I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I’m one of those people who grew not like the church. However, in this youth group their trained to be demon hunters. The idea that every religion has a sect of demon hunters whether they call it l that or not, just works. Their powers mixes with the story quite well and all over this is a fun. Think it’d be great in any library collection.

Youth Group is an incredibly fun and unique story about a group of Christian exorcists. It's full of standout characters and action packed illustrations and does a great job at handling the nuances of different ways in which people can interact with religion. I also appreciated that the graphic novel leaves space to validate other religions as well. Definitely fills a space that I often do not see being met.

I may be reviewing this with some bias, because I am Jordan Morris fan, and have been for years, but I really enjoyed this. It follows Kay, who is forced to join an Evangelical church youth group, and quickly finds out the leaders are secretly demon hunters. As a premise, this rules. Also, the characters rule. They are all so fun, and easy to root for. My favorite was Cortland, a queer disaster of a dude who was really trying his best. That being said, everyone was great. Also, this is just funny. A big part of this graphic novel is the evangelical teens realizing they need to come together with other religious groups to take down the demons, and I loved the message of acceptance that brought to the story. I wish it was more of a critique of evangelical Christianity as a whole, besides a few throwaway lines about gay marriage and a woman's right to choose. It could have gone deeper, but I do think the plot about working with Wiccans and Jews and Catholics was really cool and took the story in the right direction.

The art was super fun. The characters were vivid, and the contrast between the brightness of a teen girl's bedroom and the darkness of a fighting a demon in the woods was very cool. My one complaint is so dumb, but Cortland was always sweaty. I think this was meant to imply he was high? Maybe? But it's like okay, this character we like who is supposed to be growing and changing can not be sweating like this all the time.

Overall, this was great. It's not a perfect fit for my small town library, which is frequented by many conservative Christians, but I will recommend to readers who I know will enjoy it through inter-library loan!

My thanks to NetGalley and GoodReads for an eARC of this book to read and review,

Wow, ok, where to begin. Now, please keep in mind that I read an advanced read copy of this, so anything I read might have been revised before final publication. I hope so, but IMHO to fix this, it would need a complete overhaul. Again, in my opinion. As of my writing this review, it has a 4.13 star rating on GoodReads, so I am in the minority here.

Ok, the premise is demons are taking over humans, killing and feeding off of the select few that can't be possessed to make the demons stronger. So there are exorcists from all types of religions, including but not necessarily limited to Evangelists, Catholics, Jews and Wicca covens, trying to stop the demons. The Evangelical pastor doesn't want to work with the other groups, but his teen proteges decide to branch out and get help from the other groups. The Evangelical pastor doesn't want to work with others, BUT he is willing to let one of his proteges get possessed to show the newbie how an exorcism is done.

On. What. PLANET?!? Listen, I am not a demon expert at all, but I've seen the Exorcist and read my Bible. If that movie and the Bible are to be believed, demons are not just toys to play with and are not something that can be casually removed from a human host as a learning exercise!

This isn't a bad book, by worldly standards, but I am a Christian and there is no theology in this that I can point to and say, this is ok and this is why. I believe that this book is dangerous for believers and non-believers alike.

It also paints Christians in a less-than-positive light, with less than gentle fun being poked at Mega Churches and how they worship, as well as having the very adult married pastor say something that I REALLY hope didn't make it into the final version of this book. I also really hope it wasn't based on something others have experienced, because that is disturbing.

I had high hopes for this book when I requested it and started to read it, but that went downhill rather quickly and didn't pick up. I did read it in it's entirety, though I was tempted to DNF by 51%.

1, I can't recommend this book to anyone, stars.

Alright... not what I thought that was going to be about. Surprisingly weird direction for a graphic novel but the balance of humor and demonic possessions that are mitigated by a youth group that Kay has now joined is entertaining. Kay is the prototypical ennui teenager-- mom and dad have split, mom has her own stuff but she's trying, really trying to get Kay to be better connected. Thus, youth group until it's discovered that Kay is a Blight-- she cannot be possessed by a demon and therefore integral in the groups fight to exorcise demons from others.

