Sidekicks

Last week, I read King of Flies, which was a fun-filled romp through drug-addled suburbia. While enjoyable, I needed a break from all the sex and violence I’d been reading lately. I wanted something that would be fun, light-hearted, and could be enjoyed by anyone who picked it up. I found that in SIDEKICKS, written and illustrated by Dan Santat, published by Arthur A. Levine Books.

Metro City, like all major metropolitan cities, has its own superhero, Captain Amazing. But, after another long and difficult battle against a group of supervillains, he realizes that he is getting old and needs a sidekick. So starts the 30-day countdown until sidekick tryouts. When not out battling the forces of evil, the Captain relaxes at home with his faithful companions: Fluffy the hamster, Shifty the chameleon, Roscoe the dog, and Manny the cat. Fluffy wants nothing more than to be Captain Amazing’s sidekick but he’s the smallest in the house. Soon enough Fluffy and Shifty are out on the town getting into trouble and it’s up to Manny to teach them how to fight crime. And so begins the Fluffy’s adventure to prove he can be a sidekick.

This is one of the finest all-ages books I have read in a long, long time. It is aimed directly at kids ages 8-12 and is perfect for them. Santat, who has been writing and illustrating kids books for several years now and is the creator of The Disney Channel’s The Replacements, has done something equally amazing: he’s made this accessible to younger kids and complex enough for older kids like me, too.

Santat’s story is one that will appeal to kids of all ages. In a sense, this is a Disney or Pixar film on paper. The story is straight-forward with just the right hint of foreshadowing of future events to keep kids guessing. The dialogue is crisp with plenty of jokes for the kids and a couple of winks and nods for the adults. But the best part is that the core message about not having to be the biggest and strongest is repeated throughout the book. It’s about using the gifts you have and that using your brains is sometimes more important than your brawn to defeat the bad guys.

Santat’s art is crisp, clean, and picture perfect. His figures are slightly blocky but it keeps the battles from looking scary or appearing overly violent. You can see the influence of both Disney and animation on his work. Each page has a simple line of sight so it’s easy for kids to follow the order of panels. At the same time, Santat stuffs the panels full of sight gags, both in the fore and backgrounds. As an adult, I loved looking at the ‘fine print’ in backgrounds to see what additional silliness was going on.

Sidekicks is one of those fun filled, all ages, superhero adventures that you remember reading as a kid. This is one of those rare books that makes the world seem fun again and reminds you of all the possibilities of life in a world full of superheroes. If you are looking for something to cheer you up after a bad day, or something to read with your kids on a rainy day, then this is the book for you.

- David Lee