Sidekick Blues
Sidekick Blues is the third comic of SpongeBob Comics Annual Super-Giant Swimtacular No. 1, and is split into two parts.
Characters
- Mermaid Man
- Barnacle Boy
- Edwardian Age Mermaid Man
- Commanding Conch
- Various aquatic animals
- Elderly citizens
Synopsis
Part 1
Mermaid Man wakes up Barnacle Boy early to do an important task: cleaning the Mermalair. Barnacle Boy asks why he has to do it, and Mermaid Man states it's part of a sidekick's duty, which gives Mermaid Man time to do important things like conducting his undersea symphony. Barnacle Boy comes across a dusty conch shell that speaks when he dusts it. The shell says that it has an important job for Barnacle Boy, which grabs his attention.
As Mermaid Man is using animals to create a painting, he suddenly gets a message from the Retirement Zone that was made by his mentor, Edwardian Age Mermaid Man. He tells Mermaid Man to not take Barnacle Boy for granted, but Mermaid Man ignores this, thinking he will be fine. However, as Barnacle Boy talks with the conch, it asks him to lean closer in order to tell him the important task he must do. When he does this, the conch jumps onto his head and gains control of him, and it's revealed that the conch is actually the Commanding Conch, one of Mermaid Man's enemies.
Using Barnacle Boy's body, the Commanding Conch throws a waterball at Mermaid Man, knocking him down. He tries to call his fish friends for help, but the cross-training he made them do tired them out. In the Retirement Zone, Edwardian Age Mermaid Man watches the events in shock, and bemoans how he is helpless while in the Retirement Zone.
Part 2: A Sidekick Once More!
Mermaid Man is seen being trapped in a depth chamber by the Commanding Conch-controlled Barnacle Boy, who plans to rule the world's oceans. As Barnacle Boy leaves, Edwardian Age Mermaid Man realizes that he must come out of retirement to help Mermaid Man. He exits the Retirement Zone and frees Mermaid Man from the depth chamber, and the two decide to team up to defeat the Commanding Conch, though Mermaid Man becomes Edwardian Age Mermaid Man's Barnacle Boy as part of the team up.
In another room, the Commanding Conch is using Barnacle Boy's body to manipulate Mermaid Man's whirlpool creator in order to cause havoc in the world's oceans. The Mermaid Men then burst into the room, and the Conch makes Barnacle Boy relentlessly throw waterballs at the heroes, as they can't return fire in fear of hurting Barnacle Boy. Mermaid Man tells Barnacle Boy that he must regain control of his body to stop the Conch, which causes the shell to laugh before suddenly losing control of Barnacle Boy.
Due to sheer willpower, Barnacle Boy overcomes the Commanding Conch's hypnotism and kicks the shell away. Barnacle Boy is happy that he could finally do something important, but Mermaid Man reassures him that being his sidekick is the most important job he can do. Edwardian Age Mermaid Man returns to the Retirement Zone, and Barnacle Boy asks if both he and Mermaid Man are going to clean the Mermalair. Mermaid Man then says that they'll get the fish to clean up, and it's shown that the fish are fed up with getting telepathic commands.
Comic
Trivia
General
- The two parts of the comic are split by an ad from BLEK, part of a running gag in the comic book.
- It is revealed that Barnacle Boy is part of an Atlantic Ocean Little League team, and is the team's starting pitcher.
Cultural references
- The "Edwardian Age" mentioned by Mermaid Man refers to the Edwardian era, a period of British history where Britain was under the reign of Edward VII, and lasted from 1901 to 1910.
- The Atlantic Ocean Little League team that Mermaid Man mentions is a parody of Little League Baseball, a non-profit organization that organizes baseball and softball teams for youths.