PIZZA BOYZ #10 – Review

PIZZA BOYZ #10, from Old Man Orange on July 13th, 2020, takes a lighthearted look at four friends who wrestle with priorities when one friend challenges another to a skateboard tournament during their annual video game marathon.

The Details

• Written By: Spencer Holmes
• Art By: Spencer Holmes
• Letters By: Spencer Holmes
• Cover Art By: Spencer Holmes
• Cover Price: $2.99
• Release Date: July 13, 2020

Was It Good?

PIZZA BOYZ #10 is our first exposure to the indie offering from Old Man Orange, and it’s surprisingly relatable, as long as you’re into mildly contentious friendships and an unhealthy love of video game marathon runs. When you hear “this comic isn’t made for you,” meaning the comic in question was made to appeal to a very specific audience, this comic is a legitimate example of that phrase.

If you’re not into video games, especially ultra-long video game sessions, you’ll probably see this group of friends as lazy idiots. However, if you have first-hand experience getting deeply invested in a video game (or a franchise of games) to the point where an all-night session sounds appealing, you’ll get the jokes and find yourself nodding your head while thinking “yep, been there.”

Thankfully, this reviewer is a connoisseur of multiple forms of entertainment (*ahem*), including video games, and found this comic amusing. You could call it cute without the slightest hint of condescension.

To be clear, this is an indie comic and, therefore, has its share of quality issues. The dialog desperately needs some editing passes for spelling, grammar, etc. The comic is very dialog heavy, so it could do with letting the art tell more of the story. However, that may not be a good suggestion since the art is typical for an indie project and nowhere near the level of a mainstream publisher’s quality. The art has its charm, but the basics (such as perspective and anatomy consistency) need a lot of work.

All things considered, there’s a genuine effort here to tell a relatable story about friends who love video games. The tone is reminiscent of Clerks (1994) for a younger reading audience, and if you get the references and are willing to look past the quality gaps, you might just enjoy the read.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with four friends (Dunni, Kyle, Cisco, and Vince) enjoying pizza on a Tuesday afternoon. Cisco gifts used pants to Dunni, who takes offense at the implication that Dunni has put on enough weight to fit into Cisco’s larger pants. Dunni challenges Cisco to a skateboard challenge to win his honor back. Unfortunately, Dunni doesn’t know how to skate, and training is guaranteed to overlap with the Cisco and Vince’s annual video game marathon.

Soon, Cisco’s skateboard training quickly falls away in favor of Final Fantasy, Kyle becomes an unofficial mentor/sponsor to intervene in his friends’ potential video game addiction, and Dunni puts his all into learning to be an expert skateboarder using every unorthodox training method imaginable.

We conclude the issue with an unexpected story of recovery, new bonds formed, old bonds tested, and a collision course.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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