I got Lucky Penny in 2016, which means I was 5 years into my marriage, had moved to Kent and had recently become a father to my first daughter. I'm not sure what attracted me to this graphic novel comic but I'm guessing it was during one of my nostalgic 'ahhh, my 20s were great' phases as I'd officially hit the mid-30s so was in the higher 35-49 years old insurance bracket. Maybe I was going through a premature midlife/ existential crisis and this was a comfort purchase. Whatever the case, I remember liking the book as it had a sweet goof all character but I couldn't remember much else so it seemed like now was a great time to dive in once again into the work of Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota.
This is a beautifully presented book.
Lucky Penny is the tale of young Penny Brighton, an unlucky girl who leaves disaster in her wake but has a heart of gold. The graphic novel follows Penny as she tries to figure out where to go, what to do and how to cope in the real world. The story is similar to Scott Pilgrim and Giant Days and also mumblecore movies like Frances Ha and similar works by Greta Gerwig, where charmingly clueless, young, main characters try to deal with all that life throws at them. In this case, Penny is wonderfully optimistic and chirpy whilst living in a storage unit (garage) and trying to get a job and maintain her relationship with a prospective boyfriend.
Lucky Penny is a quick read with relatable characters; Ota’s art is bold and solid throughout the whole book and Hirsh's storytelling gentle yet interesting enough to keep you reading. The ending of the book is very bombastic and out of pace with the rest of the book but I liked it as it goes big.
Overall, Lucky Penny is well worth your time as it has a quirky central character and an interesting coming-of-age slacker vibe.