Invincible Summer (Comix) (v. 2)
The title of Georges’ offbeat illustrated journal comes from an Albert Camus quotation: “In the midst of winter, I realized that there was in me an invincible summer.” Along with her self-professed addiction to coffee, that bit of philosophy sustains 19-year-old Georges during a life-transforming relocation from Kansas to Portland, Oregon. Originally published as a zine, Georges’ daily writings recount the ups and downs of adapting to a new city, a live-in boyfriend, and a pair of rambunctious shar-peis. Whether describing side trips to the beach, a flea bath for her dogs, or an internship at a California farm, her handwritten, sometimes hand-typed pages bristle with quirky creativity. Complementing every coffee-fueled, introspective rant are George’s scratchy but endearing pen-and-ink sketches, which include scads of portraits of the dogs and her own black-bespectacled self. If Linda Barry fans find Georges’ drawing style somewhat similar, they won’t be surprised to see that alternative cartoonist’s name on one of Georges’ many lists of “favorite things.” --Carl Hays