Flavor Girls #2 is written and drawn by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky, colored by Eros De Santiago and Locatelli-Kournwsky, and published by Boom! Studios. After being chosen as a guardian in the previous issue, Sara begins her training, trying to catch up to the rest of the Flavor Girls. 

Sara’s transformation from regular civilian clothes to her Flavor Girls costume may be magical, but unfortunately, the uniform doesn’t give her increased physical skills. Instead, she’s going to have to do the good old training montage. To get her combat ready, Sara trains with the other Flavor Girls, their master, and one of the other residents of the temple, Matilda. 

While Sara trains with Matilda, she and the reader are given a glimpse into Matilda’s background. During an Agarthan attack, Matilda’s partner was killed, and she lost her leg saving their son. She would have died if V hadn’t been around to intervene. But Matilda’s story, while painful and tragic, is far from unique. 

And that’s the duality of Flavor Girls: underneath the soft colors and pretty fruit-themed costumes is a society on the brink of collapse, an alien threat barely held back by 4 girls, and a source of magic that is all but spent. 

In addition to the main story, there’s a secondary story called The House: A Flavor Girls Story, which Locatelli-Kournwsky notes is a “very broad adaptation” of the movie House by Nobuhiko Obayashi. This story was extremely confusing. I’ve never seen the source material, so any references went right over my head. But if it’s a loose adaptation, then I feel that it should be at least mostly understandable to the reader. I assume it’s meant to be a side story that takes place during the main timeline, but it’s unclear if this is a canon story. 

The art in The House: A Flavor Girls Story is a bit different from the main story. The drawing is more stylized, the colors more muted, and the textures are changed. All of these choices make perfect sense, making it clear that canon or not, this story is an extra, a bonus, not a postscript for the main story. The ideas were good, the art amazing, and the execution just okay. 

Just like in the first issue, the art in the main story of Flavor Girls #2 is beautiful. Locatelli-Kournwsky continues building a world that is both beautiful and hanging on by a thread. With the help of De Santiago’s colors, the apocalypse has never looked so soft and beautiful. Apocalypse, but make it Instagrammable. 

While dropping lore about the Mother Tree, Mamrea, Locatelli-Kournwsky illustrates a beautiful panel showing the way Mamrea grows throughout the entire planet. She is the heart of the world, connecting not only the Flavor Girls but the entire world. And this drives home how important it is to protect her from the Agarthans who want to kill her. 

When judged separately, the main story is an easy 5 (out of 5) stars, while the second story is a 3 (out of 5 stars) read. An A+ and a C, respectively. Ultimately, I enjoyed Flavor Girls #2, and I would highly recommend picking it up, especially to fans of magical girl stories, as this comic continues to use elements of the magical girl formula with a twist.

GRADE: B-