Me on Mia & Co #1

Title: Mia & Co #1 (Mia & Co #1)
Author: Vandya
Artist: Nicolas Hitori De
Release Date: April 19, 2017
Publisher: Europe Comics

Mia, Gauthier, Louka and Zouzou are inseparable. Like most teenagers, they'd much rather be playing video games or making music than doing their homework. Mia, the only girl in the group, doesn't really seem to click with the other girls in her class. But as they grow up, her tight-knit friendship group will become more and more complicated as girl-boy relationships start to get interesting…

Mia & Co #1 is an interesting slice of life kind of story, focusing on a teen girl and her group of friends as they begin those difficult high school and teenage years. Things used to be about hanging out, watching TV and playing video games, but not so much anymore.

Mia's happy for things to continue as they were. Hanging out with her friends, Gauthier, Louka, and Zouzou. Playing video games, spending time at the apartment where Wilfried and his grandfather live, and what new college students they're hosting. Listening to music. So what if Mia doesn't have any friends who are girls? So what if some of the girls in her school find her standoffish, purposely exclude her? Things are fine as they are. Until they change, bit by bit. Until crushes and dating enter the conversation. Until Mia's grades maybe aren't the best. Until they don't all share the same interests. But they're still friends.

I really enjoyed the art and the character design, it's different than both the North American comics and the Japanese manga I've read recently. I like the look of the thin line work on the characters and the backgrounds, the different buildings and cars, the broad smiles and the open grin on Mia's face. All the colours of the characters against all the beige of walls and buildings. And they all have their own style, the boys all different varieties of jeans and hoodies with Mia's leggings, hoodie, and sneakers. It's an art style that I enjoyed page after page.

This was easy-going and fun, exactly what I'd expected when I started reading it. I would definitely recommend this to fans of other slice of life and contemporary comics, stories like Horimiya and Friends with Boys.

(I downloaded an e-galley of this title from Europe Comics through NetGalley.)