Scooter Girl

(Oni, 2003-2004)
™ and © Chynna Clugston-Major

Chynna Clugston–Major’s world is a strange one. It’s one where the 60s mod culture took root worldwide and never went away and one where a girl has the power to turn the coolest guy in the universe into a bumbling clod and then a pariah simply by walking into the same room. Her dream world might be just that, but it’s one that’s charmingly brought to life here.

As with many a romantic comedy, the relationship between boy and girl starts off, not with romance, but with hatred. Actually, that’s too kind: Margaret doesn’t come to hate Ashton; she comes to despise him, his attitude, his every action and thought. All the while, the arrogant Ashton sees his life destroyed, bit by bit.

Of course, Clugston–Major postulates that there may be a centuries-old reason for this, which adds even more dimension and appeal to her story. It’s the same kind of charm that she instills in her Blue Monday comics; anyone familiar with those would enjoy this. As would anyone who wants to see just how this volatile relationship turns amorous.

— Jim Johnson

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