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SideScrollers
Brian, Brad and Matt are best described as lovable perpetual losers. They're good guys who just lack direction and are all too happy to be enjoying that lazy time after high school. Their favorite thing to do in life is to play video games, eat junk food and kick around the suburban town they live in. All of this tranquil laziness is interrupted when Brian, Brad and Matt discover that the new girl Amber (of whom Matt is sweet on) is going to that night's big local rock show with Richard, the bully football jock. Determined to steer her away from Richard, the boys are launched off of their lazy rears and forced into a grand adventure. Chased by an irate football team, a vengeful troop of Girl Scouts and a stalking evil cat that may actually be possessed by Satan, our heroes are thrust into a giant rock 'n' roll videogame adventure.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 31, 2012
Meh, boys behaving badly. Three teens (who apparently just graduated high school) getting into trouble, playing too many video games, and fighting with football players over geeky girls. There are elements of Scott Pilgrim, and very little context. It feels like the adventure in the middle of a larger story about these guys, who they are, where they're headed.
The main notable thing is the illustration style. Loux likes his corners SHARP - everything is spiky. Hardly anything is at a right angle. It's kind of neat to look at, but I found it distracting.
I don't know - maybe others will find it some kind of victory story for geeks and outsiders everywhere, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe if it had been in color, on glossy pages, I might have liked it more.
The main notable thing is the illustration style. Loux likes his corners SHARP - everything is spiky. Hardly anything is at a right angle. It's kind of neat to look at, but I found it distracting.
I don't know - maybe others will find it some kind of victory story for geeks and outsiders everywhere, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe if it had been in color, on glossy pages, I might have liked it more.
March 13, 2014
Side Scrollers was a very enjoyable comic, this was very easy to get into. I really liked this comic because the characters related to me a lot, especially Matt, which is funny because we have the same name. One of my most favorite things in the world is video games, and it's nice to pick up a comic and immediately relate to the characters within the first couple pages. The jokes in this comic were clever and funny, The art style went along with the comic perfectly, and the personalities of the characters fit the story very well. I would highly recommend this comic to anyone.
March 27, 2017
I laughed out loud. Love the art in these. And the facial expressions. But just say no to vandalism, kids! #TBFLive
May 23, 2015
This was a lot of fun. It definitely helped to fill the void left by Scott Pilgrim. The dated references cracked me up: green ketchup, Darth Maul, call-waiting, Zima. Good times.
November 2, 2018
Sidescrollers by Matthew Loux is a story about 3 friends and one crazy day. Throughout the boys day they go many different places while getting chased my the football jocks, and looking of a crush. The boys end up at a concert with the jocks and the girl all there and with the help of the band take down the jocks, and one of them gets the girl.
June 13, 2021
Sidewinders reads like a collection of overused teen movie cliches. A group of underachieving gamers/geeks. Check. The Jay and Silent Bob burnouts. Check. The football player/bully who is dating the love interest of one of the geeks. Check. The girl written by a male writer with absolutely zero character development and who exists only to be the obsession of the hero of the story. Check.
Sadly this book missed the mark despite having a lot of potential. The artwork was unique and really worked for the story. And some of the conversations between the characters really did feel fun and authentic (the discussion as to which cereal mascot would win in a fight was a great diversion from the main story). But the main characters ultimately all sort of blended into one, with no real discernible personalities. The main villain of the book, Richard the football player/bully, also fell flat, but for a different reason. He was just way too over the top. He was suppose to come off as a jerk but i feel like author Matthew Loux tried too hard to make him a horrible person. He was a bully to pretty much ever one in school and he was an absolute bastard to his girlfriend, which of course she couldn’t figure on her own until the end. And for whatever reason (it certainly doesn’t advance the story and isn’t at all humorous) Loux throws in the side plot that Richard is actually in the closet. This again serves no purpose other than to set up a very clumsy dialogue between Richard and another football player in which he discusses showering after practice. It was an utterly cringeworthy joke and hardly necessary to the overall story.
