Villainous follows Tilly, who is starting her internship at the Coalition of Heroes. Tilly is incredibly excited, and can't wait to start training and become one of their sidekicks. However, Tilly finds out that the heroes she's been looking up to her entire life, might not be as good as they pretend to be. Does that mean that the villains aren't as bad as they're made out to be?

This is a PERFECT graphic novel if you're just starting reading them. I don't often read graphic novels, but when I do, I often struggle with following the story. This was most definitely not the case with Villainous. The story was easy to follow, and some facial expressions of characters are EXQUISITE (not to mention the art itself, which is stunning).

I do wish that the story was a bit longer, so more attention could be given to the backstory of the 'villains'. I'm not sure if there will be other graphic novels about these characters. If that's the case, I'd love a little more character development! But maybe that's the novel reader in me. ;)

I was super excited to read this, the blurb seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately I feel like the book needed a little more work, structure to the plot and a little more depth to the characters.

This is bright and action packed.
The story is a little cliche, but most superhero ones are.
I really enjoyed it and can see how my tweenagers would love the colourful illustrations and action packed scenes.

While I was reading this all I could think of was how similar it was to "The Boys". This is definitely more appropriate for teens than "The Boys" is. The main character, Tilly, is recruited as a sidekick for the Coalition of Heroes and she learns quickly that not everything is what it seems in the world of superheroes. She questions what's going on and is targeted by the main hero and she has to run and is taken in the group that is seen as the bad guys. Turns out they really aren't bad guys but were also targeted by the heroes. Tilly did a few unexpected things but overall this was predictable considering the parallels with 'The Boys". It's not bad but it's not really good either. If you know of a teen that likes or is interested in "The Boys" or "Kick-Ass" this would be great for them.

I was ready to love this graphic novel. The plot description sounds so good! I’m all about turning hero and villain tropes on their heads. I also like the main character Tilly.

However, all of that gets overshadowed by racism. One of the characters is named Two-Spirit. The character appears to be a POC, but I didn’t notice it addressed if he (that is the pronoun used) is Native American or is two-spirit. Even worse, is the thought that he may not be. Also, everyone else gets badass names, but he’s Two-Spirit. Let’s call Sedition, one of the white main men characters, Cis instead, eh? Also, a black hero has hair that is described as “wild.” Additionally, there are two detectives. One is a white man and one is a black man. Of course, it’s the white man who is starting to actually figure out how things work regarding who is really a villain.

Onto the misogyny. Out of the heroes (re: villains), there are two men and two women once Tilly joins them. By the end of the first graphic novel, the other main woman characters dies. It’s a throwback to the trope where you can only have one girl in the group. Also, as she dies, she tells Tilly to look after the boys.

I checked, and it’s no surprise to me that the writer is a white man. I just wish he had gotten some input from others in this. Also, several characters were just reminiscent of other superheroes that already exist, and I was hoping for more originality. I won’t be looking to read any future volumes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tilly, a young reptilian superhero-in-training gets pulled into the twisted world of the Coalition of Heroes. She realizes quickly that those painted out to be Villains by the Coalition may not be as harmful as they seen, with the Coalition not as innocent. Will Tilly find he way in the Coalition, or see herself become something more....Villainous

This was a great read! I really enjoyed the characters and the story as it picked up steam. While this only compiles the first five issues, one could easily read this as a completed work if they so chose. I, personally, look forward to seeing how the story plays out for Tilly and how her family adapts to the new world. The artwork was stunning and the layout was very simple to follow.

I highly recommend this to anyone 12+ who is looking for something similar to Renegades by Marissa Meyer or a much toned down version of Amazon's The Boys. Five exploding stars from me, what a fun ride!

Before we jump into the review, I want to say a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at Diamond Book Distributions for letting me read this one in exchange for an honest review. Villainous is a bind up of the first 5 volumes of the comics of the same name. Tilly starts her internship in the Coalition of Heroes excited to work with the people she’s looked up to forever. But what happens when she finds out there’s a dark side to the organization? Will she stand with her heroes? Or become something more...villainous. The bind up comes out on May 4th.

