Originally published August 30, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
Mark Allen reviews Snotgirl #2…
Lottie lays low after last month’s alarming events, but she still has to deal with her stalker! “Sounds gross! Can you change the title?” say our moms. The hottest new series of 2016 is SNOTGIRL from BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY (Scott Pilgrim) and LESLIE HUNG!
It’s tough to be Lottie Person. She’s a beloved L.A. fashion blogger with thousands of adoring followers, her own personal intern, and allergies that would make a geyser blush. It’s currently even harder for Lottie, who currently also has to contend with having just witnessed the violent death of her new best friend and potential rival Caroline (aka Coolgirl).
The second issue of Leslie Hung and Bryan Lee O’Malley’s delirious, candy-coloured paranoid thriller Snotgirl picks up where #1 left off, with Lottie considering owning up to the police in a state of panic before waking up in her apartment the next day with no phone battery and no memory of how she got home. Deciding to lay low, she tries to focus on more important things like the possibility that she’s being stalked by her ex-intern and the practicality of wearing your own athleisure line while attempting to remain incognito.
The plot thickens further with the introduction of fashion-savvy detective John Cho (he can spot Vera Wang knockoffs a mile away) and mysterious texts to Lottie…from none other than Coolgirl herself. Though the writer’s dialogue and captions err on the side of satirically superficial, hints start to seep through that perhaps our perception of Snotgirl’s world might be distorted by the protagonist’s heightened, agitated view of things. That O’Malley and Hung can jump from lunacy to high tension in the space of a single panel speaks to the mastery of their craft they clearly possess.
That’s not to forget the other indispensable members of the team, mind. Mickey Quinn’s colours clearly define each character by assigning certain tones to reflect their personalities, making Hung’s distinct, often ostentatious costume designs come to fabulous life. Quinn also amplifies Lottie’s various anxious states in the artist’s more claustrophobic panels with blue washes and making those trademark bogies glint like green hollow points. The lettering by Mare Odomo delineates different characters through coloured word balloons, making it easier to keep track of the rapid-fire dialogue.
Every single element in Snotgirl is used in concert to make for a breezy, laugh-a-panel reading experience that still manages to feel substantial despite its superlative silliness. And that’s why, if you aren’t already reading this comic, you need to catch up.
Rating: 9/10
Mark Allen
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