But probably the biggest strike in this book were the female characters, who could have really used some more character development. The only thing I can say about them is one owned a crazy cat and the other caught the eye of one of the gamers and ultimately needed to be rescued by him.
Sadly this book missed the mark despite having a lot of potential. The artwork was unique and really worked for the story. And some of the conversations between the characters really did feel fun and authentic (the discussion as to which cereal mascot would win in a fight was a great diversion from the main story). But the main characters ultimately all sort of blended into one, with no real discernible personalities. The main villain of the book, Richard the football player/bully, also fell flat, but for a different reason. He was just way too over the top. He was suppose to come off as a jerk but i feel like author Matthew Loux tried too hard to make him a horrible person. He was a bully to pretty much ever one in school and he was an absolute bastard to his girlfriend, which of course she couldn’t figure on her own until the end. And for whatever reason (it certainly doesn’t advance the story and isn’t at all humorous) Loux throws in the side plot that Richard is actually in the closet. This again serves no purpose other than to set up a very clumsy dialogue between Richard and another football player in which he discusses showering after practice. It was an utterly cringeworthy joke and hardly necessary to the overall story.
But probably the biggest strike in this book were the female characters, who could have really used some more character development. The only thing I can say about them is one owned a crazy cat and the other caught the eye of one of the gamers and ultimately needed to be rescued by him.
December 23, 2012
I would have been more irritated by this graphic novel if I could have mustered up enough energy out of my boredom. I couldn't even finish it. Sometimes when a thing in gamer culture in sexist, it does it quietly and subtly, as part of the standard landscape, so you almost don't notice, but this was pretty glaring. Homophobic, relying on the standard ploy of emphasizing a bad guy's bad guyness by implying he's gay, along with a few other hateful comments. The characters are mostly identical except for change of hair/glasses/hat/boobs, which could be a stylistic choice but in light of everything else it counted as a negative, especially since the mold was rail-thin even though everybody sits around playing video games and eating shitty shit junk food, and then they make fun of the fat guy who works at the store. A textbook example of the completely unimaginative, teeth-grindingly boring/irritating banter that passes for humor among the subset of people who don't understand how to make jokes except to recycle standard forms with none of the insight or awareness that made the form amusing in the first place, and allows it to continue to be used effectively in the right hands. Not these hands. I hated the characters - they were not lovable, they were self-centered assholes, and even though I didn't finish it I imagine they triumphed at the end completely undeservedly, which is fine to happen in literature except that it was sold as the Good Guys (Nerds) vs. the Bad Guys (Jocks) which is so tired that it would really need to be justified even one iota to get pulled off, whereas here it was just trotted forth as a given. It's hard to complain about it being juvenile when it's for teens, but I read a lot of graphic novels for teens, and there's a difference between addressing topics that might be considered mostly relevant to juveniles, and being fundamentally, irredeemably, jaw-clenchingly juvenile and intellectually as well as emotionally void.
May 30, 2012
This was my 20th book for the YALSA Best Books reading challenge.
Three friends go throughout one day in search of food, video games, fun, music, and not being beat-up by the town bully who happens to be the captain of the football team. There are loads of references to things that will touch the hearts of geeks everywhere. The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon to name a few. Plus who wouldn't like the story of a bunch of geeks who totally win against the big bad bullies and get the girl?
The idea of this was good. But I didn't like it. There was too much swearing for me to feel comfortable reading this. (The first word of the book is a swear word.) I know that teens probably hear much worse in the halls of their high schools...but that doesn't mean that I really want to read those words over and over again. But I know that some teens don't care or do. So, I'm glad I read this so I know who to recommend this to...but I also know the people (like me) who wouldn't want to read it. I often find that my teens who love to read graphic novels and manga have a higher tolerance of language and illustrations than I do. My teens told me that this book is "normal" and that if I don't like this then I need to be careful as to what other graphic novels I read. There are some great graphic novels, and it turns out I like graphic novels. I just need to look a little closer at the "No Flying No Tights" website to make sure I know if it will be one I will want to read or not. But then again, that is what I tend to do when I read book reviews for regular fiction. I just need to be more proactive about trying to find the graphic novels I will like.
