Mark Allen reviews Snotgirl #1…
WHO IS LOTTIE PERSON? Is she a gorgeous, fun-loving social media star with a perfect life or a gross, allergy-ridden mess? Enter a world of snot, blood, and tears in this new ongoing series from New York Times Best Seller BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY (Scott Pilgrim) and dazzling newcomer LESLIE HUNG!
Forgive the massive generalisation, but there are going to be readers above a certain age who just aren’t going to get Snotgirl, and more’s the pity. In bringing his trademark rapid-fire dialogue and focus on youth culture bang up to date with today’s blogging and texting culture, Bryan Lee O’Malley has most likely alienated a large chunk of his book’s potential audience – and it’s all the more glorious for it.
Issue #1 introduces us to Lottie Person, an ironically named, fabulously successful fashion blogger who’s vapid and highly judgemental of the rest of the world while simultaneously insecure beyond belief about her lack of true friends (Twitter pals don’t count, apparently) and diabolical allergies…hence the title. After being abandoned by her ‘friends’ – she was supposed to meet Cutegirl (“too cute”) and Normgirl (“boring? normie? whatever”) for their regular Haters’ Brunch – Lottie makes the acquaintance of Caroline (aka Coolgirl), a beacon of effortless chic whom she immediately latches onto. Things don’t go so well for the pair, which you might expect after seeing barely a page of how our hero spends her days.
Lottie is frustrated that her condition – drowning in mucus and eye-gunk whenever a blade of grass is within a fifty-foot radius – forces her to lead a double life: the glamorous persona she creates for her fans and the unfashionable, sticky reality she attempts to hide from the world. The allegory is apt for anyone who grew up with the internet; we all lead double lives via a series of carefully (or carelessly, depending on your desired image) curated social media profiles, websites and usernames, and most of us would rather keep the less pleasant aspects of our personalities under wraps.
Leslie Hung’s expressive, manga-influenced art brings a warmth and a manic quality to O’Malley’s script, starkly contrasting the warring sides of Lottie’s personality without shying away from the gory details. The sparkles, pastel colours and ostentatious character designs gives Snotgirl the air of a high-budget soap opera on cocaine, which is even more entertaining than it sounds.
Hung and O’Malley work in perfect synchronicity to bring hilarious, otherwise low-key moments to vivid life (a silent exchange between Lottie and Cutegirl, who are placed on opposite sides of a cafe window, contains some of the best, most authentic fictional texting ever put into print) and give Lottie’s minor crises an OTT urgency that makes Snotgirl a ridiculously pleasurable read. Why isn’t this book in your sticky, bogey-covered hands already?!
Rating: 10/10
Mark Allen
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Originally published July 20, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