It's got action, dialogue, with a small amount of character development. It feels more sporadic than cohesive but it'll work for teens.

Lives up to it's description! Youth Group is a campy graphic novel about teen exorcists. There's a reluctant, non-religious protagonist who has mysterious demon-senses. There is a weird youth group with culty songs. There's religious diversity aka teen exorcists of all religions working (mostly) separately to yeet demons. There's LGBTQ+ rep. What more do you really need?

Youth Group actually surprised me with how fun it is. Going from Bible study to demon fighting was wild. It's basically Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her Scooby gang but they reluctantly also go to church. Probably at Giles suggestion. For training... or something.

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second for providing me with a review copy.

I could not stop reading this book and even months later, I keep thinking about it. 90s and Buffy-esque books are kind of getting stale but this one felt so fresh and fun and I can't wait for a sequel! Great for teens through adults, I thought the character development was so well done and I was obsessed with the different religions' approaches to exorcism-- just so well done and clever.. Like I said, it was SO FUN. I've been telling all my GN readers they gotta check it out!

Super cute and funny! I died a little marking this as “historical fiction,” since it’s set in the 90’s, but here we are.

The christian weird al songs were perfection and I yelled at the spreadsheet love.

Such a fun graphic novel with great illustrations and a propulsive storyline. The characters were all so supportive and accepting of each other throughout, which added a lot to the story, despite its brevity.

Youth Group was such a delight to read! Great art, interesting story, clever language, multi-faceted characters. I hope this becomes a series, because I want to go back to this world.

I was interested in this because of Bowen and their previous work, but Jordan’s storytelling was also excellent. I thought the two went together very well. The premise was very fun and unique, and the art was perfect for the story. I loved how the people came together, and I hope there is a sequel.

What do you do when you find out your youth group leaders are ... exorcists? You join them, duh!

This was a fun graphic novel set in the 90s with religion (and demons) as it's central story line. I liked that there was subtle challenge to specific core religious beliefs (i.e. accepting Cortland for his sexuality and wanting to work with kids from other faiths). There are moments of funny outlandish but quite accurate portrays of Christianity, specifically what a youth group looks like. Overall, an enjoyable read!

The artwork is gorgeous with dark hues of purple and blue. The cover conveys Kay's and Meg's characters' perfectly!

3.5 Stars

***

Cynical, goth Kay agrees to join a youth group at the church her mother attends, specifically at the request of her mother after a strenuous divorce. She knows youth group involves sing-alongs and cheesy slogans and has a focus on avoiding temptations. What she was not expecting, to happen upon her two youth group leaders, Meg and Courtland, performing an actual exorcism of a demon. Not only that, but it turns out they are part of a secret society of demon hunters that are on the verge of all out war with hell. And Kay, well she happens to be a "Blight," a person who cannot be possessed by demons, and yet demons seem really interested in getting their hands on her for some reason.

Growing up in the 90s and having a friend that I sometimes followed to youth group, this all rang very true to me. The songs, the over enthusiastic leaders, the talk of temptation and what it means to follow God's teachings and live like Jesus. But, this book managed to make it all witty and acknowledges the sometimes absurd nature of youth group, or the fact that exorcism would not be a stretch for what you do in youth group. Haha.

I did enjoy that Meg was a leader who encouraged growth and change, and even fought her own spiritual leader in order to team up with other denominations to fight their common enemy. As well, her and Kay's acceptance of Courtland, when he was honest about his sexuality, highlighted what church is meant to be: about love and inclusion, not shame and rejection.

This graphic novel focuses on the satanic panic of the 90s in a light, funny, dramatic way and had enough pop culture references to delight and create nostalgia. I would have loved if others groups other than just Christianity, Judaism, and Wicca were included. It was nice to have these three, but an even more diverse group of hunters would have been appreciated. However, I did like seeing the differences shown between the two Christian denominations, as many different groups have very different ways in which they acknowledge God, Jesus, and their beliefs.

The drawing style was also reminiscent of comics of the 90s. With sharp angles, funny faces, bright colours. It felt very boho California, with a touch of dark goth thrown in there. Phrases were in line with the slang of the time and even the music that was transformed for church was popular. All around I enjoyed this graphic novel and would be interested in a second helping.