I will say, I did laugh out loud when Brian tried to shoot a "hadoken" at the football player. That was pretty funny. Like I said, I liked the premise of the book. Just not the language.
Three friends go throughout one day in search of food, video games, fun, music, and not being beat-up by the town bully who happens to be the captain of the football team. There are loads of references to things that will touch the hearts of geeks everywhere. The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon to name a few. Plus who wouldn't like the story of a bunch of geeks who totally win against the big bad bullies and get the girl?
The idea of this was good. But I didn't like it. There was too much swearing for me to feel comfortable reading this. (The first word of the book is a swear word.) I know that teens probably hear much worse in the halls of their high schools...but that doesn't mean that I really want to read those words over and over again. But I know that some teens don't care or do. So, I'm glad I read this so I know who to recommend this to...but I also know the people (like me) who wouldn't want to read it. I often find that my teens who love to read graphic novels and manga have a higher tolerance of language and illustrations than I do. My teens told me that this book is "normal" and that if I don't like this then I need to be careful as to what other graphic novels I read. There are some great graphic novels, and it turns out I like graphic novels. I just need to look a little closer at the "No Flying No Tights" website to make sure I know if it will be one I will want to read or not. But then again, that is what I tend to do when I read book reviews for regular fiction. I just need to be more proactive about trying to find the graphic novels I will like.
I will say, I did laugh out loud when Brian tried to shoot a "hadoken" at the football player. That was pretty funny. Like I said, I liked the premise of the book. Just not the language.
October 24, 2014
I really enjoyed this story as it tells literally the story of my life. That is exactly my friends and I. We have no plans for the future and sit around playing video games and I'm too scared to talk to the females I fancy. Minus the vandalizing bully's car part. The art style is interesting as it is only in shades of grey and all of the characters are simply drawn with very thick outlines and sharp edges. I especially love the witty banter between the characters how Brian will get an idea and slide out of hiding in a playground from Richard, the bully, and it's because he needs bbq sauce on his nuggets. So the response is 'idiot...' from Matt and Brad. It was enjoyable to read and I recommend it to anyone who is a highschooler.
March 21, 2014
SideScrollers was about a group of geeky teenagers who had just graduated high school. The story follows them as they toughen up and face their fears. They begin the story very shy and wimpy, but by the end they have grown up and faced their fears. They face the bullies on the football team, one of them finally starts talking to a girl he likes and one ends his fear of a neighborhood cat.
The beginning of the book was a little slow for me but as the story went on i gained interest. I thought it had some funny parts, and because they are about my age I could relate to them a little. I would recommend this book to any teenager who is looking for an entertaining graphic novel.
The beginning of the book was a little slow for me but as the story went on i gained interest. I thought it had some funny parts, and because they are about my age I could relate to them a little. I would recommend this book to any teenager who is looking for an entertaining graphic novel.
June 2, 2017
As part of my new, much more relaxed reading plan, I decided this morning that I was going to select a comic from the shelf and read it. I can say that the end goal is to be more familiar with the comic section at work or to boost reviews on the blog but, honestly, I kind of just want a little thing to look forward to on Fridays that isn't the BuzzFeed cat newsletter, though I do look forward to that too.
I began with Sidescrollers because I had been meaning to pick it up for a long time and whenever I walk past it it mocks me.
Now, I'm going to do some things that I never do.
First, there were a lot of things that I liked about this book. It was fun and funny. It reminded me of a high school movie. It was kind of like Superbad where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. I felt like it was full of tropes and stereotypes but they are tropes and stereotypes that I love. Plus, shenanigans, including evil and good cats, lobsters, and even a scorpion.
But then. You know, do we have to talk about people being pussies all of the time? Or, like, do we have to talk about "tang"? And I hate to be that person because sometimes you have to take things as they are but why do all of the female characters have weird boobs? Why are they basically only there for boobs?
So, yes, I was amused and I laughed and I enjoyed it but I could not in good conscience give it a glowing review.
