Yes, I've been on a bit of a graphic novel binge lately on Netgalley. Every time I saw a graphic novel that looked remotely interesting, I would request it. And Valiant High was just one of the ones that I requested.

Before they became legends, the world’s most formidable heroes were roaming the halls at Valiant High – a super-powered preparatory academy where Aric “X-O Manowar” Dacia is a record-setting running back, Colin “Ninjak” King is a debonair foreign exchange student, and Coach Bloodshot is way, way too into dodgeball. Now, Amanda “Livewire” McKee and her best friend, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, are taking it all in for the first time at the one high school where power trumps popularity!

From rising star Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Eisner Award-winning artist Derek Charm (Jughead), get ready for your first day of school inside a hilarious reimagining of Valiant’s award-winning superhero universe – one where the next world-ending cataclysm will have to wait until after prom night!

I never realised that this graphic novel was a prequel of some sorts to the Valiant superheroes. I haven't even read (or even heard of) the superheroes, so I was going into this completely blind. For those of you who have read the comic books of the Valiant superheroes, then I think you'll have a lot of fun seeing what the superheroes were like in high school! And if like me, you haven't read the original comic books, then I think you will still find this graphic novel still accessible.

I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. I loved its bright colours and I loved seeing teen superheroes. You always see them as adults and taking on loads of responsibilities of saving the world blah blah blah, but it's so interesting to see them in high school and having to deal with all of the problems with high school.

What made this graphic novel 3 stars for me was the diversity throughout, and I also liked how Kibblesmith conveyed a world of double-standards. There is a point in the graphic novel where our main character - who is a female - kisses her male crush without his consent. If a male had done this to a female, there would have been an uproar. However, the next day, the main character apologises to the boy and actually says that if she was a man, and he a girl it would have been considered assault. After that, he accepts her apology. I just thought that this was amazing. This is what feminism is. Feminists don't want women to 'rule the world', or to be better than men, we went to be equal, and this is being seen as equal. It's not ok for men to sexualise women, but when women sexualise men, it's ok?? It's all about equality. It's all about having the same rule being applied to all genders.

Anyway, feminism rant over. But hopefully, you see what I mean about Kibblesmith doing a brilliant job of conveying double standards within society.

The only negative about this graphic novel was that some things moved a little bit too fast, and I would have loved to see more of the characters outside of school (?), but maybe we'll get to see that in future issues.

I definitely think that there is room for these characters to improve and to have brilliant character development over future issues, and I think that when the next volumes come out, I will be reading them.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I can only guess that this ties in to some other series because it seemed to reference things that I didn't understand. THere were moments I could tell were meant to b a joke but I didn't get the reference.
The plot was decent, mostly easily understood. Character development is thin.

Valiant High is a highly enjoyable introduction to major characters from Valiant with a more innocent air. Its a highly enjoyable version that takes off some of the intensity of the regular adult versions of the comic. It was great to see major characters as teenagers.

So the artwork is crazy cute and quirky. Like a mix of a modern Archie comics (with superheroes!!). However, I felt like there was a lot of story lacking. I know this is volume 1 and only contains 4 issues but the pacing felt so off to me. Also, I did not realize that this was more of a spin-off and cross-over for a lot of these characters from their original source material in graphic novels and other comics. So maybe if I had some background knowledge, I would have felt differently. But it was still fun and cute to read for the first time!

This was good. Just the type of graphic novel I like to read. Just the type of story I like.

I don't think I've read anything else from these authors or illustrators or anything from the universe, but it wasn't a problem to just throw yourself in there. The characters were both cliché and not. Some diversity, which is great. And I like schools that inhabits teens with "gifts". It wasn't all that original, but sometimes I'm just looking for an entertaining read. This got me interested to check out more of the Valiant-verse.

I would recommend it to teens, I think.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this!

I went into Valiant High with no expectations. All I knew was that Derek Charm (one of my favorite artists) was part of this project so I was sold instantly. As I started reading I tried not to get my hopes up but I fell so in love with these characters and actually found myself laughing out loud at certain parts. I think the best I could do at describing what this story is about is by comparing it to Gotham Academy meets The Runaways. I had so much fun reading this first volume and experiencing a whole new world. I so so so desperately want volume 2 asap!

I have not read comics situated in Valiant universe, so I had no preconceptions entering the world of Valiant High. Daniel Kibblesmith and Derek Charm have created a comic, that'll stand firmly on its own feet. It was original, entertaining and beautifully illustrated. Valiant High depicts the lives of the Valiant superheros when they were teens, all studying at the same high school. School life is school life even for superheros, but of course there is the evil mastermind, who has to be fought back too.

Fans of superheros and high school dramas would certainly love this.

