this debut young adult fantasy graphic novel is well done.

the story is to the point and fast paced. the graphics are amazing. the detail that goes into this artwork is incredible.

i relate to hawthorne and maple a lot. it was nice to see feelings i don’t talk about with anyone reflected onto the page. reading this story made me feel less alone. i saved a few quotes that hit way harder for me than expected.

from a bit of a seasoned reader within the new adult range, there are some things about the story that i feel are missing. nothing too drastic, of course, but i found myself keeping track of questions i had while reading that never got answered clearly or at all. i don’t think i should reveal my questions here because it would spoil the book. i wouldn’t mind the book be longer if it meant all questions got answered and, at certain parts, the plot marinated a bit longer in order for the character development to hit harder, but looking at the bigger picture, there were certain messages that needed to be told in a way that the target audience or anyone could understand while also keeping their interest in the story. i just felt like some things were given away too easily or happening to quickly to fully take in the weight of the situation, at certain points.

overall, this story is great for it’s target audience and a younger audience as well. i appreciate the messages portrayed and feel they are important to remember. there seems to be room for this story to continue and i’d love to see more, if it does.

thank you so much kennedy tarrell, netgalley, feiwel & friends, and macmillan children’s publishing group for gifting me this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions!

I loved the line art for this graphic novel. It was very cottagecore and it also reminded me of Hilda when it came down to the line are. I loved the colors they were not too flashy and everything was comforting to read and process.

The story follows a PG romance between Hawthorne and Maple whom at first Hawthorne wanted to be evil on the outside but deep down he was a softee. As for Maple who was the complete opposite, she was sweet on the inside and just looked for revenge for what the common ground group they were trying to join brought out all of her anger. I liked how in the end he made her see herself and they she could rise above it with someone else rather being alone and trying to get the comfort that she needed that she missed out for so long. Like she didn’t have to be alone, she was just choosing to do it. This overall was a really cute, graphic novel but, also very interesting on world-building and understanding where you need to be in life by who you hang around.

A cute and vivid graphic novel I've read in one sitting.

Hawthorne is a non-binary teenager who feels they don't fit in, life is a chore and they're destined for bigger things - like joining the local villain's entourage! But neither joining nor leading the gang will be as easy and glamorous as Hawthorne dreamed, and their self-confidence will be sorely tested.

In the end, it's a humbling tale about false first impressions, and that chasing "fun" means being saddled with the negative consequences of it. It also conveys a positive message about the power of friendship and supportive community.

This is marketed as YA, but I'd say it fits for MG readers too. It's very short and fast paced, the illustrations are very dynamic, there's nothing drastic shown but mostly implied, big problems are surprisingly easily solved, it focuses on friendship, and the main characters' behaviour with worshipping their idols and throwing fits resembles a 12-14yo.

I would recommend this for reluctant readers of upper MG and younger YA age bracket who want a quick, easy to absorb story.

I loved the diverse characters: mc is non-binary, there's a Black side character and another side character who is a butch-presenting woman. There's also another non-binary character who mc idolizes.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC! It's the first time I'm approved for a graphic novel / comic outside of "Read Now" titles, so I'm double grateful for this one!

I signed up for this without reading all the tags to see what the aesthetic was about. I thought it was a fun, cute read about wanting something and then realizing it wasn't what you thought. I was leery at first. But Hawthorne seemed like your typical young person trying to find where they belong. I would have liked to see a little more of what the motivation was to join team evil. The character had more of a explanation for the motivation. Hopefully we get to see more of Hawthorne's adventures in the future.

This was the most delightful YA graphic novel, and such a treat to read! I can definitely tell Tarrell's background is in animation, because this gave Disney vibes in the best way possible! The world of Idlewood is one that feels lived-in and fully imagined, and the art is an absolute dream. I was hooked from the first page.

Evil-ish centers on Hawthorne, a disillusioned potion barista who dreams of bigger things--namely, joining the evil Brigade of Shade that rules their town. The only problem is that tryouts are full of hopefuls, all with powers of their own. Hawthorne doesn't have powers, but they have a killer style, a sharp wit, and a big dream. But that's not enough. When they fail miserably at their audition, a surprising friend gives them a second chance, and they stumble their way into the Brigade. But is Hawthorne evil enough for the team they always dreamed of...and is evil really what they want to be?

