A Review of Bryan Lee O’Malley (writer) and Leslie Hung’s (artist) Snotgirl Vol. 2

[lesliejfernandez]

A Review of Bryan Lee O’Malley (writer) and Leslie Hung’s (artist) Snotgirl Vol. 2: California Screaming.
By Stephen Hong Sohn

Bryan Lee O’Malley (writer) and Leslie Hung (artist) are back with another set of Lottie Person’s escapades in Snotgirl Vol. 2: California Screaming. B&N provides us with this pithy description: “From the creator of SCOTT PILGRIM! Lottie Person is a glamorous fashion blogger living her best life in L.A. - at least that's what she wants you to think. CALIFORNIA SCREAMING finds Lottie putting the past behind her and trying to make the best of a bad situation - her life! Lottie's new bestie is an emotional roller coaster: first she died, and then she killed someone. Who will Caroline hurt next, and what is her brother Virgil doing here? What secret is Detective John Cho seeking in the desert? Why did Cutegirl ghost her sister? Is Normgirl really going to marry Ashley? And what in god's name did Sunny ever see in Charlene? These questions and many others may possibly be answered in SNOTGIRL, VOL. 2: CALIFORNIA SCREAMING!”

Much of the success of California Screaming depends upon a subjective response to Lottie Person: do you give her much room to be so fixated upon her image? The answer ends up being quite important, especially because we see how often she hides her insecurities in order to present herself as an absolutely put-together “fashion blogger,” who does not have to worry about such unrefined things as excessive mucous, the likes of which continually plague her due to her allergies. Her frenemies—as we cannot necessarily call them friends—are equally problematic in what might be considered superficial fixations, so we’re left continually grasping at the next level of depth in this installment. O’Malley does give us that level when addressing what’s gone on with Charlene, who had previously been pushed off a building (by Caroline, one of Lottie’s complicated, obsessive relationships). Hung’s manga-like drawings are absolutely effective in drawing out the spectacular surfaces necessary for characters like these. And there are enough loose ends still left at the end of this volume to let us know we’re still due for more hijinks from Lottie and her fellow denizens.  

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Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Leslie J. Fernandez

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Leslie J. Fernandez, PhD Student in English, at lfern010@ucr.edu