After a six-month break, Snot Girl & Co are back in action. Snot Girl #7 is the second book in arc two, which ended with Charlene (Sunny’s new girlfriend), “falling” off the top of a building on New Year’s Eve. Issue #6 gave us some clues as to the general shape of this arc: lots of back story, and an ever-expanding cast of characters.

In issue #7, Caroline “Coolgirl” joins the crew in what Lottie calls “friendtegration”. At the same time, Charlene wakes up from her coma and the “fashion police” continue their off-the-books investigation. All three storylines give us more Virgil, whose status is more slippery than yards of fake silk. By the end of the issue, the girls are well on their way to San Diego for a mid-con blogger party. Charlene may or may not have revisited the scene of her fall as well as Caroline’s strange origins (see issues 1-4). Either way, her plastic surgery does NOT go as planned, and yes, that was most definitely Virgil performing “physical therapy”.

While creators Leslie Hung (artist) and Bryan Lee O’Malley (writer) call this a new arc, it’s certainly worth reading the first five issues before diving in. Arc One built a solid foundation of character connections. It may not be heavy on plot, but the inner-workings of Hung and O’Malley’s cast is almost impossible to explain in summary.

Snot Girl is a fascinating exercise. It took me a while to jump on the train, but now I don’t know what life would be like with Haters Brunch. I think that has a lot to do with Hung and O’Malley’s character-heavy story. I come away from every issue feeling like I’ve gotten a behind the scenes peek at the internet elite, which is, frankly, all I’ve ever wanted in life. Reading Snot Girl is like reading trashy paparazzi magazines, without the guilt of invading a real person’s privacy.

Hung’s artwork, too, is masterful. I would flip through lookbooks by her for hours, if they existed. (hint. Do the thing.) There is something delightful about the “classic” manga style applied to an undeniably American setting. The application may or may not lend itself to a comment on our fetishization of all things Japanese, especially considering the consumerist themes of the book itself. Thanks to Hung, our fashion-conscious cast never wears the same thing twice. It’s easy to believe that these girls have overstuffed closets in their tiny apartments, and that each item they put on has been carefully curated before they even consider walking out the door.

If I knew these people in real life, I would hate them, and you probably would, too. However, kept at the safe distance of “being fictional”, and dressed in what can only be described as the weirdest (and yet coolest?) couture I’ve ever seen, I can’t wait to find out what kind of trouble they get themselves into next.

Story: Brian Lee O’Malley Art: Leslie Hung Color: Rachael Cohen
Lettering: Maré Odomo Cover Color: Jason Fischer
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy!

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review