I began with Sidescrollers because I had been meaning to pick it up for a long time and whenever I walk past it it mocks me.
Now, I'm going to do some things that I never do.
First, there were a lot of things that I liked about this book. It was fun and funny. It reminded me of a high school movie. It was kind of like Superbad where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. I felt like it was full of tropes and stereotypes but they are tropes and stereotypes that I love. Plus, shenanigans, including evil and good cats, lobsters, and even a scorpion.
But then. You know, do we have to talk about people being pussies all of the time? Or, like, do we have to talk about "tang"? And I hate to be that person because sometimes you have to take things as they are but why do all of the female characters have weird boobs? Why are they basically only there for boobs?
So, yes, I was amused and I laughed and I enjoyed it but I could not in good conscience give it a glowing review.
March 23, 2017
I'm not the demographic for this book.
With that in mind, it was enjoyable. It takes a little bit to get into the story. It feels really cheesy and lame at the beginning. I almost did not continue reading. I'm glad I did.
The characters are fun, if shallow. Matt is easily the most relatable, which makes sense since that is obviously the author's persona.
The story is simple and linear, but who cares. It was fun. The art is great. The characters are drawn simply but have enough distinction to easily know who's who. I hate when everyone looks the same in a comic. Super clean lines and shading. I picked his book up for the art style.
I would check out another title from the author. This is an artist trying to be a writer. He's almost there. I believe he can get to a point where the story is on par with the art, which is already tops.
With that in mind, it was enjoyable. It takes a little bit to get into the story. It feels really cheesy and lame at the beginning. I almost did not continue reading. I'm glad I did.
The characters are fun, if shallow. Matt is easily the most relatable, which makes sense since that is obviously the author's persona.
The story is simple and linear, but who cares. It was fun. The art is great. The characters are drawn simply but have enough distinction to easily know who's who. I hate when everyone looks the same in a comic. Super clean lines and shading. I picked his book up for the art style.
I would check out another title from the author. This is an artist trying to be a writer. He's almost there. I believe he can get to a point where the story is on par with the art, which is already tops.
March 26, 2018
Sidescrollers, written and illustrated by Matthew Loux tells the story of three high school degenerates who find themselves spending this summer a little differently than planned. The mundane everyday ritual of meeting up to play video games gets disrupted when the boys find themselves having to face popular jock in order to save a girl that one of the boys in interested in. This graphic novel is relatable to every teenage boy and girl that has experienced the boredom of summer paired with the rush of excitement when placed in a spontaneous situation. Loux uses relatable teenage jargon to help tell this story. I found this aspect of the text to be very entertaining. I felt as if the author was portraying this story in a way where every teenager could relate.
July 23, 2017
uhhhhhhhhhhhhh... ummmmmmmmmmmm... drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Sorry... I momentarily lost the ability to for coherent thoughts after reading this book. It was... I just... there just aren't words. I guess the best description would be the movie "Mallrats" as a graphic novel. I completely understand why many of my male students like it, but I also completely understand why it is on the banned books list! I'm sorry. I need to end this review here. I just can't waste any more of my time talking about or thinking about this book. It's just too painful!
Sorry... I momentarily lost the ability to for coherent thoughts after reading this book. It was... I just... there just aren't words. I guess the best description would be the movie "Mallrats" as a graphic novel. I completely understand why many of my male students like it, but I also completely understand why it is on the banned books list! I'm sorry. I need to end this review here. I just can't waste any more of my time talking about or thinking about this book. It's just too painful!
February 10, 2024
Okay, so the story is about a day in the life of three guys who aren't jocks , TV commercial nerds and play video games all day.
If you read it in 2024, it probably won't be a fun ride because you've already seen all the clichés. The book seems to be written for adults, but it still feels like a story for kids.
Who are you writing for? The kids wont be reading it because it's for adults, but adults won't find it grown enough to enjoy!
The finish is good, so it's a good book to read after lunch.
If you read it in 2024, it probably won't be a fun ride because you've already seen all the clichés. The book seems to be written for adults, but it still feels like a story for kids.
