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SIDEKICKS: THE SUBSTITUTE one-shot
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: J. Torres
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
Letters: Bryan O'Malley
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
I thoroughly enjoyed the Sidekicks limited series (recently collected by Oni Press) that preceded this one-shot. Torres tapped into an Astro City quality that combined teen high-school drama with the wonder of the super-hero genre. Here, though, that grounded, slice-of-life feel isn't really to be found, leaving us some fun but fairly generic super-hero fare.
The Shuster Academy has hired a new substitute teacher, but instead of a retired super-hero, it's a reformed super-villain/enchantress. Ms. Abra draws the scrutiny of the faculty, student body and their families. Fortunately, a couple of teachers and a couple of students prove to be far more supportive. The unauthorized use of magic on campus could be the end of Abra's reformation, until someone does some digging to defend the new teacher.
Miyazama's art is as strong as I remember it from the first Sidekicks run at Fanboy! Entertainment. He captures the youth of the academy students without making them seem like toddlers or short adults. Though he boasts a simplicity in his manga approach, there's also a strong sense of realism as well. The Shuster Academy looks like a real school, not some high-tech super-hero headquarters, thereby reinforcing the down-to-earth appeal of the property.
By centering the drama around the ex-villain, the story took on a much more conventional tone, and I'm not used to the conventional from Sidekicks or from Torres in general. Samantha was a disappointing character. The one bad apple in the academy bushel just happens to have horns and devilishly colored hair? It struck me as rather... cheap. Maybe Torres didn't direct her look to be such, and if that's the case, the problem with his Miyazama's design. Either way, though, I found it to be a distractingly one-dimensional element in what is usually a well-fleshed out title.
To Torres's credit, though, Terry and her friends continue to be wonderful characters, one I want to see again. I was also pleased to see that he didn't go for the typical warm, fuzzy ending with Abra's absolution. He leaves the reader guessing and demonstrates that the new character isn't necessary the completely reformed soul that others hope she is.
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