Much more heavy-handed evangelical Christianity than I was expecting, but the skepticism of the main character helped to take the edge off and the joyful cheesiness of Meg also meant it didn't take itself too seriously. Still a bit too heavy-handed for me personally, but I can see the appeal, I liked the inter-faith aspect - sincerely hope they explore that further - the pro-gay even in the 90s, and really appreciate that the MC remains a skeptical agnostic in the group while still kicking demon ass with the evangelicals. I look forward to seeing if they expand it into a series.

DRC receveid by First Second Books | First Second via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The artworks are spectacular. I also liked the characters, Cortland and Briar above all. I am sort of hoping this gets a sequel,

I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book - but it far exceeded my expectations!

Kay is a teen that is Going Through It. Her dad won't call her back, she's got a crush on a guy who barely gives her the time of day (and is kind of awful), and now her mom really wants her to go to this youth group at the church her mom attends.

The book is a fun, campy mix of 90s Buffy the Vampire vibes and the existential dread of being a teen.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves graphic novels, demon-slaying, and really wished their youth groups used bible verses for exorcising demons instead of just instilling a deep sense of religious guilt.

Thank you to NetGalley and FirstSecond books for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect with this one, and honestly that was probably for the best. There is a lot going on in this graphic novel, I might argue a little too much, but the through line of finding friendships in unlikely places and battling demons does its job. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars due to the pacing and over complicated plot here.

As far as who to recommend this title to, I think that this walks a very fine line in regards to religions and being respectful/disrespectful, so be cautious recommending it as I could see this potentially being a difficult one to recommend. Still, for kids who are fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or My Boyfriend from Hell there's fun stuff here.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, lively, kinda broad story about a Christian youth group that also fights demons, and the jaded non-Christian outsider that gets pulled into the project. This has a very Buffy the Vampire Slayer tone (without all the quipping — well, without most of the quipping) and with some cute (though mostly backgrounded) queer romance that doesn't end in surprise untimely death. So points for that, and for nailing that feeling of being a religious doubter socializing with youth-groupers who seem to be entirely on board, in a frighteningly chipper and gung-ho way, not just with Jesus but with rock songs about Jesus and T-shirts about Jesus and seminars about fighting temptation with wholesome activities like flower arranging.

The art here is on the simple and kinda sketch-ish side, without a lot of nuance, and the story is equally surfacey. But there's some fun stuff involved, especially around the youth group's internal disagreements coming from people having different personalities and different levels of engagement both with demon-fighting and with religion, and around the group's uncomfortable attempts to socialize with and coordinate with other demon-fighting groups, associated with other belief systems. I may be the ideal audience for this book, as a former youth-grouper with a lot of the reservations the protagonist here has (albeit without any of the demon-fighting powers), but for what it's worth, I enjoyed it.

I am a longtime fan of Jordan Morris—his Bubble podcast and graphic novel have replaced another Very Popular Text with a Problematic Author as a comfort to reread/relisten. Youth Group follows teen skeptic Kay after her parent’s divorce where trades attending a church youth group in exchange for applying to colleges on the east coast. When she interacts with the members, she feels even more disconnected from the world but she resolves to give it a shot. Kay stumbles upon the new youth group acquaintances performing what looks like an exorcism only because it actually is an exorcism. Kay quickly learns that her new youth group is one of many interfaith groups fighting demons in Orange County. Will Kay learn to let go and trust her new friends in order to save the world from demons?
This graphic novel provides a nostalgic lens that can be applied to the contemporary world.Morris’s voice paired with Bowen McCurdy’s illustrations provide an immersive reading and viewing experience. This book encourages an open mind and an open heart– a strong guide for how to be a person in the world. Youth Group is perfect for a young person trying to figure themselves out or an older reader who needs to be reminded how to be the person they needed when they were younger. My biggest critique is that there isn’t more Youth Group right away. More Youth Group! Bring me more Youth Group! This is a great read for fans of Paper Girls, Saved! and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Thank you to First Second and NetGalley for the advance e-ARC of Youth Group!