Who are you writing for? The kids wont be reading it because it's for adults, but adults won't find it grown enough to enjoy!
The finish is good, so it's a good book to read after lunch.
October 1, 2018
I finished this book, because I assumed I would eventually find out the point. There was none. There are times when the "day-in-the-life" stories can work, but this one did not work for me.
I've seen this book compared to Scott Pilgrim (which I quite enjoyed) but to me there was no comparison. I never really felt anything for the characters, and it reminded me too much of a dumb teen movie.
As an added bonus, the women were all stereotyped, and even more one-dimensional than the "men."
I've seen this book compared to Scott Pilgrim (which I quite enjoyed) but to me there was no comparison. I never really felt anything for the characters, and it reminded me too much of a dumb teen movie.
As an added bonus, the women were all stereotyped, and even more one-dimensional than the "men."
January 28, 2018
Maybe I would have liked this 20 years ago. It certainly has the emotional outlook and worldview of a high-school slacker, but unfortunately without any of the charm. Everything here is done better by Scott Pilgrim, say.
February 11, 2020
This is genuinely one of the worst graphic novels I've ever read. Outside of being sexist, homophobic, fatphobic (etc), the plot is super nonsensical. There are a lot of quick gags that don't land and are never explained. It's also super incel-y, even being written in the 2000s.
May 9, 2018
A hilarious story of three boys and the mischief they get into over the course of a single afternoon!
May 10, 2018
An average story line with some cool graphics
January 5, 2019
Teen/adult - language, themes
September 24, 2020
Uhhh kinda charming at points? But there’s so much reference nerd humor, as well as some suuuuuper dated gay jokes. Can’t really recommend.
August 17, 2021
A little slice of teen life from the indie kids perspective - really good
May 28, 2023
Liked it more for the nostalgia. Cute dialogue between characters but not much story to it. Kinda felt like a Saturday morning cartoon for people in their early 20s.
August 23, 2010
The characters in this book reminded me of the ones from the Clerks movie so long ago, and that's a good thing. Although I had difficulty distinguishing between two of the characters a couple of times, the drawings are well-done. The story is entertaining and highly amusing; I laughed out loud several times. Very recommended!
GENRE: Graphic Novel: Humor, realistic fiction.
SUBJECT/THEMES: Friendship, romance, video game players.
SUMMARY: Sidescrollers relates the mild adventures of a trio of suburban boys, the summer after they graduated from high school. They spend their time playing video games, admiring women from afar, running from the bullying high school football team, and generally getting into trouble. In the end, they find their inner strength, potential girlfriends, and good times just hanging out.
EVALUATION: I tend to prefer color graphic novels, or more polished black-and-white ones. The characters are drawn so similarly (sharp, angular lines) that I got a couple of them mixed up more than once. Despite this, the facial expressions and animations of the characters (including the demonic cat) are very well done. As for the story, I liked it. The humor style and the aimless characters reminded me of the first “Clerks” movie, which I like very much. There is a fair amount of adult language and some adult-type situations, yet that sort of thing is fine for this age group. Although some of the humor was silly in nature, I found myself rooting for the characters, no matter what bizarre situation they found themselves in. Once I started, I did not put it down until I was finished.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: Most older teenagers will be able to relate to the characters and situations (and the language they use) in Sidescrollers, especially male teens. Graphic novels are always a popular choice among this demographic, and reading a book that makes you laugh is a definite bonus.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
• Re-Gifters by Mike Carey.
• Black Metal Volume 1 by Rick Spears.
• American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
GENRE: Graphic Novel: Humor, realistic fiction.
SUBJECT/THEMES: Friendship, romance, video game players.
SUMMARY: Sidescrollers relates the mild adventures of a trio of suburban boys, the summer after they graduated from high school. They spend their time playing video games, admiring women from afar, running from the bullying high school football team, and generally getting into trouble. In the end, they find their inner strength, potential girlfriends, and good times just hanging out.
