderstanding leads him to believe that Jackson is a pervert.
- Big Man on Campus: Zig-zagged with Exer. He’s the most popular guy in school, stands up to jerks who sexually harass girls, and is a star athlete. However, after Jackson comes along and begins stealing his thunder, he starts acting like a real Jerkass towards the new guy.
- Bilingual Backfire: Pamela and Marco both talk in Spanish around Jackson under the assumption that Jackson can't understand what they're saying. They call him stupid and make fun of him for the quizzical look on his face as he can't believe that they're openly mocking him. He tries to keep quiet at first, but soon hands Marco a ruler after he asked for one, before telling them "You're welcome" in Spanish. After a Beat Panel, but Marco and Pamela start screaming as they realize that Jackson understood everything they were saying.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Throughout most of the comic, we sympathize with Jackson over Exer because he’s been using his powers to taunt Jackson. Jackson is more upset that Exer threw Pamela under the bus last year when she tried to reveal his secret at a school assembly, turning her accusations against her and getting the whole school to turn on her, humiliating her in front of everyone and not showing any remorse. But in the season 1 finale, we finally understand a little more of Exer’s side of things. Exer didn’t get these powers by choice, and he’s deathly afraid of what people would do to him if they ever found out he had magic powers, which he’s already struggling to control. Although he was wrong to hurt Jackson and Pamela, we start to sympathize with Exer over them for wanting to stay safe and keep people from hurting him for being different, making his stunt at the assembly with Pamela more justified, seeing as how she could have put him in danger when she accused him in front of the whole school.
- Class Princess: Brenda is very popular at school, a cheerleader, and the school musical lead, while being sweet to new kid Jackson and staying friendly towards her ex-best friend Pamela.
- Former Friend of Alpha Bitch: Downplayed with Brenda and Pamela. They used to be friends in the past, and now, Brenda is well-liked while Pamela is mocked and ostracized. But while Brenda is popular, she is not mean to Pamela at all, even giving her a blouse to keep when she gets food on her outfit. They just seem to be have drifted apart.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Exer is cold to Jackson at best and a real Jerkass to him at worst, all because he’s jealous for Jackson getting positive attention from everyone, including Brenda, whom Exer loves.
- Happily Adopted: After being in foster care for four years, Jackson was adopted by the Smiths, Frank and Carol, at age twelve.
- Heroic BSoD: After Jackson lands in detention for beating the snot out of Exer he is clearly upset and immensely guilty not even trying to talk to the other students in detention. Eventually they try to reach out to him.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: Marty when Exer bites Ricky:"Hey! No one bites Ricky except me!!!"
- Jerk Jock: Subverted and zig-zagged. Exer, David, and later Ronaldo are popular football players, but are very friendly to everyone. David and Ronaldo are the subversions, as the only time they act mean is during a misunderstanding which makes them think Jackson is a pervert, and do their best to reconcile with him when everything is cleared up. Exer, on the other hand, is zig-zagged, as even though he is the Big Man on Campus, his petty jealousy drives him to antagonize Jackson, despite the latter doing nothing wrong except be good at stuff and attract attention.
- Jerkass Realization:
- David and Ron have one when they find out that the incident on the girls’ changing room was an accident and misunderstanding, one they shunned Jackson for because they thought he was a pervert.
- Exer has one after Jackson passes out during the Grand Finale of the school musical, since he’s been hating on Jackson long before the incident, because Jackson was outdoing him and attracting the attention of Brenda. Plus, it’s hinted that he is the cause of all the strange magic Jackson has been seeing that’s been complicating his life at school.
- Love Triangle: Jackson finds himself unknowingly in one between him, Exer and Brenda. Eventually it dissolves as Jackson actually develops feelings for Pamela not Brenda who is ecstatic and fully supports them both
- Missing Mom: Jackson’s biological mother died when he was eight years old, putting him in foster care for the next four years.
- No Antagonist: Though Exer starts out as The Rival to Jackson, he really isn't the Antagonist of the story as the two become genuine friends prior to The Reveal that is.
- Noodle Incident: Exer and Brenda used to date in secret, but there was a big falling out the previous year with the both of them and Brenda’s ex-best friend Pamela. Exer never says specifically what it was, but we know it must have been bad, because when senior year begins, Brenda treats Exer like he committed murder. Pamela eventually tells Jackson that she tried to tell the whole school about Exer’s Magic, but the whole thing got laughed off as a joke by Exer humiliating Pamela. She still wonders if she might have imagined it all.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The other characters are horrified by Jackson's No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Exer after he snaps thinking Exer used his magic on Pamela. Nobody is able to calm him down until Pamela shows up. She promptly pulls a What the Hell, Hero? which causes Jackson to stop.
- Pom-Pom Girl: Brenda, briefly seen as a cheerleader.
- Poor Communication Kills: Due to the weird magic, Jackson mixes up the signs on the changing rooms, and accidentally walks in on Pamela changing. She throws her skirt at him in anger and he runs off, humiliated and nervous, past Exer and David. Pamela tells Brenda, who stomps out and says a pervert stole a skirt. Exer and David assume it’s Jackson who stole Brenda’s skirt, and chase him down while he’s trying to return it to Pamela. The two jocks then give Jackson the cold shoulder, until Exer manages to swipe Pamela’s skirt from him and give it to Brenda, who then freaks out and assumes Exer is the pervert who stole it. It all ends in a big yelling match until Jackson steps in and explains everything.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Brenda for Pamela/Jackson.
- David for Brenda/Jackson, much to Exer’s dismay.
- Show Within a Show: "Lost Lady", a musical production the school puts on. Brenda and Jackson are cast as the romantic leads Ruby and Julian respectively, while Exer is cast as the antagonist Dalton.
- Squee: Brenda has this reaction to Jackson and Pamela holding hands while entering class.
- We Used to Be Friends: Brenda and Pamela used to be best friends, but now are not. A Noodle Incident might be the cause of it, but it’s never confirmed whether said incident was the cause or if it happened after their falling out.
- Wham Line: Jackson once suspected that Exer was behind the strange things happening to him at school, but put his suspicions aside once he and Exer became good friends, Jackson thinking it was just something that had been wrong with himself. At the end of their date in Episode 41, Pamela confesses she "made a terrible mistake last year".Pamela: I used to think that Exer… wasn’t normal.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Pamela calls out Jackson during his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Exer and his calling out all the other characters on their treatment of him. When Pamela tells him to call her out too Jackson finally calms down enough to realize What Have I Done.
