Yoga Hosers: A Sundance Super Special from Dynamite -
The two Colleens are a fixture at Winnipeg, Manitoba's Terry Fox Preparatory School. They're closer than sisters - it's been that way ever since Colleen C., kicked little Corey in the 'nads for insulting Collen M. back on their very first day of school as kids. Collen Collette is a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense, go-getter, and Collen McKenzie is all sugar, spice, sweetness, and light; but, together they make quite a team. They are just two teen french-fry-loving, yoga freaks getting it done in school by day, and working for cash in Colleen C.'s dad's convenience store by night, with a little rockin' band on the side, and a slightly psychopathic yoga instructor who believes in world domination through the power of yoga exceptionalism. What are two put-upon, bored, yoga super-teens to do in wacky Winnipeg, eh? Fight crime. Oh. And Nazis.
Kevin Smith is back at it again in this prequel (and blatant advertisement) for his comedy flick, "Yoga Hosers" starring his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, and Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of his good friend, Johnny. As a prequel, Yoga Hosers works. It gives the reader a great introduction to the protagonists and gives us a pretty solid glimpse into their world in Winnipeg. The book is filled with so much of Kevin Smith's classic style of silliness that, if you are a fan (and I am), you'll probably end up really wanting to see the zany film...which has been widely panned. Even so, I'd still like to see if it offers up any of the yucks that the comic did for me. The story is light and airy, with lots of Smith's looney dialogue and hammy wordplay. The story presents itself as all-ages friendly, but there is a bit of Smith's typical crass humor and a sprinkling of foul four-letter words, but nothing too wild. Jeff Quigley's pencils are straightforward and no frills, but he's got an eye for slapstick and silliness that made the book fun to look at. Is this comic going to change the world? No. Does it have an earth-shattering message? Or just a deeper meaning? Nope. It's just a familiar Kevin Smith slice o' life tale with the foolishness cranked up pretty high. I enjoyed this comic - but I'm sure it's not for everyone, and I do not expect any further Yoga Hosers comics to be published, but I might keep buying them if they were, at least for a little while. It's a hard call on this one, so let's do this:
RATING (as a Kevin Smith fan based on classic Smith craziness): 8 out of 10.
RATING (non-biased): 6 out of 10. If you're not a fan of Smith's work, nor his humor, this book will absolutely not be worth the $3.99 you'd pay for it.
If you're so inclined, here's a trailer for the film (it made me laugh):