I’ll try to keep this short and sweet since the comics are so short. I always love the premise of stories like this. If you want to read a novel form of a similar plot structure, you can read the Renegades series by Marissa Meyer. I enjoyed the plot and where it went and I thoroughly enjoyed the art style. They also do a god job of making sure there’s representation for a bunch of different people, but also different types of superheroes and mutations.

I thought that the art style got a little muddied when the action picked up. And I always struggle with comics because I prefer long form content when it comes to reading. Hell, there are times when I read a 500 page book and wish it were longer. So, that’s probably just a me thing. I wish we could have dived deeper into both of these organizations.

It was such a fun and quick read. Definitely worth the time I invested. I would recommend it for anyone who truly loves anti-heroes and morally grey characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Mad Cave Studios, Stonie Williams, and Jef Sadzinski for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested Villainous for its claim to being for fans of "The Boys," among other things. It certainly had that vibe. Tilly is a lizard-girl who has just been assigned as a sidekick to one of the top-ranking heroes of the Coalition of Heroes, or COH. When Tilly overhears that her lead hero plans on murdering someone, she questions everything the COH stands for. Going to the head hero only causes more problems, leading Tilly to join the side of the villains.

It turns out the ones seen as villains by society are actually the ones trying to do good, while those who society deems as heroes have dastardly villainous plans.

I enjoyed the premise and the art, though I would have liked the story to revolve around Tilly a bit more. She was very important and has a great amount to put forth, but there were some scenes that I just did not care about. The detectives seemed unnecessary and the use of media on heroes and villains could have kept the conflict between themselves. A decent read that comes to a wholesome conclusion, though there is certainly potential for more in this universe.

the concept wasn't bad but the execution just wasn't subpar. This could have been a whole long series instead of just one short story. I didn't care for the main character at all and don't have any feelings towards the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. :)

Villainous is a coming of age story, about realizing the world is not quite as we dream it. Not black and white but more of an ocean of grey areas. As such, it is perfect for a teen audience.

The art is good, not my favorite but pretty solid.

As for the story, I would have appreciate it more if I didn't already read The Boys. It paled so much in comparison and it IS very hard not to compare. But once again, the main target of this comics being teens & YA, it's a perfect substitute.

It's a quick and easy read and it has its downfall : not enough in-depth backstories and relationships but maybe in the next volume?

Overall, Vicious is quite enjoyable and well done, better targeted to young superheroes fans. I won't recommend it for seasonal comics readers unless you want a light read which is perfectly ok ^^.

Fantastic YA superhero grafic novel. It is like a YA version of "The Boys"or a darker version of "Renegades" by Marissa Meyers.

What makes you a hero and would you become a villan to be a savior? Naive Rep-Tilly starts as an enthusiastic hero in training but quickly finds she is gravely mistaken on who the good guys are.

Loved the art style and can't wait to for more in the series to come out. So many more characters I hope we get to see more of in future stories. Tilly is Queen!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for an advanced copy for review.

*I received this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of honest review*

Villainous is certainly a particular graphic novel. It's about super heroes but also how they came to become villains or evil. The story begins with Tilly having to do an internship in the company of the most famous heroes in the world, the coalition of heroes. It is a company that hires many new "freshmen" every year. Tilly is one of them and when she discovers a very important secret within the company where famous heroes are not what they seem, the girl / heroine is pushed aside and accused of being a dangerous terrorist. It is there that he will meet The shadow Order, the banned, the exiles, the super heroes who have been removed from the company because they believed in the right things and not in falsehood and in killing innocents using the false mask of the hero. The characters are well constructed and I liked the story as a whole but I found some things that didn't completely freak me out. Certainly the fact that everything was compressed into a single fast volume when it needed at least two volumes, certainly for how the beginning develops and for how Tilly is taken and downloaded. All too fast, weird and confuses the reader temporarily; the volume therefore does not let itself be loved as it should therefore. As well as the ending, everything seems to run fast, you have to hurry to finish the volume. Power utilization also seems very poor at first and isn't presented much so much that I even doubted the story was about real super heroes. Tilly's power also seems to be unclear and it becomes clear after a while that the story has caught on. Surely this story will be loved a lot by lovers of super hero comics. I found it with drawings very much in line and in the style of old marvel comics or similar, so I definitely point in favor for this. Hope you will like it, let me know.