EVALUATION: I tend to prefer color graphic novels, or more polished black-and-white ones. The characters are drawn so similarly (sharp, angular lines) that I got a couple of them mixed up more than once. Despite this, the facial expressions and animations of the characters (including the demonic cat) are very well done. As for the story, I liked it. The humor style and the aimless characters reminded me of the first “Clerks” movie, which I like very much. There is a fair amount of adult language and some adult-type situations, yet that sort of thing is fine for this age group. Although some of the humor was silly in nature, I found myself rooting for the characters, no matter what bizarre situation they found themselves in. Once I started, I did not put it down until I was finished.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: Most older teenagers will be able to relate to the characters and situations (and the language they use) in Sidescrollers, especially male teens. Graphic novels are always a popular choice among this demographic, and reading a book that makes you laugh is a definite bonus.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
• Re-Gifters by Mike Carey.
• Black Metal Volume 1 by Rick Spears.
• American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
April 2, 2011
Matthew Loux is going to be a guest at an upcoming comic-themed event I'm programing for the public library I work at, so I wanted to get familiar with some of his work. SideScrollers is a 'one crazy day/night' kind of story, starring a trio of good-hearted but rather aimless guys killing time over the summer before they start college by playing video games, pining after girls they are too shy to hit on, and working at a McDonald's-esque fast food place. When one of the guy's crushes--a new girl who also works at the fast food place--starts dating an eeee-vil football player, the friends decide it's time to stand up to their long-time rival. Hijinks and hilarity ensue, of course, which includes an angry football team looking for blood, overturned lobster tanks in grocery stores, a troop of girl-scouts with a secret talent for Street Fighter games, a 'Satan cat' and a bad ass band.
Loux has a pitch-perfect sense of pop-savvy, ironical, and self-deprecating teenage boy banter. His heroes rag on each other and mock one another's faults and nervousness, but all all-for-one when it comes to someone else picking on one of them. And while SideScrollers is mostly a guy's world, the women who feature in it are rather cool and smart themselves.
Loux also has an interesting drawing style--lots of thick, angular outlines and elongated, yet slouchy figures--and it works well here. What impressed me most, though, was the way he lays out the panels on each page. Some are divided vertically, some diagonally. Some panels are outlined and others kind of bleed into one another. I'm sure there is technical terminology for this that I don't know, but suffice to say, it's a dynamic and visually interesting way of telling a story and I enjoyed it.
Loux has a pitch-perfect sense of pop-savvy, ironical, and self-deprecating teenage boy banter. His heroes rag on each other and mock one another's faults and nervousness, but all all-for-one when it comes to someone else picking on one of them. And while SideScrollers is mostly a guy's world, the women who feature in it are rather cool and smart themselves.
Loux also has an interesting drawing style--lots of thick, angular outlines and elongated, yet slouchy figures--and it works well here. What impressed me most, though, was the way he lays out the panels on each page. Some are divided vertically, some diagonally. Some panels are outlined and others kind of bleed into one another. I'm sure there is technical terminology for this that I don't know, but suffice to say, it's a dynamic and visually interesting way of telling a story and I enjoyed it.
March 25, 2012
I loved Sidescrollers. I loved the dialogue,the art style, the humor pretty much everything about this book. The plot involves three friends Matt, Brian, and Brad who had just finished the school year a month ago (its uncertain whether they were juniors or seniors in high school). One day they see their coworker Amber, who they invite to a concert. Unfortunately, Amber's boyfriend is Richard otherwise known as Dick. Dick is the school bully and the three graffiti his car in retaliation for an incident earlier in the year.Dick hunts them down and chases them all over town until they get to the concert. Matt, Brad and Brian try to blend into the crowd while they then lead the jocks that Dick had sicced on them into the mosh pit where the jocks are beaten to a pulp by the crowd. The remaining jocks chase Matt and Brian while threatening to pulverize them when Brian's younger brother Kevin shows up with his band. Then they all fight, beating up the jocks from the football team. Afterwards, Matt finds Dick trying to talk Amber into having sex with him so Matt trys to stop him and is thrown to the ground. Brian comes out of nowhere and goes all Jackie Chan, destroying Dick. The book ends with a party at Brad's house. This only leaves one question. How will they spend the rest of their summer? I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about teenagers.
