Jinx written by J. Torres, Pencils by Rick Burchett, Inks by Terry Austin

Li'l Jinx is all grown up! She's starting high school... and things are changing. Her friends are going in different directions, she's fighting with her dad, and her attempt to try out for the football team is running into some major opposition. Plus, everyone is talking about romance and boyfriends. It's going to take a lot of strength, patience, and just a little bit of luck for everything to turn out okay! 

I know that I read some Li'l Jinx comics growing up (the ones that you could find in an Archie digest) because she was familiar to me, but I didn't have strong associations or memories of her. The characters are reintroduced in a way that is helpful for people like me - readers with no previous Jinx knowledge. As a character she has a lot of great characteristics;  I like her determination and spirit and awkwardness. One of the guiding principles of the comic is stated that Jinx (and her friends/her world) needs to be real, not ideal, and that completely translates through to the page. She doesn't always make good decisions or say the right thing; actions have consequences, and she has to deal with that. I also really like some of the perspectives and threads that are explored through the supporting cast: people who are your friends but not really close to each other, friendship turning into romance (or unrequited romance), assuming that people will change prompting people to change, support comes in many different forms. Also particularly strong was the illustration style. The way that Jinx would be showing a hard expression in one frame and then softening in another just hit me right in my heart. Make sure to check this one out.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Play Ball by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Jackie Lewis
Archie Loves Veronica by Michael Uslan and Norm Breyfogle