Short & Skinny (A Family Comic Friday Extra)

Journey back to the summer of 1977 in this Family Comic Friday Extra. Short and Skinny is a biographical graphic novel of growing up small and scrawny and at the beginning of the era of Star Wars!

Short and Skinny
Written and Illustrated by Mark Tatulli
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 256
Retail: $24.99

I was born in 1977. As a result, I am addicted to anything from that turning point year in pop culture history. Short and Skinny is the true story of how a certain movie from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away forever changed the life of junior high school student Mark Tatulli.

When the story opens, it's the last few days of the 1976-77 school year. Mark is the next-to-shortest kid in school. Lacking confidence and muscle mass, he's the target of bullies and ridicule from even the closet of friends. But then one day while at the movies, Mark sees a trailer for a little picture called Star Wars. As a result, what appears to be the worst summer break ever now might not be so bad.

Nostaligia is huge right now. The economic crisis, the war on terror and our volatile political climate has left many longing for the good old days of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Shows like Fresh Off The Boat, The Goldbergs and The Kids Are Alright are big hits because they remind us old folks of the fun of being a kid without much to fear. Short & Skinny is one of those books that I could see becoming a TV series. But I think it would be better at an animated show than live action.

One reason for this is how Mark Tatulli adds like segments like his dossiers on the bullies of his hometown as well as skits on how to make a model of the Death Star with zero money down. These kind of elements just scream the need to be animated instead of ever performed in live-action. Plus Tatulli’s art style is one not to be missed. It’s got elements of Calvin & Hobbes and Bloom County that would be sorely missed if a bunch of human actions were to play the roles of Mark and his family and friends.

This was a book that I didn’t want to end. It reminded me how 1977-1983 was a great time to be alive. Star Wars was king. Comic books were still considered for ‘all ages’. And while there was still the dangers of drugs and kidnappings and the Cold War, it just seemed far, far away. I know that that time period wasn’t perfect. But I appreciate Mark Tatulli’s look which removes many of the warts and winkles that sullied that time in history.

And if Short and Skinny can’t be developed into a series, then hopefully, we’ll get a sequel in which we see how Empire Strikes Back impacted Mark Tatulli’s life.

Short and Skinny is rated for those ages 8-12. Fans of Star Wars and parents who grew up in this era and want to share it with their kids or grand-kids will love this late 70s time capsule.

Short and Skinny debuted in print and digital formats on October 16, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.