Mallrats meets The Breakfast Club in this quirky look at the foibles and hypocrisies of teenagers. The reason I so enjoy slice-of-life comics-storytelling like this -- and True Story, Swear to God, The Copybook Tales, The Waiting Place and the like -- is the remarkable level of honesty that serves as the foundation of the story and characters. Mills examines a time of life in which one knows next to nothing yet believes oneself to be all-knowing. It's a funny graphic novel that boasts a universal appeal.
A group of high-schoo friends mock one another mercilessly, attend a Morrissey concert together, explore an abandoned hospital together and experience acid for the first time together. They even witness the rise and fall of the career of one of their own. Joe laments the fact that Roop -- the rudest, nastiest guy in this circle of slacker friends -- is dating Jacqueline, the one woman with whom they hang out. And Pete has an interesting theory about the strange mentally challenged guy who's more a permanent fixture at the mall than he is.
In the opening page, Mills himself describes his artwork on this book as being in his "usual minimalist style." Minimalist is putting it lightly, but somehow, it works. The artwork reminds me of a cross between the work of Scott (Soulwind, Magic Pickle) Morse and the house style for that Hey, Arnold! cartoon. Given it's simplicity, Mills is able to present a wide range of character design and maintain the differences among the characters with clarity.
The opening page also refers to this as "the latest adventure" of these characters. This was my first exposure to them, though, but I had no problem delving into the world of these 1990 Baltimore teens. That level of accessibility reinforces the universal quality of the characters.
I think we all look back on our high-school years with some level of embarrassment. Our ignorance of the world and of ourselves during that time is humbling. Mills clearly looks back on his own time as a teen with some amused contempt, but there's a sense of nostalgia and appreciation of those moments as well. There's almost a celebration of blissful ignorance. Mills obviously doesn't take himself too seriously, and this book serves as both a venomous criticism and longing tribute to adolescence.