X-O Manowar, Ninjak, Livewire and Zephyr - characters many of us have become familiar with through their team-ups - Harbinger, Renegades - and as solo heroes in the Valiant Universe. Now, Valiant Comics tasks them with a brand new battle - high school!

In the vein of Archie Comics, Valiant High is an all-ages four-issue comic series. Appealing mostly to younger audiences, the series gives newcomers an idea of who these characters are, while providing a well-needed twee escape for adult fans of the original gang.

Welcome to Valiant High, Home of Gifted Psiots

Amanda McKee (Livewire) hates high school, and why shouldn’t she? Aside from her best friend, Faith Herbert, there is little to look forward to. Charlene Dupre (Flamingo) used to be friends with her but now she’s a popular mean girl. The boy she has been eyeing, Aric Dacia (X-0), the school’s star runningback, doesn’t know she exists. McKee can talk to machines all day, but during classes the students are not allowed to use their powers, which means she is most likely going to fail her driving test and get expelled!

But, before McKee can wallow a little more in her daily drudgery, some curious incidents (and people) need to be investigated. For example, what is the deal with the eternal student Gilad? Who is this new British-Japanese kid, Colin King, and why is he dressed like a butler? And finally, there is something very shifty about the janitor. What is Principal Harada not telling his students?

The Ensemble Cast in Valiant High Does Not Get its Due

When it comes to team-ups, every reader will feel short-changed in some way or other. You wanted more Thor in The Avengers, well too bad, he’ll turn up only halfway through. Needed more Black Panther magic in Avengers: Infinity War, sorry, the directors didn’t realise T’Challa’s solo film was going to be such a huge hit. Team-ups are set up to fail someone or other.

Valiant High concentrates on McKee’s development, with a side-plot thrown in about Colin trying to makeover Peter Stanchek for Homecoming. This means other characters like Faith, Torque, Flamingo, Archer and Kris are virtually forgotten for the majority of the pages. It doesn’t help that McKee’s story isn’t quite as captivating as Flamingo’s or Gilad and Armstrong’s.

I definitely feel that, were the creators really interested in capturing the trials of high school life, they should have made Faith, Flamingo and Gilad the main characters. All three of them, even within the context of this particular story, would have had much more interesting experiences in high school.

A Curious Approach to Valiant Comics’ Troubled Heroes

Over the past several years there has been a steady rise in all-ages content, irrespective of the source material. Several Star Wars books have young adult versions, and many comics have kid renditions of their legendary superheroes, including DC Super Hero Girls and Marvel Rising.

I have never quite grasped this approach. If you want to introduce children to these characters with the hope of them purchasing copies of the main series, well, then comics houses need to choose their protagonists better.

The tone of Valiant High is extremely incongruous to the main Harbinger comic stories. There is death, mayhem and violence in the Valiant Universe; every other page is infused with the kind of brutality comic readers of Valiant High would not appreciate. Does it detract from the enjoyment of this series? Yes, if you’re familiar with the original series. But, for those who are new to these characters, the overall package likens itself to the tone of Jody Houser’s Faith series. The stakes aren’t that high and the focus on character relationships makes it an easy read.

Will this benefit Valiant Comics in the long-run? I feel like this volume is just an attempt to capitalize on young adult fare rather than any real need for converting potential readers into higher sales. Not that it’s a bad thing, but their direction for this kind of series needs to be clearer.

Valiant High is Still a Feel-Good Comic Escape

Despite my reservations and criticisms, this book is still a fun read. It is easy to become invested in these characters and go along with the flow of the simplistic story. Think Spider-Man: Homecoming with far less suspense or character growth. Writer Daniel Kibblesmith (of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert fame) has created a succinct little world where villains are vanquished well in time for everyone to enjoy the final dance.
The art by Derek Charm suits the book well. He draws the characters like a Cartoon Network production (Ninjak looks like Ben-10), with clean lines and uncluttered backgrounds, all of which works perfectly within the story.

In the end, friendship rules, lovers collide and new heroes are born. When the world of comics gets too dark and gritty, Valiant High is like a refreshing breath of air.

Entertaining read, but not very exciting or original, but does not feel stale either;


I received a copy through Netgalley.

What a fun read. I also now know where Faith ties to because I’ve seen her stand alone series on some lists and am even more intrigued and inclined to start reading it than I was before,
This was a great read, the various characters all popped in their own way, there are some I definitely want to know more about than others but I’m definitely captivated by the world they live in and the people they are. Comics are a huge hit right now and this definitely reads as an all-ages story which is great. I’m somewhat worried sometimes about suggesting some comics to readers because maturity levels vary and I’m not always sure of the readers maturity level.