A breath of fresh air into superhero comics! A fantastic mix between Justice League and X-Men with a main character that I for one, felt an attachment towards. She was a junior hero that aspired to be everything her personal hero was, or so she thought…

My first steps into a Mad Cave Studios story was a joyous one. I loved the setting, the theming and the style of writing. Stonie Williams has served up a delectable buffet or twists, turns, mystery, emotion and conflict. Testament to his writing was my hatred for the villain, love for the ‘goodies’ and my ‘just one more page’ attitude when reading.

Superb art from Jeferson Sadzinski compliments Stonies’ writing brilliantly, I especially enjoyed the way a characters facial expressions pop with a degree of over exaggeration, it really was a shock at first as I haven’t really encountered this style before but i soon got used to and loved forward to seeing it again.

If you're looking for an alternative to the ‘big 2’ superhero comics then you don’t have to look any further than this gem. Villainous will provide sustenance to any appetite for good ol’ fashioned good vs evil stories. I am extremely happy to have come across this comic, I look forward to potential future continuations of Tilly’s villain story.

"You wanted to play rough, so let's play rough!" - Sedition

3.5/5 stars.

This was a really enjoyable graphic novel! I loved the action, the art was amazing in depicting the fights and the characters were all so wonderfully drawn and unique. I wish the characters' relationships had been developed more, but I still really liked the characters and felt a lot for them and their plight, despite how little is dedicated to their background.

I was reading this in public when I came to the part where Americans are trying to frame Russians for murder of some British ambasador.

I started laughing so hard that I think people are sure I'm mad. I just couldn't get over this Die Hard bullshit! 🤣

Is a graphic novel that every x-men lover has to read. Not only for the action but for the variety of heroes and villains

Spoiler free review:

First off I want to thank Netgalley for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to rate this graphic novel in 2 different categories: art and story.

The art was was very unique. I found myself drawn to the cover of the novel and I knew I had to read it. When I got into it, I was completely surprised. I didn't expect the style to be so dark and grungy and creepy. If your into art styles like that I think you'll really like Villainous. At times it became somewhat confusing though. I would have to do a double take to see what just happened.

The story was kind of cliché but original at the same time. I liked how the villains were the heroes and vice versa. The plot of the story could have been expanded on more. It felt very rushed and I think that if some areas were talked about less and others talked about more, it would have been much better.

All in all, it was a quick read with a super cool art style.

I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review. It is a fast past Comic, that is entertaining and full of twists and turns.

The Coalition of Heroes protects the world from evil, and Tilly can’t wait to start her training as a side-kick. If she’s good enough, eventually she’ll be a full-blown hero herself. When she learns the harsh truth about her heroes, however, her dream becomes a living nightmare. She’ll have to make a difficult decision, stand with corrupt heroes, or join a league of not so villainous villains.

This was a fun comic novel about superheroes. My first one about super heroes and villains and I quite enjoyed it. I will most likely be continuing on with this series in the future

The Coalition of Heroes protects the world from evil, and Tilly can’t wait to start her training as a side-kick. If she’s good enough, eventually she’ll be a full-blown hero herself. When she learns the harsh truth about her heroes, however, her dream becomes a living nightmare. She’ll have to make a difficult decision, stand with corrupt heroes, or join a league of not so villainous villains.

This one was fun. Not my favorite comic, but certainly entertaining. Fast-paced, full of characters and action, and a few twists and turns to keep the story interesting. It works well as a single trade, but I’m not sure it would be great for an ongoing series. I might read more, but it works well as a self-contained story while still leaving it open ended for the possibility of more.

I really enjoyed the art and colorization. I liked Tilly and the villains. I love the concept of morally gray areas and corrupt heroes. It adds depth to both characters and story. If you’re looking for a quick read that will keep your interest, give it a whirl. It’s out in May.