I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced action from start to finish, this hero to villain story holds no punches. Full of betrayal, hardship and self discovery - Villainous - contains everything every good comic book lover wants.

Fans of Deadpool, Venom and the Suicide Squad may find themselves loving this collection.

The second I saw the cover for Villainous I knew I wanted to read it! The concept hooked me and I was excited to see what it had to offer. That being said, I'm not sure if this story fell flat or if there just wasn't enough to it for me. The potential for an amazing story is there - this just wasn't it - this story could have been so much more.

So Villainous tells us the story of Tilly a hero trainee sidekick who flips sides - this premise promised me an anti-heroes story, but for some reason I didn't feel that? What it felt like is that halfway through the story the heroes and villains just flipped sides and you found out who was who... and this is where the story fell flat and lost me a bit.

What I expect with an anti-heroes story is some gray area, some moral ambiguity... what I got with this is none of that? Honestly, the story feels so short that I'm not sure the morals of the characters even had a chance to be explored. There's no real motivation, backgrounds, or stories given. This could have benefited from a longer length, really.

Something that should have been a big deal happens to one of the characters and it feels like I'm supposed to care, but I just didn't know enough about the character to care? It felt awkward as I just shrugged off the big event and kept reading without a second thought. There's no time for you to care for the characters, therefore no weight in the events that happen.

I just feel like I didn't know enough, about anything.

Now, one thing I did find amazing in this story - The artwork - so well done and unique and feels like I haven't seen before. The main character is a reptile/humanoid creature and her artwork was so gorgeous and well done! The other characters looked great as well, but I was mostly blown away by the main character, Tilly.

Do I recommend this? Sure, it's fun, short, and fast-paced. Do I think it's a fully fleshed out idea? Not exactly! It's still a whole lot of fun, but I just wish it provided some more emotional weight!

I was excited to be accepted for this arc from netgalley. As I'm reading it gave me a little of xmen vibes. They characters seemed the same. So it was a little disappointing

🎭 Book Review 🎭

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎭 Villainous by Stonie Williams

🎭 Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

🎭 This is a graphic novel that is very quick of the mark, I felt that it was a little too quick and that I had missed some important facts!

🎭 The main character is Tilly, she's very excited to be the hero, Showdown, sidekick. Very quickly though she finds that being a hero isn't all it's made out to be!!

🎭 The story tells the side of the Villain’s and how maybe they aren't all they are generally portrayed to be!

🎭 The graphics are great, I loved them more than the story itself to be honest!

🎭 If you love Marvel, DC or Superhero comics this one is for you!

I think there was great potential in the premise, but there's not much depth to it,at least not the amazingness that it could've been.Even though this is the tale of the anti-heroes, it seems like the roles were just switched and nothing else. The story then falls a bit flat. There could've been a lot of grey areas and characters explored but there weren't. The motivation of the good guys is still the superhero obvious pattern, they want to do good. However, what about the bad guys? Yes, their plans are unfolded but what is truly their motivation to try to do that?

Also, I would've liked more from Tilly. Yes, it's great to see her as a protagonist that realises the truth about her heroes and idols, but then again there could've been more. I feel like it would've been amazing if the first part of the story was fleshed out even more. Meaning: spending more time getting to know everything before the reveals.

On another note,regarding the art, I think it was very good. The main character's design is very unique and a lot of the panels focused just on her end up being gorgeous. One in particular towards the end is breathtaking (I don't want to say which because of spoilers but people will know if they read the book). The colours were nicely used. Overall, it added cool components to the story and served its purpose to tell the story.

In conclusion, I think the story lacks a bit. It's undercooked. There's great potential and interesting ideas but I was left wanting more, not in a good way. It will entertain any reader possible though, that's a given

I really enjoyed the artstyle in this graphic novel, it’s honestly just stunning. This volume includes issues #1 through #5 of Villainous, and I saw it on Netgalley and thought “This seems like a fun read!” It’s very fast paced and I’m not sure how I feel about it. The concept isn’t all that new for anyone who reads a lot. A villain is rarely just a villain, especially if it’s revealed from the start of the story “Oh, these are the bad guys.” I’ll be sitting there thinking, “Oh, tell me more about these interesting individuals.” This story is no exception to that.

So yes, I give it three stars. It’s good but it’s not mindblowing. I think that’ll be my rating system going forward. I want to see original or moving stories that make me want to read every single page of it. This didn’t… but if you’re looking for a actionpacked story about politics and superheroes, it’s a fun read!

There was no deep critique of superheroes as one might have expected. The character development was light and the story predictable.

Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Villainous" follows lizard girl Tilly as she becomes a superhero's sidekick only to be dismayed to find out the heroes are not really...that heroic.

I liked the art style, it was fast-paced but willing to go wild and fun during fight scenes.

As reviews have said, this is pretty cookie cutter and predictable, but honestly, it was still pretty entertaining otherwise. It's like a really tame and less...adult version of "The Boys" graphic novel. Tilly was my favorite! The actual villains were pretty boring though, except for their boss. The Wilson Fisk copycat made me laugh though. This is a good introduction for teens looking to read a nicer version of "The Boys" and think about worlds where heroes aren't so heroic after all.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

2.5/5
The art style was the best, but from time to time the expressions of Tilly were too much. It feels weird. It was quite sad that the plot were predictable. I enjoyed the story, but I don't want to continue the series because it feels incomplete and quite simple.

This was an engaging if slightly derivative graphic novel. The story of “Villanous” is not unlike many stories that we see now. The hero that’s not a hero, and the anti-heroes we root for. It reminded me very much of “The Boys” television series but without the humor. The story is interesting, and the artwork fits it well. I wish I got to see the characters develop rather than getting brief synopses of each. I would have loved to have seen more about how our Villains got to where they were. Their “origin stories” as it were. There was so much more potential for Two-Spirit and December, but character development felt like an after-thought. That being said it was straight-forward and enjoyable and I would recommend it to any of my students for something with action that could get them engaged.

