Now this is my kind of graphic novel!!

Okay, so I have varying taste in graphic novels at the best of times, so a lot of other genres and styles work just as well for me, but I honestly just enjoyed the crap out of this. MGC is a super fun, super quirky, and super witty ride through main character Louie's life in the bizarre yet utterly quaint town of Southborough - a town that's under dire threat of losing its inhabitants and spirit to an all-consuming tech company. In short, Louie sets out to save the town in the strangest way possible, and readers are immediately drawn in by her naïvely can-do personality and the charm exuded by each of the supporting characters.

In short: I loved Louie. I loved the artwork. I loved the humour (I found it genuinely snort-out-loud funny). I loved Southborough and all its people.

I loved it all.

The best way to sum up this comic is stunning fun. This comic was about finding yourself and focusing on what's important to you. The main character found her passion after she was forced to go through some changes. I think we all go through a stage in life where we feel lost and we learn to rediscover ourselves and that is such a beautiful thing. I really enjoyed the art of this book. It was colourful and vibrant and dynamic. Just lots of fun.

How far would you go to save your community?

That’s the question at the heart of Mat Heagerty’s “Martian Ghost Centaur”. The little town of Southborough had been a tourist magnet for a while due to reported sightings of Sasquatch (or more commonly, Bigfoot). Soon though Sasquatch sightings began to reduce and so did the tourists. The little town, which had thrived on tourist income was now beginning to struggle. Adding to its woes is the obnoxious, rich owner of a tech company that’s buying up the town to convert it into its company headquarters. The story follows Louie, a high-schooler who lives in the town with her two gay dads, and her attempts to save her beloved little community.

The novel is a quick read and the fun, quirky characters are easy on the brain. It’s an immersive plot and I found myself swept up into the lives of Louie and her dads, Pratima, Felix and a small bunch of other town folks. Louie is a passionate, intense character and we see how much she loves Southborough in the myriad schemes she hatches to revive the town’s economy and in her friendship with Felix. 

Apart from how gentrification affects entire businesses and families, there are accompanying themes of knowing what you want to do and following your heart. 

Sometimes, though, her character got to me with her dramatic reactions and what seems like extreme naivete. But there is an arc to her character, which redeemed it for me towards the end.

Overall, a nice, fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the copy.

I received a copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
Martian Ghost Centaur is a YA graphic novel that explores the effects of gentrification in towns like Southborough, which used to be a huge tourist destination as people hoped to spot the Sasquatch there. We follow Louie trying to save her town as Louie’s dads’ business starts to suffer due to the gentrification. 
I went into this book expecting something quite different to what I found, however this doesn't mean I didn't find it enjoyable. I have a huge soft spot for small towns working together, and Southborough provides this. This book explores the difficulty of trying to keep small businesses going when they begin to struggle, which is something I found I was able to relate to as my family has experienced its own difficulties in managing a small business. Another topic that this book explores is growing up. Within this we see the strain moving away to university can put on friendships, along with the incredibly relatable, for many people within the target demographic, myself included, struggle to decide what you actually want to do with your life. 
I really liked the art style throughout this graphic novel, which is a very important aspect as to how much I can enjoy and engage with a comic, and I also liked the witty narration. The gay representation (most notably in the form of Louie's parents) was woven into the story very naturally, and I really appreciated how it was never used as a plot point, it was just a normal thing, as it should be. 
Typically, a more contemporary genre such as what I believe this fits into isn't my favourite, especially as complexity within a story (which would usually be found in SFF) is something that always bumps up my rating. However this book still received 4 stars, which I think is a pretty high rating, as I liked how well the issues of growing up were communicated, despite being on the lower side of 4 stars. I think one of the reasons it is on the lower side is that I wasn't a massive fan of the pacing, which made it difficult to stay fully engaged. I also didn't really like Louie, as there were a lot of things she said and did that made her seem very immature, despite being nearly 18 years old. 
Overall, I did enjoy this graphic novel, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, 'faith-in-humans' inducing read, as well as someone who may be struggling with the idea of growing up and growing apart from childhood friends.

EARC from Oni Press via NetGalley for review.

I really was excited to read Martian Ghost Centaur because it sounded so good, and I really did enjoy it. This was another cute graphic novel. I really loved the colorful cartoon-like artwork and the story was so much fun. The characters were all diverse and interesting. I loved the friendship between the main characters, Louie and Felix. This is definitely a graphic novel that I would buy to read again.

Arc kindly provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Oh my goodness! This was just the cutest. 

First off, the artwork was absolutely gorgeous! I really dig the style and it made it a very easy read. 

The storyline was super cute. Okay so it was possibly a little cliche and sickly sweet, but I loved it. It had a real feel good ending which is exactly what I needed right now. Sure the main character was a little self centred and naive, however I saw each character as a real caricature, I don’t think they were ever intended to represent the average Joe. 

Overall an easy, cute, feel good read!

My favorite part of this graphic novel is definitely the art style, it is elegant, cute, and expressive. The premise of the story was inventive, but unfortunately, I feel like it proceeded slowly and I really wish the title would have come into play earlier in the book. Overall I enjoyed it but it did have some pacing problems, it was kind of predictable and it made me sad that our MC spent the majority of the GN away from her best friend. A big plus was the reveal of what was in the shed and the whole costume element was really cute. I am not sure what the message was, and what feeling/thought I should be left with after finishing the novel. Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. A video review is linked below and will be made public on the day of the release date.

