There is something surreal and beautiful about stories which examine just one day. One of the most memorable series is the “Before” film trilogy which star Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The films start with a chance meeting and find these two people over different times of their lives getting to know and catch up with each other over a course of a day. The first film encompassed the beauty of young love. The second film examines how one becomes more cynical about love and relationships. The third film examines the flaws that the concept of love encompasses and the very institution of marriage in all its complexities.

Not all stories that revolve around one are about love and just like life, it should not be alone. Sometimes a good story can be just about three friends having one great day. In Dave Baker and Nicole Goux’s F*ck Off Squad, we get one such fine day.

We meet Jimmy, Megan, and Clark, three friends who could not be more different but bond over their love of skateboarding and the many challenges of being a teenager. We follow this tri of friends as Megan as she heartbreakingly falls for the lead singer of her band, Teenage Switchblade, begins to dissipate, while Clark tries to get Jimmy to talk about her breakup with her girlfriend, a relationship she hoped was going somewhere. We also find Clark catching feelings for a girl on his high school basketball team, Saanvi, as his attraction to her reaches a fever pitch.  Meanwhile, Jimmy has secretly been seeing her ex-girlfriend, Kate, keeping it a secret from her friends, trying to avoid the judgment from her friends. By book’s end, we find out more about Clark’s home life, Jimmy does what is best for her, and they all realize that relationships suck.

Overall, it’s one of the best slice of life comic books I have read in a very long time. It will make you fall in love with each of the characters and you’ll become engrossed in their beautifully flawed world. The story by Dave Baker is relatable, funny, and heartbreaking. The art by Goux is stimulating and vibrantly drawn. Altogether, this duo proves that sometimes your friends is all the family you need.

Story: Dave Baker Art: Nicole Goux
Story: 10 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.7 Recommendation: Buy