As soon as I saw the cover for Villainous, I was so excited to read this. I absolutely loved the art style of the story, and the storyline seemed to flow. This story (Issues 1-5) follows a cast of characters as they face various challenges along their journey.

The story prompts the reader to think. Are all heroes truly good? Or are the "villains" the ones we should be seeking for protection? I love stories that contemplate and change the typical setup of good vs. evil, and this story definitely does just that.

We follow several characters including, Tilly, who is chosen to be a hero's sidekick and train to be the best. So, what can go wrong? The Coalition of Heroes is the place to become the best you can, but it is not all it is cracked up to be. The heroes include Pillar, the one in charge, Showdown, and Miss Nemesis. Then we have The Shadow Order (aka our Villains) includes Sedition, December, and The Headhunter.

Throughout the story, we are able to see several of our characters change, including Tilly. Tilly sees everything for what it is, and she has to decide what she is willing to do. We have showdown scenes, high stakes, death, and more throughout each of the five issues.

I enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the next installment! I am looking forward to learning and reading more regarding the backstory of a couple of characters. The ending of Villainous leaves us wondering what is in store for the characters along their journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy and the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully drawn graphic novel! The plot is a little hard to understand but the characters are well developed. Graphic novels are always the best way to get out of a reading slump.

It's a fun comic with every compelling characters, the plot is new and creative. It's a great one shot read and great book to get you out of a reading slump

It has been Tilly's dream for years to join the Coalition of Heroes, but when she is finally accepted as a sidekick and questions a mission, she is suddenly attacked and turned into a villain. It turns out that the COH isn't really a group of heroes, but superpowered people working to start a war to gain power for the head of the organization. Tilly fights back against the COH when a group of so called villains takes her in.

Villainous (Issues 1-5) - Stonie Williams - 4/5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

An exciting twist on what is becoming a classic trope of the superheroes not always being the heroes the world needs or deserves. This take on the trope had many elements I hadn't seen done before. I definitely suggest giving this comic a read.

I want to start off by saying I loved this book. I hadn't heard about this comic before getting the opportunity to read this collection of the first 5 volumes. I now can't wait to get my hands on the 6th issue. There were 2 things that stood out to me that made this book one of the best takes on the bad heroes trope that I've seen.

Firstly is the perspectives that we get to see. In the past, I've seen the hero organization that has a dark secret and the villains that are actually trying to do good, but this book brings in other perspectives as well. We see a newscast, both when the only reliable source of info is the Coalition of Heroes, and later when the public is confused about who is telling the truth. We see a pair of detectives throughout the story as they wrestle with more and more information suggesting the heroes might not be all they say they are. And we also get social media feeds, which are a wonderful way to quickly inform on multiple public opinions. In 2 panels, I knew how the public felt whether they were on the side of the heroes, the villains, or on the fence, not sure what to think.

Secondly, one thing I loved about this take was that the villains didn't have to stay super virtuous to "prove" they were the good guys. As a result, as the series progresses, the villains won't continue to beat their heads against the Coalition in the same form. The Coalition will have to change drastically before issue 6 and I am incredibly excited to see that development take place.

If superhero comics are your thing, definitely give this a read. The art style and text density remind me of a mainline superhero comic a la Marvel or DC. But the subject matter is that of one of a story that started on the fringes and is becoming mainstream, and for a good reason. The heroes secretly being the bad guys isn't new at this point, but I love these stories and every time I read them they're something different.

A toned-down version of The Boys graphic novel.
Follows Tilly who joins the heroes becoming the newest sidekick before discovering the corruption in the people she has always looked up to and is given a choice to leave or join the corrupt... or so she thought. She is blamed for murder and recruited by the so-called villains who show her the truth.

I like the premise of turning from what you thought was good to becoming morally grey for the right reasons, this has the potential to be great, but it is too similar to The Boys.

You'd think a book called Villainous would have a bit more villainous things in it.

From the description of this one: A first time sidekick Tilly learns that not everything is what it seems with good guys vs bad guys, I expected a bit more. I've read lots of bad guys are good guys graphic novels and this was just ok. It' s not bad, per se, I just wouldn't recommend it to fans of "The Boys" who are looking for a more adult story. I

This is very much a young adult, almost kids book, despite the deaths that happen in it. It's very tame. The art is very well done and the story wasn't bad I just wish the characters were a bit more than one dimensional.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize that this was only thought netgalley shelf and unfortunately I don't have devices that work with that app so I'm going to be unable to try this novel. I'm sorry I didnt realize this before the request and thank you for the opportunity.

I am a sucker for the villain's side of the story. Sometimes the villains aren't what everyone thinks they are. The heroes aren't as they seem either. A mishmash of good vs evil. The artwork is stunning.
I want to read more, including more backstory for each character. How did they get their powers? What did Tilly's family sacrifice? I feel a chosen one trope coming, but could be wrong.
It was difficult to get attached to any of the characters, as everything happened so fast.

Villainous has a good plot as well as a beautifully sketched main “hero”, but lacks the nuisance of other well known superhero stories to make it stand out from others. The setup of the “good guys” actually being bad is classic, and Villainous doesn’t add anything new to this trope. The story moves too fast to for the reader to have any connections to the characters or world, and the real villains are almost too on the nose. The “twist” of the good guys being bad happens too quickly, and are such caricatures of a villain that they are more laughable than threatening. I wish this had been less rushed, more fleshed out, and more had more nuisance in its reveals and characters.