June 18, 2018
Sidescrollers is a graphic novel about 3 guys fresh out of high. They were the typical targets in high school, un athletic, in love with video games. They decided enough was enough and decided to get revenge on a football player who tormented them in high school. They then go on a wild chase to escape the football player and his teammates. I personally enjoy this book because it was a fast read and kept me interested. The pictures along with text bubbles make it seem like your reading a movie. Warning to the younger ones trying to read, casual swearing to “connect” with the teens.
February 27, 2008
If you want to talk about funny books, this book is hands down the funniest book I read all last year. Yo uknow it's bad when you give it to all your friends to read and then, as they're flipping pages and giggling, you keep stopping them so you can ask them where they are and relive the joke.
This graphic novel feels a bit like a teen slacker comedy, energized by hilarious dialog, a great trio of friends fighting against an a$$hat of jock to win the love of a girl for one of their crew, and best of all, demonic and angelic cats. There are a plethora of gaming, comics, and geek references, but you don't have to know every one to enjoy the book. Every page is packed with laughs, but it's also a great look at friendship, how to deal (or not deal) with bullying, and how to stand up and be yourself. Plus, demonic cats!
The art is also a perfect fit -- stylized by expressive, and the comic timing inherent in the layout and pacing of the panels is certainly part of what makes it so funny. Some folks I know complained about the oddity of the style -- the sharper angles in everything occasionally make a characters nose or other feature look skewed -- but I felt like it was all right in keeping with Loux's style.
This graphic novel feels a bit like a teen slacker comedy, energized by hilarious dialog, a great trio of friends fighting against an a$$hat of jock to win the love of a girl for one of their crew, and best of all, demonic and angelic cats. There are a plethora of gaming, comics, and geek references, but you don't have to know every one to enjoy the book. Every page is packed with laughs, but it's also a great look at friendship, how to deal (or not deal) with bullying, and how to stand up and be yourself. Plus, demonic cats!
The art is also a perfect fit -- stylized by expressive, and the comic timing inherent in the layout and pacing of the panels is certainly part of what makes it so funny. Some folks I know complained about the oddity of the style -- the sharper angles in everything occasionally make a characters nose or other feature look skewed -- but I felt like it was all right in keeping with Loux's style.
February 23, 2009
I'm definitely not the target audience for this graphic novel (or any YAL graphic novel, for that matter), but I'd like to think I'm still a pretty good judge of quality YAL. The pictures were great--the action sequences were artfully done and fun to follow. I think a teenager might find the jokes in this book funny: the dog who constantly thinks about pooping, the psycho cat who's out to kill Brad, the Spanish-speaking scorpion. I liked that it was about teen slacker video gamers who embrace their interests and value their friendships--a cool little niche of (post) high school life that deserves portrayal in YAL.
But I really disliked a number of distasteful elements: sexual conquests (even when perpetrated by the "bad guy" football player), stereotypical characters and gender roles, lots of swearing (the *really* bad words) to express complex emotions, and unapologetic destruction of public and private property. I found all of this, well, unethical. Young adults aren't really that destructive and brain-dead, are they?
I wish I knew how this book was chosen by the ALA to be a Top Ten Graphic Novel for Teens in 2008. I might recommend it to a student as a last resort, but I know there's other high-interest YAL out there that isn't so offensive.
But I really disliked a number of distasteful elements: sexual conquests (even when perpetrated by the "bad guy" football player), stereotypical characters and gender roles, lots of swearing (the *really* bad words) to express complex emotions, and unapologetic destruction of public and private property. I found all of this, well, unethical. Young adults aren't really that destructive and brain-dead, are they?
I wish I knew how this book was chosen by the ALA to be a Top Ten Graphic Novel for Teens in 2008. I might recommend it to a student as a last resort, but I know there's other high-interest YAL out there that isn't so offensive.
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