Review for whole 8 issues:
I never though, that I will say this (truth to be told, I never thought, that I'll be reading series about teenage girls with thongs sticking out of their jeans),
but Bellybuttons will take you on the crazy emotional rollercoaster.
As first albums are more episodic, where each one or two pages are some short story, you are wondering what's to it. Everything turns around three friends, two dumb popular girls (b*tches),
who are basically abusing her third friend, only one of them with some intelligence and reasonable interests.
They are sabotaging her relationships, breaking her confidence and plotting against her, while convincing her that they are actually doing her good.
So as you watching them, you just wishing those two the worst and waiting for karma to hit them. Hit them hard...
Some of the scenes are pretty bad, frequently behind the line of bullying and even the felony (scene with the purse dog for example...)
Here I have some problem as I don't know who is the target audience for this. There is not so much girly stuff happening, and some situations are setting up really bad example.
But on the other hand, there are a lot of pretty cool jokes and funny situations (although quite often based on miscommunication and misunderstanding),
and series and with the time series is introducing pretty interesting and funny characters. One of them who you will truly hate even more then original ones.
After first one or two albums the narration is switching to the longer story arcs, where there is some more visible character and story development, and about that time you will get hooked up.
Personal life, fears, insecurities and problems are getting more spotlight and series starting to make more sense. In a way, some themes that are introduced, are quite brave for the time it was first published.
Last three albums are pretty good, especially when our wallflower wakes up, and turns to somebody completely different. Too bad we didn't get final albums with some wrap up and conclusion. And probably we will never get.
Even the jokes are better and I really loved some of the scenes (like brain cells in the thongs and so ...)
Visually it's pretty good and cartoonish style really suits the theme and overall mood. Some of the covers are also pretty well made in a way they are communicating main tone of the whole book.
So as the start was quite unconvincing, it really grew on me, became some kind of guilty pleasure, and now I feel bad that I never get proper closure.