I was very, very tempted to give it a higher rating just because of Baymax, because well, it's Baymax! But, no. I'm trying to be unbiased here.😅

I'm going into this after watching only the 2014 movie. I've not watched the 'Baymax Returns' movie which is partially the plot of this book, I believe. So, this is the first time I've come across this storyline.

The things I loved about this book - the biggest thing is the nostalgia factor. I loved being back in this universe, revisiting all the characters. I liked the theme of Hiro and his group failing over and over, but learning to get back at it again. And the art was really good too.

But, that was it. Everything else was disappointing. The plot was all over the place. Especially given that the 3rd chapter goes back to the past without any warning and starts its own journey, leading to a sort of cliffhanger at the end - all while the plot line from the first two chapters was still very much open. I expect the two will turn out to be somewhat related in the upcoming volumes, but concluding a volume with 2 open plotlines which appear to completely seperate at this point, wasn't a good idea.

Now, as for how this plot was actually conveyed to us, I felt like it was - this sounds insulting, but I can't find another way to describe it - dumbed down. A lot. The charm of the movie where people of all ages could enjoy it was not there.

And while I liked the artwork, the panel structure and the connecting art was not very cohesive. Especially the fight scenes, which were quite difficult to follow.

Overall, I won't be actively recommending this. But, if asked my opinion, I'd suggest to wait to read this till you can have your hands on the upcoming volumes right after you finish.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

This was an exact replication of three random episodes from the Big Hero 6: The Series show and although I loved that show, it was really disappointing to see this comic didn’t attempt to go beyond it.

Everything I loved about this comic was really what I loved about the show. Fred was hilarious, the team dynamics were spot on and there were a sprinkling of touching moments. However, all of that were not really strengths of the comic because if I wanted all that, I could’ve just watched the show and saved myself the time and effort of reading this. This comic gave us nothing more on the page than what’s already been shown on the small screen.

On top of that, for some strange reason, the layout of this comic was reminiscent of a manga and so was the art style, yet it became apparent after a few pages that it was clearly a comic to be read from left to right and not right to left. As well as that, the comic renditions of the episodes were not even in chronological order so anyone who hasn’t already watched the show would be very confused reading this and would no doubt be left wondering why the plot randomly goes backwards in the last chapter.

The art was very pretty to look at so points for that, but the black and white fight scenes were almost incomprehensible. The black and white throughout also added to the illusion that this was a manga and not a comic, despite the fact that it was actually a comic.

So, all in all, disappointing and quite frankly lazy. If you’re going to take the name of the show and call this a “companion comic” then actually make it an elaboration of the show and not a frame by frame duplication.

This one is a bit hard to judge as it is a direct adaptation of the series so it makes it tricky.to review. I love the movie and I love the series. I think this will definitely serve to bring more kids to the series (because I am amazed at the number of people who didn't know it existed). It will also be a good launch into the upcoming Baymax series. It was amusing and the manga art-style was very well-done. It's just nothing new for me.

For Libraries: Let's be honest, it's a graphic novel based on a Disney show, it's going to circulate.

*I was provided with a free ecopy of this graphic novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The graphic novel provides an interesting opportunity to blend the visual with the textual for the reader, allowing immersion at a greater level than they could get from the book alone. In comic books, the visual areas are almost more important than what is said in each panel, having action and cameo appearances for fans to search out and delight in discovering. With Big Hero 6, what you see on the panel is far less vital to a deeper understanding of what is going on. In fact, one could probably read this without giving much consideration to the visuals at all and come away with a mostly in-tact experience of the narrative getting portrayed.

This graphic novel contains three separate stories within the volume, with them having no connection to each other apart from the central protagonist team of characters. Each has a different villain in a familiar comic flavor-of-the-week approach, which is certainly no fault of the volume here because it works well to provide some variety - a multi-volume story arc would certainly have provided a different and more engrossing experience, but there is no need to detract from this because of its episodic nature. However, the biggest surprise comes when getting to the third installment in here, which rewinds back to shortly after the events of the movie. This is jarring because the stories preceding that are clearly set at a later point where the team has a stronger chemistry together and faces more interesting villains while juggling the school plotline. Going backward, at this point, breaks the flow in unexpected ways. Had this story opened up the volume, it would have felt a little more acceptable as a reader.

