4.5 stars!SIDEKICKS is a YA romance/adventure about Scott Hutchinson, a super strong/super fast teen boy whose alter ego is Bright Boy. He is sidekick to the world's greatest superhero--Phantom Justice. And, man is his world crumbling beneath his feet! Like many combat veterans, Scott's a hero, who doesn't show it.Scott/Bright Boy has reached the Age of Awareness. Though he's been a sidekick for seven years, he's just now into puberty. And, well, his uniform tights...they are TIGHT! One night, his rescue of a pretty woman leads to (gasp!) an erection--one that is captured on live TV and broadcast all over the news networks.Remember, how boners in class are a big problem for normal boys? Well, poor Scott has to suffer in silence as all his classmates snicker about the Big Deal and the newscasters cracking tasteless jokes about his "rising" to the occasion. Even Trent (Phantom Menace) is giving him a side-eye, thinking he's a perv and telling him he better settle all that down right quick. Scott's rage and embarrassment knows no bounds, and when he's taunted by Monkeywrench at a meet-up, well, Bright Boy loses his ever-lovin' cool. He attacks, and the results? Romantic.Okay, not at first, but Monkeywrench, sidekick to Dr. Chaotic (Phantom Justice's nemesis), is more than meets the eye. She, well, is gorgeous, and intelligent, and interacting with her teaches Scott that "good" is a label that is truly subjective. Especially when Bright Boy gets a handle on what EXACTLY Phantom Justice stands for.I'm not going to ruin this one--at all--because, it is a fantastic book. It takes all the superhero tropes and twists them. I loved Scott's complete naivete. And Monkeywrench, aka Allison, is frankly a great accessory character. There is a love story here, and it's not forced. Scott has never really connected with his peers, and Allison is the first person he can be honest with regarding his life, and his dreams. And, she's tender to him in a way he absolutely needs. Plus, Scott/Bright Boy is just such a great kid. He is so pure of purpose, so incredibly self-less, and yet a bit sulky regarding his own personal life, teen readers will find him easy to connect with. The author takes the “costumed superheroes” genre out for a joyride, and anyone who comes along will never read comics the same way again. Six years as Bright Boy, sidekick to crime-fighting superhero Phantom Justice, has left Scott a teenager with no life, no friends and revealing yellow tights that show the news cameras every bit of the involuntary hard-on he gets after heroically rescuing a beautiful victim. Another seemingly devastating protagonist face both inner conflicts and a Dark Knight–ish villain as deeply psychotic and scary as he is super powerful.development: He and arch-nemesis Monkeywrench (Dr. Chaotic’s sidekick) both lose their masks in battle, and Monkeywrench turns out to be not only a girl, but one he knows from school. This leads to a giddy, liberating romance, as well as cool costume makeovers and sensational publicity after the cameras catch some of that love action. It also earns them death sentences from their respective employers, who turn out to be very different from their public images and not at all willing to be edged out of the limelight by supporting characters. Scott’s present-tense narration keeps pedal to the metal from start to finish, and readers will be quickly won over as the two super-strong, super-fast, super-likable comic.
What do You think about Sidekicks (2011)?
A sidekick is trying to find his way when things start to get out of control in his life.
—Dana
This was a good story. It was fun to listen to.
—Josh0730
