A stylishly snotty story

‘Snotgirl volume two’ comic review

By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor

Snotgirl is a comic that follows the highs and lows of glitzy fashion blogger Lottie Person. Volume one of this series has a plot centring mainly on introducing Lottie to the world, alongside all her quirks and larger-than-life personality. The second half of the first volume, however, begins to take a hellish slope into bleaker subject matter. Snotgirl volume two continues the ominous storyline as it delves deeper into the darker side of this fictious world.

Snotgirl is scripted by Bryan Lee O’Malley—writer and artist of the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim vs. the World—with artwork by Leslie Hung. Snotgirl volume two, containing Issues 6 to 10, was published on May 23, 2018.

The artwork alone is good enough to buy the comic. The features are representational of traditional comic art, but the anatomy and expressions are realistic. The colours done by Rachael Cohen are also vivid and beautiful. I think one of the main reasons I love Snotgirl is because of the mystical quality of the art. It looks like a more beautiful version of our world, but one still within reach—as though if we only had long, shiny green hair, we could have the deific demeanor of Lottie too. Another interesting aspect is how some characters are drawn and coloured without makeup, then in other illustrations they are wearing different makeup on different days, capturing how people are in real life.

Seeing as Lottie and her friends are bloggers, with Lottie being a fashion blogger, there had to be a focus on fashion in the art—and there is. Every page models Lottie and her friends in gorgeous fashion-forward outfits. Whether she’s wearing a short, metallic blue dress with a heart cut out above her bust and matching, thigh-high platform heels, or a fluffy pink tube top, Lottie’s trendiness is always cut with a specific edge (possibly her bright green hair).

Lottie is a magnetic personality. She is the centre of attention in the readers’ eyes as much as in the perspectives of other characters around her. Every guy wants to be with her (and every girl, too), yet she blatantly dismisses them. Somehow, though, it doesn’t seem rude because it’s just a Lottie thing. The characters around her have posters of her above their beds, pictures of her on their walls, an obsession with her blog, and even purchase the clothes she sells just to be like her. Reading Snotgirl makes you feel like really, you’re the centre of attention, which just adds to the fun.

What keeps Lottie grounded (and the reader from hating her) is that she’s not so perfect. She has a major secret—allergies—hence the comic’s name. She keeps her embarrassing, mucus-y truth from all her friends (except for one who figures it out and nicknames her Snottie).

Lottie’s witty humour shows up in just about every conversation she has, down to the nicknames she has for everyone she knows: Misty (Cutegirl), Meg (Normgirl), Caroline (Coolgirl), et cetera. Her friends are just as entertaining, as Lottie and her two best friends hold a “haters’ brunch” every month just to hate on things.

Besides her runny nose situation, and despite seeming like she’s got it all, the poor girl can’t seem to catch a break. Lottie explores murder mysteries, romance, insecurities, and all things fashion fame brings in Snotgirl volume two.