DNF. I really wanted to like it. The art style is right up my alley and the opening scene made me laugh out loud. But only a few pages after that, the script starts grimly attributing the death of the small town in the GN to cell phones and skepticism, and later it turns out the villain of the story is a rich guy trying to buy up all the properties in town. For such a peppy book--when it comes to art style, color choices, facial expressions, even sense of humor--it has a very bleak and black-and-white perspective that doesn't jibe.

I really liked the concept of this graphic novel, as well as the art style. This was a sweet story which had a real sense of belonging and some great messages - "People put so much importance on jobs. Maybe we'd be better off focusing on happiness?”. Something which really hit home to me with recent career decisions I’ve had to make.

This was quite a lovely read, despite the frustrating main character (Louie) but I uncertain as to the target audience for this. On GoodReads people have marked this as YA but personally feel that it reads quite young for YA. This, however, is my first graphic novel so may be typical of this format.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In the past, Southborough became a popular tourist town after a bigfoot sighting. In the present day, tourism is drying up and along with it, the town's income. 

Our heroine is called Louie. Louie tries to save the town from a rich tech guy, the "villain", buying the town now it's poor, and the land is cheap. The story entertains us with Louie's antics as she tries to find a solution to avoid her two dads selling their restaurant. In the background, we are engaged by Louie's beliefs evolving, as she finds out her best friend Felix is thinking of leaving.

Martian ghost centaur is the heartwarming comedic story. It tells a tale of family, friends and bigfoot.

The concept and the artwork are excellent, and I loved reading this graphic novel. A delightful and light read which I finished over a lazy Sunday afternoon. Recommended.

A really fun, heartwarming, stand-alone graphic novel - the art is wonderful, the story was entertaining and bright and I hope to read more from Mat Heagerty ASAP. I would have liked more of a heart to heart, make up scene in regards to the friendship fall out; but I'm so glad the story didn't throw in an unnecessary romance. I think I also would have enjoyed more 'hunting for the squatch' capers, but then it would have possibly had to be 2 books, and I do like the fact it's a self contained story rather than a series.

A fun and delightful story. Very original! I'm happy I found this on netgalley. It was a fun read on a snowy day. Thank you.

Martian Ghost Centaur is a very enjoyable, and often cute, teen/young adult graphic novel that not only showcases cryptids but also focuses on the importance of friendships and family. I loved the diverse cast of characters, including Louie's LGBTQ+ dads and the novel's focus on body positive characters. The artwork, at least for me, was reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim in that it was well-illustrated, had a similar style, and was vibrant. Overall, I greatly enjoyed Martian Ghost Centaur for its great heart-warming story and moral. Readers of all ages should enjoy this story.

This was a super cute graphic novel with a comic layout and adorable artwork that was easy to read. I liked the story and it made me laugh out loud several times. Perfect nomination for Mavericks list.

As soon as I read this book's description, I knew I wanted to read it. I was very pleased to find that the book was just as much fun as I expected! 
The main character seems pretty convincing and isn't perfect. I especially like that she learns from her mistakes and uses what she has learned about herself to discover her passion.
The characters in this book are diverse and inclusive. I enjoyed that the book didn't go out of its way to prove how well it was doing in this regard, people just accepted each other and didn't talk about how good they were at accepting others. 
After finishing this story, I am left feeling warm and fuzzy. I would definitely be interested in reading more from Heagerty.

In general I liked this book okay but there were a few issues with it. First off, I did like the realism and determination of the main character. She was 17 so it's hard to pin down what age group this book would be appropriate for.. The art style and some of the scenes make it seem like it's geared more towards younger audiences but then there are some more mature conversations happening in some scenes that say teen would be good as well. Nothing really seemed inappropriate for teen or younger. There is a lot of representation and diversity in this graphic novel both in the main story and in the back ground. I don't really like the title considering 3/4 of the book talked about sasquatch. Overall I liked how in the end the author wrapped up the story and even had the main character present a sort of moral that was accurate to what happened in the story.

This story was a lot of fun! The main thing that I look for when I am picking up graphic novels is the art style, and wow Martian Ghost Centaur had stunning illustrations... So much colour! 

This book was set in a small quirky town (really cute) that used to be a major tourist destination due to the sightings of the famous Sasquatch. A fancy tech company has moved in and started buying all the land and forcing out the locals so it is up to our main character, Louie, to help save the town! 

The book's main themes are family and friendship and it does a really great job of showing the character progression of Louie who starts out quite childish.

It's a cute and bright kid's graphic novel. I enjoyed the characters, but the plot was a little slapdash. I would have liked more variety in the facial expressions of characters. The jokes were funny. I think the plot felt repetitive of going through the motions. Would kids get The Full House Uncle Joey gag?

I know there are some adult readers who look down on YA graphic novels.  They believe that they are "too old" for them.  In my opinion, they don't see how EVERYONE can thoroughly enjoy them and even learn a great deal.  My best advice to those people would be to read Martian Ghost Centaur!

This heartwarming and feel-good graphic novel delivers a beautiful story about a girl trying to save her hometown.  I really enjoyed watching her character mature as she realizes there is much more to people than what appears on the surface.  

Mat Heagerty and Steph Mided deliver a diverse cast of characters.

There were many important messages (for all ages) in this story.  This was the most impactful one to me:  "People put so much importance on jobs. Maybe we'd be better off focusing on happiness?"

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With a bold illustration style, bright colouring and an adorable story, this graphic novel was such a fun read. I loved the characters and the effortless diversity that was part of the story without being mentioned. Louie has two dads who are a big part of the story and I loved their relationship with each other and as parents.

The plot was fun and adventurous, if a bit predictable but I think the overall message of the story is particularly strong for younger readers. Choosing a path in life for happiness instead of money is a wonderful moral to share with the target audience and I think this book executed it really well.

4 out of 5 stars!