“Otra and Winter have that thing I look for in Yuri – that inexplicable electricity that make a couple work for me.” So I said, in my review of Girly, Volume 1.

Imagine my surpise, then, to find that quote printed on the back cover of Girly, Volume 2! O_O

Okay, so we left Otra and Winter just past the cusp of them becoming a couple at the end of Volume 1 – a pretty darn satisfying place to end the book. Volume 2 picks up with them in the thrall of post-coital bliss, oogling at each other and other general besotted behaviors that thrill couples, but make their friends gag. ^_^

But, of course, this would not be Girly – or indeed, any of Josh’s work – if it were merely two happy campers camping happily. So, into Otra and Winter’s new bliss please insert a mysterious woman who appears to be stalking Winter – and who has a shocking (shock!) secret – a creative deadline Otra must face, men obsessed with their penises, women who scream, Captain Fist, Chupacabra the irresistibly attractive criminal and, of course – elephants.

My wife had guests over when I read this volume and my chortling, not to mention the occasional burst of hysterical laughter, really freaked them out. ^_^ (One of the guests made a very interesting point. I was explaining something amusing in some Marimite scene or other to the wife when Guest commented “You talk about these characters as if they were friends.” Which I suppose is true. And probably one of the key things that defines “fan” in its most basic sense, as in “fanatic.” I know plenty of people who act like the way a sports figure plays affects them, personally. I know people who obsess over television characters, parsing their every move and word…so, yeah. BTW, Guest had a obsession with “My Little Ponies” so hey, pot, kettle, black, lady. ^_^)

Girly is brain candy in the largest sense – it’s silly, probably not very good for you and enjoyable as hell. There is very little profundity here, but Josh’s shameless use of every concept he can come up with, in ways that often invalidate his story and make your head hurt, is great entertainment.

There’s a teeny little dip in energy in this book from the last that I attribute more to things the author was dealing with as he put it together, rather than to any lack in the comic itself. There’s less “oomph” somehow in the incidental art. But I may just be reading into it.

Ratings:

Art – Variable and random
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 9
Service – Impossible to judge accurately, I think. Let’s say 3, just to account for nudity and some other stuff.

Overall – 8

As I’m sitting here typing, the strip with the “movie about guns” just popped into my head and I started laughing. ^_^ “Oh no, it’s a ray gun!”