Good Luck to Us All: A Graphic Memoir of Sorts

Vermeulen, a “chronically single and chronically childless” Cape Town artist and Instagram cartoonist, debuts with a savvy collage of self-deprecating personal anecdotes. Although many of Vermuelen’s subjects are familiar—dating, aging, body image—her astute observations about beauty standards and gender roles elevate the material (“I’ve been told I’m ‘brave’ for wearing an open back dress, asking a guy on a date, voicing my opinion, and cold emailing prospective clients. What they were really saying is, ‘You’re reaching’ ”). She delves into more complex territory in chapters on emotionally abusive relationships and an unwanted pregnancy that she nevertheless mourned after she learned it was ectopic (“[I felt] as if the Emotion Police were going to burst through my door at any moment and lock me up”). Charming illustrations add a welcome dimension of silliness, including a drawing of an Emotion Police officer and a whimsical map of Vermeulen’s chakras (“chatty chakra,” “upper vajayjay chakra”). In one chapter, Vermeulen wishes for an “inner golden retriever” to replace her harsh inner critic, but that critic, applied outward and tempered with plenty of humor, helps set this apart. What initially appears as breezy as a Cathy cartoon reveals a surprising well of novelty and depth. (Jan.)