Jinx

Though admittedly part of the Archie Comics B-list, cartoonist Joe Edward’s Li’l Jinx managed to claim a portion of comic book nostalgia as her own. With her willful temper undercutting the effect of her deceptively innocent pigtails, she pushed back the idea that girls should be demure and culturally shackled. This updated version retains the qualities that made the original from the ’40s memorable, while also making sense of it in a modern high school setting. In 2012, Jinx is a tomboy confined to the geek table at lunch, and is directing her spirit toward crusades like trying out for the all-male football team. Writer Torres’s foreword offers an interesting account of how he fashioned this update, and artists Burchett and Austin capture the light tone of the cartoon, avoiding overwrought teen drama. Flanked by her original supporting cast, now also grown and more complex, Jinx serves as an entertaining role model for the intended audience, girls who can embrace the empowerment suggested through Jinx’s steady stance in life, while enjoying the mishaps born of the teenage confusion that surely is familiar. Ages 11–up. (Apr.)