By Dustin Cabeal
If there was one book I wasn’t expecting to continue due to how batshit crazy it was, it was Mean Girls Club. I’m stoked that it did because the first volume/story of this series was absolutely mental. It’s also amazing in what it does. I won’t say that these women are strong role models, but I’m happy the story exists. In thinking of it, I flipped the genders, and suddenly I could think of similar stories that I had read. I couldn’t think of another single story that had women.
These ladies smoke, cruse, do drugs, have little remorse for the loss of human life outside of their own. You’ve likely read a hundred stories with male characters exactly like this, but what makes it special is that it is women this time around and the fucking artwork.
The story is straightforward. The town’s mayor is trying to get rid of the Mean Girls Club because they’re out of control, but also for a petty grudge from the past. He sics the police after them, but they fail to stop the ladies. He instead uses a fix-it woman named Roxy as a spy to help him. Roxy needs medicine for her sick grandpa, and the cheap-ass mayor promises a lot of money that he’s not likely to deliver on. If only Roxy had read the first volume because the girls could have helped her grandpa by just barging into the hospital and taking whatever, he needed.
The dialogue is at times rough. There’s not a great flow to it because its almost as if everyone is yelling the entire story, but that’s also part of its charm. There’s a ton of humor though. How often do you get to see a woman or even a man yell, “I’m going to fuck your eye sockets with your own limp dick.” Not often enough. There are dozens of lines like that including a lot of visually funny gags.
The artwork though is what makes this story truly special. It’s throwback pinup-esc style captures your attention instantly. There isn’t a great flow to the action or storytelling due to the style, but it works well enough for what it’s trying to accomplish. That and it looks so damn good. The ladies are only distinguishable by their hair color and clothing, but it works. It's not trying to be highbrow, but it certainly is trying to be flashy and awesome. It succeeds.
This is a quick fun read, and I dare say you might even want to give it to your teenage daughter to read. Maybe talk to them about the drug and alcohol use at some point… and the violence, but I’m sure it’ll blow their fucking mind. Hell, it’ll blow most people’s minds which is why I’m so happy its back with another story. Here’s to many more.
Score: 4/5
Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn
Ryan Heshka
Nobrow Press