Sidescrollers

Written by Matthew Loux
Illustrated by Matthew Loux
Oni Press

Oni Press does a great job of publishing independent graphic novels of high quality, and Sidescrollers is no exception.

The plot on this one is fairly simple. One of our guys likes a hot girl who's dating the idiot jock. With the help of his two friends, he decides to take it out on said jock, using two deadbeats as wingmen. This is not the best plan when you're small and geeky and he heads the whole football team.

Our team of misfits ends up having to run from him all over the place, making mayhem as they go, but what happens when the damsel is most definitely in distress? Can they summon the nerve to stop the jock? And will they make it to the best concert of the year (which is of course an indie rock/punk band with one of their brothers playing bass)? Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself.

This book is the story of three friends, recently graduated from high school, and the hijinks they create over the course of a single day while searching for games, food, women, and the best Street Fighter score. (I can totally relate to this, though I usually didn't have friends to do this with.) There's a real "Clerks" and "Mallrats" vibe going on, given that we have three ordinary guys who work menial jobs and there's even two mischief makers that fill the Jay and Silent Bob parts.

This is not to say that it's a clone of Smith's work, but it definitely falls under the same category. If you like Kevin Smith, you should like this. If you find Smith and the film genre he inhabits annoying, then you probably would be best to avoid Sidescrollers.

You can't think too hard on this one, or you'll start wondering how three very recognizable boys can get into this much trouble without any cops. Just enjoy the ride, and especially the casual geek jokes. I'll share two of them: Sister Kissing Luke and Leia and video game dreams with Link, Pikachu, and...E. Honda?

The fun here is in the little touches, like being proud of your name on the video game high score at the mall. These guys are over the top, sure, but let's face it...they really aren't that removed from your friends, are they? I had a great time reading this, and I think all the geeks in the room will like it, too.