'Scott Pilgrim' scribe tackles 'Snotgirl'

You've seen comic-book heroes who can shrink, wear armored suits, wield magical hammers and throw batarangs. Only the dude responsible for Scott Pilgrim, though, would give us a girl with the "powers" of snot.

The upcoming Image Comics series Snotgirl marks the first ongoing monthly comic for Pilgrim scribe Bryan Lee O'Malley and artist Leslie Hung and is a dark comedy centered in the world of fashion blogging.

Lottie is a dynamic online writer whose famous cyber-persona is described as "flawless and fun." Her real life, though, is the exact opposite, having recently been dumped and finding herself unable to get along with her fellow bloggers.

Plus, O'Malley and Hung both have bad allergies so they decided to give them to Lottie, too.

"She's this beautiful girl who might turn into a snotty mess at any moment," says O'Malley, whose Scott Pilgrim graphic-novel series was adapted into Edgar Wright's 2010 movie starring Michael Cera. "We started calling her 'Snotgirl' thinking we would come up with a better title later, but it stuck."

Lottie projects a carefree attitude as well as poise and grace, but inside she's a bit of "a scared little weasel," admits O'Malley.

Hung agrees. "She's vain but insecure and self-aware, which makes it hard for her to reveal herself to the people that are closest to her."

The character has an immediate connection with a new girl on the scene named Caroline, though Lottie needs to keep from messing up that potential friendship.

"Caroline is the dream. She's perfect," O'Malley says. "Lottie struggles all day every day to be 80% of a Caroline. Caroline rolls out of bed at 110%."

Adds Hung: "Everything Caroline does seems effortless to Lottie, whose every move is highly calculated."

O'Malley sees fashion blogging as sort of an illusion.

"Anyone who uses Instagram knows how it feels," the writer explains. "You're putting yourself out there, but just in these curated moments. Maybe the rest of your life is a mess!"

And Hung is fascinated by how powerful social media can be. "Even the most popular bloggers seem surprised by their own power," she says. "News outlets report on viral videos and tweets, and young people are flocking to meet and greet their favorite bloggers in person. It's like anyone can be famous on the Internet. It's a new form of celebrity."

Hung describes Snotgirl as "kind of like Sex and the City meets American Psycho," and O'Malley feels the vibe is comparable to Heathers.

"It's dark as hell, but it takes place in a heightened world," he says. "The characters are lovable and ridiculous, and then they do terrible things to each other."