Clubbing by Andi Watson and Josh Howard is the third release from the Minx Imprint that features scantily clad “goth” girl Charlotte “Lottie” Brook. The story is narrated by Lottie and here is the back blurb:
A spoiled, rebellious London girl takes on the stuffy English countryside in CLUBBING. The crime: Getting caught with a fake I.D. at a posh London nightclub. The punishment: Spending the summer at her Grandparent’s stuffy country club. But Charlotte “Lottie” Brook, best known for her mile-high platforms, an expendable wi-fi account and an unbridled passion for classic lit, will end up doing more than just serving time in country boot camp. In between avoiding the strange locals and cake decorating contests, Lottie will narrowly escape romance and end up solving a murder mystery on the 19th hole of her Grandparent’s golf course.
Through Lottie’s “flashback” she brings us up to speed with how she was exiled to the country with her grandparents for the summer. Using Photoshop to pass off a fake ID to a West End nightclub, Lottie gets caught and sent to her grandparents posh country club in the London country for punishment or redemption.
Country life promises to be dull for Lottie especially since she can’t use her mobile phone or her laptop. I sympathized with her when she had to change her three hundred dollar Bette Noir heels for practical boots. Being exploited for “teen labor”, Lottie works at the Pro Shop. In Lottie’s eyes there is no one around who doesn’t require a hearing device or utilizes a walker. Until she meets golf enthusiast, Howard. No worries about a romance blooming since Lottie’s not interested in “dating any rough-arsed muck spreaders.” Mostly we see Lottie adapt to life in the country for most of the story until there’s a murder. Howard and Lottie get to work on their detective skills that ends with a comic book style finish.
I enjoyed this title very much. Andi Watson’s work is new to me and he seems to be very much respected. The artwork was much better than The Re-Gifters to me but then it’s not overly stylistic and mostly pretty static. I liked Lottie. The engaging parts were watching her adjust to the country life, sticking out like a sore thumb. Everything is foreign to her. Many teens could identify with her in that situation. I know I did and I’m not a teen. Life without the Internet or my mobile phone? Shudder. This title is worth checking out. So far The Re-Gifters and Clubbing from the Minx Imprint is getting B’s from me thus far. The Minx website does has a teaser for you to enjoy.