This book reminded me a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it's real-world high school meets action movie. The characters may have powers but they are still teenagers. The story is not overly sappy like some high school stories can get but it carries real emotions with a lot of humor. I loved that the characters are complex - there is still a lot to discover about them in future stories as well. While there is a happy ending, there is not an "everything is wonderful" sort of ending.
There's enough that I really want more.
The artwork is fun and colorful. While the characters are in high school, the themes are general enough that a younger reader could easily enjoy this book. There are fight scenes and potential for more mature themes in future stories.

I recieved a free electronic arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short story type comic. A slice of high school life for the characters from the wider Valiant franchise

I really enjoyed this, it was such a cool idea and so well written and such a good introduction into the franchise which sounds like all the characters are adults. I'm not sure so I'll have to check it out at some point as I can imagine that they would be as good as this was.

There were a few things that didn't really get an explanation but I'm assuming that it would be explained in future comics or are explained within the larger franchise :)

I thought this was a really cute graphic novel and I absolutely love the artwork. The dialogue sometimes fell a bit flat and the students didn't react to things in very believable ways. That said, we will be stocking it in the store because superhero teens are big right now, the art is incredible, and just because it wasn't my favorite doesn't mean it won't be someone else's.

Overall review of the 4 volumes:
The art was, of course, fantastic. The story is good, packed with what I like to call millennial references. Don't worry, they are not overwhelming and cliche. But it makes the reader smile at times. One thing I did not appreciate though is the [quite] repetitive introduction of characters. We only have limited pages for comic books and I don't want the majority of it spent on reintroducing the characters. Even if they were only side notes, it was distracting at times. Still, really enjoyed the story per volume. Honestly, I wanted more; one volume wasn't enough for the story. I liked how things went through. It feels like watching a cliche teen movie, you know it's cliche but you still can't help but like it.

This reminds me of a more sophisticated and better written Superhero Girls, and unlike that series, I completely loved this. It’s clean so a younger person could read it, but deals with real feelings of being left out, of trying to fit in, etc. It has a bit of old fashioned Archie feel, without all the slapstick. I eagerly await the next volume.

"Valiant High" is fun, fast-paced, and exciting comic book focusing on the lives of teenage superheroes. I've never been much of a comic person, but "Valiant High" caught, and kept my attention for the duration of the book. Marketed as a way to make the Valiant comics more approachable, "Valiant High" easily achieves this. In "Valiant High" characters from Valiant Comics are reimagined as teenagers, and it's exactly what you'd expect of teenagers. Each character is a teenage trope, but none are too predictable to make them unreadable. "Valiant High" successfully adapts their characters into high school students in this bright, funny comic.

I enjoyed this comic a lot! As someone who hasn't read many comics, and none about these characters, it still held my interest and was a fun read. I always enjoy a high school plot, and this was one was a lot of fun, if a little stereotypical. I'd recommend this to middle grade readers who maybe haven't gotten into superhero comics yet, or who are looking to branch out from the more popular superheroes.

High school is tough, even for super heroes. They deal with all the same problems high schoolers have while fighting evil. Home coming takes on a whole new meaning when you and your date have super powers.
Excellent story with excellent art!

If you like comic books about teenage superheroes, and like stories set in high schools, then this collection will tick all your boxes. This is a light, sometimes funny, story of a group of super heroes, from the Valiant universe, which I had never heard of before this, as they were in high school. For those who do read those comic books, they will have fun seeing how their heroes were as young men and women. For those who have never read those comic books, this is still very accessable if you are familiar with high school stories.

I almost said if you had ever gone to high school, but high schools are never like they are in the comic books.

The characters are likable. All students are prevented from using their powers. This is ok, until they need to use them.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-746" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-16-at-3.32.05-PM.png" alt="Valient High" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-745" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-16-at-3.33.28-PM.png" alt="Valient High" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-744" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-16-at-3.35.36-PM.png" alt="Valiant Hight" />

Perfect that like the silly side of high school stroies, a sort of Archie comics for super heroes.

#ValiantHigh #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I picked this up because I've really enjoyed Faith from Valiant comics. It was fun and appropriately full of high-school-drama. Since Faith is the only character I was familiar with, I'm not sure if I got as much out of it as someone who knew the full line-up of supers who were involved. That said, I don't think you need to know them to enjoy the story. The cast of characters was diverse, but they felt a bit like caricatures. That's both a product of the format and the genre, though: there's only so much character development and depth you can fit into a short graphic novel, and high school settings usually involve a lot of stereotyping, at least at first. A lot of the setting and plot elements were unbelievable, too--not in a "people don't have superpowers" but in a "if people had superpowers, this wouldn't make a lot of sense" kind of way--but, again: genre.

Bottom line: fairly unbelievable, but fun, zany, and accessible superhero high escapism.