Image Comics 2016
Written by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Illustrated by Leslie Hung
Coloured by Mickey Quinn
Lettered by Mare Odomo
Oh my this is an odd one. I like it though it’s certainly not at all what you would anticipate it being and that’s a huge draw. Last issue Lottie thought she made a new friend who saw her in the bathroom and created a nickname for her, Snottie. This sent her into a blind range and she killed her or that’s how it looked….
We open up with Lottie at home in bed wondering how she got there and what happened to coolgirl, Caroline. What comes next is kind of outrageous. Bryan does a great job here with the story, characterization and how he advances things. Sure she’s as fashion blogger but apparently when she puts her mind to something she’s able to act like something of an amateur detective. Is she good at it? No she’s not she gets distracted too easily with personal grooming and maintenance. Still it’s a nice direction to see her taking considering the state she was in upon waking up.
We are introduced to a new character this issue, Esther Dumont, who is Lottie’s unpaid intern. Who knew Lottie was big and famous enough to warrant someone wanting to be her intern? Yet another new development in the story that not screams for further exploration but surprises the heck out the reader. It’s here that we learn another piece of the puzzle of what’s happening in Lottie’s life and boy is it a doozy.
I’ll give this much away it’s kind of taking a Single White Female kind of turn here. Who would have thought she was interesting or popular enough that someone would go all kinds of Jennifer Jason Leigh? Don’t get me wrong it’s an amazing good development that adds quite a bite to what’s going on here it’s just that Bryan sprung this upon us out the clear blue sky and it makes me wonder what else he’s capable of throwing at us over the course of this series.
There’s a lot more interesting stuff happening here than you can shake a stick at. I mean the dynamic between Lottie and her friends is on full display. The characterization of these girls is marvelously done and you begin to see just how shallow and thoughtless these girls are living the most superficial lives. It’s a serious satirical look at Lottie and I have to say it’s so much more interesting and downright fascinating than I was prepared for.
The interiors here are more girlie all-ages in style but don’t let that lull you into the deeper parts of the story. It’s cute, fun and expressive which gives Leslie and Mickey a chance to really show off what they are capable of producing. The flow through the pages and panels are very well done and while i’m a huge backgrounds advocate what we get here is more cartoon satire in nature and doesn’t really need them, though i’d like some.
Clever and witty in the most surprising ways this is roller coaster ride that takes you places fast and furious through a myriad of twists and turns that will leave you wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into.