Let me preface this with the fact that I have been reading Snotgirl since day 1. I have been obsessed since I read an early edition of the first issue. It is one of the few titles I have never taken off my pull list at the local comic shop. From the first page, I was completely entranced by Leslie Hung’s art and by the terrible person that is Lottie Person, famous fashion blogger. I am an addict and a supplier, because I have successfully gotten many others addicted so that I have someone to talk to about my addiction.
SPOILER WARNING for those who have not read the first two volumes/ first ten issues of Snotgirl.*
There has always been something truly enchanting about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s writing. His characters are never perfect. In fact, a lot of the time, they are a mess, but a very human mess, which always makes me want to keep reading. (If you recognize the name but aren’t sure why, he is the genius behind Scott Pilgrim.) He does that with Snotgirl protagonist Lottie Person. Lottie is a famous fashion blogger with her own line of leisure wear, millions of social media followers, and really bad allergies. Oh, and green hair, of course. She also has only two friends. I say friends, but they are the worst friends in the world and are also blogger/influencer-type people. Lottie is the beautiful hot mess you love to read more about; she is like watching that one reality show that you are a little ashamed you watch but can’t stop for some reason. (Something we all understand even better in quarantine!) Her life is always full of drama, and when it’s not, she is bored. But, she is also very human. She is gorgeous with an incredible figure yet is still extremely insecure about what people think of her.
Most of the first two story arcs revolved around Lottie meeting Caroline (a.k.a. Coolgirl) who she is completely entranced by, along with ex-boyfriend and friend drama. Also, a stalker or two and possible murder. In the first story arc, Lottie thinks she murders Coolgirl in a bar bathroom, and then Coolgirl and Lottie push the ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend off a roof. She also somehow survives. But, as the story progresses and the layers fall in to place, you start to question: Is Coolgirl actually alive?
We are not disappointed in Snotgirl: Volume 3 – Is This Real Life which is a question you ask yourself a few times while reading it. Much more of this arc makes you question what is real. A good chunk of the third installment is about the mystery surrounding Coolgirl. We’ve seen her covered in blood on a bathroom floor, then days later she is fine and acting as if nothing has happened. She also always looks flawlessly, yet effortlessly, perfect, has an amazing house that no one knows how she affords, a brother who is basically a servant, and a strange hold on Lottie. Not to sound like Gossip Girl, but who is she and is that a secret she will ever tell? We get some juicy morsels of info in this arc.
If you were reading Snotgirl and fell off for any reason, hop back on. This is where things get weirder and even more deliciously dramatic and enticing. If you haven’t read Snotgirl but read this whole review anyway, take a chance. Snotgirl is for those who love drama, a dash of murder, mystery, and those characters you love to hate like Lottie.
Creative Team: Bryan Lee O’Malley (writer), Leslie Hung (artist)
Publisher: Image Comics
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