As a whole, the three stories give each of the characters time to shine with their trademark personality quirks that make them unique within the collective team. Hiro and Baymax, as one would expect, get the majority of time on the page and anything different would probably have disappointed readers grabbing this as the first Big Hero 6 reading after seeing the movie. The first story in here, featuring the High Voltage team of villains, is arguably the best story within here as the team struggles to come up with a solution to secure victory. Watching the team come together, in the face of repeated defeats, is interesting. The second story, with a villain that can change their body into anything (including chocolate), had some really memorable moments and required strong teamwork to slow down the slippery art thief. After those two villains, going back to the big bully from the robot fights in the movie felt anti-climactic. It'd be like seeing Spider-Man take down the Green Goblin and Vulture, and finish by facing off against John Jonah Jameson Jr. On its own, it might be a good story and entertaining, but to cap off a trilogy of stories it would feel underpowered and far less interesting. The dynamics between the heroes and the villains are what make the stories interesting, carrying through the overarching plot with the daily life beats.

As a whole, this was certainly enjoyable in spite of the criticisms. I enjoyed every minute spent reading this, and it made me both want to go back and watch the movie again as well as see what other comics are out there for this team. It has me wanting to sit down and read these stories with my 5-year-old. And that is certainly a marker of success for this graphic novel.

I love middle grade comic books and big hero 6 so i was very excited to read this and it did not disappoint! i really enjoyed the art style and the story and i had a lot of fun reading it. if you’re a fan of big hero 6, i really recommend it.

This fun comic follows the beloved cast of Big Hero 6 after the events of the movie. Hiro is attending nerd school, he and his friends are still fighting crime, but big players are moving behind the scenes that make things even more difficult on top of the drama Hiro is facing at school!

I enjoyed this, but a lot less than I thought I would. Of course, I didn't expect the emotional weight and the same feelings as in the movie (since that would be so hard to measure up to!), but this first volume was much simpler than I expected. The structure and pacing were also odd to me. In the first chapter, Hiro is paired up with another young student at his school and has to deal with her 180 in personality while the gang fights an electric mother-daughter villain duo. (And of course, Karmi is in love with his superhero persona.) In chapter two, a globby art thief who can change shape confounds them, but it turns out there's more than meets the eye to the painting he's targeting.

I'm a sucker for "monster-of-the-episode" type stories where beloved characters wrap up a job in one section, but what threw me off was chapter 3, when the story suddenly picks up right after the movie ended and introduces the new dean as if she's not a character we met in chapter one. I wasn't expecting the storytelling to be nonlinear (or told backward), and I didn't see a craft reason for the comic to be arranged this way.

This is going to tie into the animated show, though, so I think this book was probably just trying to introduce all the pieces that will be present in the show. The art style was fun and will appeal to kids, especially those who really loved Baymax, but I think it might not hold up for an older audience.

❧ 3.25 ★

I love Big Hero 6, so I'm over the moon that they're making the cartoon series into a graphic novel! And I may be biased, but I loved it.
The art style is neat and clean, and the characters are easily recognizable from one another. And it's a very cute style, so it will appeal to younger children who love Baymax.
The storylines are short and to the point, like the episodes in the show. It gives natural breaks for younger readers to stop and start at, while older readers can plow ahead. The parts seem a little out of order, however, as the chapters where Hiro rebuilds Baymax comes after stories with them fighting baddies together...? Not sure why.
But otherwise, great stories, cute art, and I'm looking forward to more!

I really enjoyed hero 6 the film and when I saw the comic I was excited to read it. The front cover is really colourful which draws you to the comic. I really enjoyed the illustrations and you could really tell the what was going on and I liked there was only abit of writing in each picture and sometimes none. The comic is set after the film . It did not take me long to read. I found it bit difficult to read on the kindle due to it all not fitting on one page but in a comic it will be lot easier to see.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this comic.

This book takes place after the events of the Big Hero 6 movie. In this volume, the team has to defeat a mother-daughter team with electrical powers, Hiro struggles with a school assignment, Honey Lemon tries to teach Baymax about art, the team deals with failure, and Hiro rebuilds Baymax's body.