I literally could not put down this graphic novel. It felt cinematic and cozy, and I adored the detail put into every panel. The character designs are great, from Hawthorne's slick, spiky style, to friend Maple's Disney princess charm. The members of the Brigade all felt distinct, too, with Dredimer being my favorite. I really enjoyed how Hawthorne and Dredimer's gender was never used as a plot point--they are both nonbinary, and that's normalized and accepted. It felt kind of like Owl House or She-Ra in that regard; queernormative, gender-normative, etc, and I think it's so important for teens to have media like that. I loved that Hawthorne had such a wonderful family, and I liked how the Brigade supported each other. Positive vibes all the way around! I also liked the messaging here: Hawthorne's idea of "evil" is more angsty outcast who wants to cause some mischief, and when confronted with true evil they understand where their values lie. Tarrell also explores the idea that hurt people hurt people, and how to stop that cycle, which I think is also important messaging.

I do wish, as some other reviewers stated, that there had been a bit more fleshed out motive for both Hawthorne and Maple, Hawthorne in particular. The plot moves so fast, which is not a bad thing, but I felt that I never understood Hawthorne's reason for wanting to join the Brigade so badly. I WAS that "too cool for this town" angsty teenager, so I totally get that not wanting to work at their mom's potion shop could be motive enough, or perhaps the fact that the Brigade has an absolutely enviable aesthetic. But I'm largely extracting that from my own teenage years, and less from what's on the page itself.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Feiwel and Friends, and Kennedy Tarrell for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was such a cute graphic novel! The art style is so quirky— I love it.

I love when authors include snippets of their processes creating a book so the ending section with the concept art, etc was so nice to see.

The pacing and occasional dialogue were my only issues. But then again this is a ya graphic novel (not something I read often!) so take that with a grain of salt!!

3.75/5 rounded up to 4

Evil-ish is about what you'd expect from the premise of "teenage batista winds up running an evil empire." I just wish it took a little bit longer to get there.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Macmillan for the Advance Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Evil-ish, as the name would suggest, gives a story of young adults who set out to join an evil group and then war about actually being evil. The premise is interesting, but the execution is a bit lacking because the pace is too quick. The art style is beautiful - I can tell that Tarrel put a lot of thought into world building which is why it's so jarring to me that we don't get to sit into that world longer. Pacing at the beginning felt good, we see a glimpse into background, how our main character feels, introduction to possible enemies and friends, and then suddenly it feels like we're holding down the times two button on a tiktok video to get to the protagonists realizing the moral of the story. It's not necessarily bad, I was just left wanting by the whole experience.

If you have a young angst reader in your life who likes graphic novels and dressing in black, they may enjoy this book. If you're like me and used to be that young angsty reader, you may see yourself a bit in Hawthorne. Whatever the case, this is a quick and visually beautiful read that you can't go wrong with to pass the time.

I usually wait to read a book until closer to is publishing date, but this sweet graphic novel called for me to read it the moment I was approved!

Hawthorne lives above their family's potion/tea shop in a small town. But they have big dreams of joining the Brigade of Shade, a band of evils who wreak havoc on the town. When they show up at the open call for new Brigade members, Hawthorne meets Maple, the most unlikely, cheeriest of candidates. Together, they accidentally find themselves in charge of the Brigade, and must learn what it means to be good and evil, and how to live with the consequences of your choices.

This artwork captured my attention. The vivid use of color set the mood in each panel. I particularly liked Hawthorne's character design.

I'm hoping there's more coming in this series.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @macmillanusa. The opinions are my own.

Posted to Storygraph and Goodreads. Instagram post will be added below when posted.

Aesthetically? Love it. The character designs, the detailed settings, it's all awesome. As someone who was drawn to the promise of a nonbinary MC, I love that Hawthorne has both "masculine" and "feminine" features and mannerisms---not that nonbinary folks owe anyone androgyny, but I love when androgyny takes the form of "both." #GenderGoals

What I don't understand is... why is Hawthorne doing any of this? The comic has a sort of Nimona vibe, but I remember Nimona having reasons for thing (though, since I haven't read the comic in a while, maybe I'm wrong?). At any rate, Hawthorne has a lot of anger that seems to come from nowhere. I, too, was an angry emo kid who would have wanted to join the evil recruitment squad, if only because of their costume style. I didn't need an excuse for Hawthorne's behavior, but I would have liked SOMETHING. As it is, I'm not clear why they're doing what they're doing, or why the dramatic turn changes Hawthorne's outlook on life. I found the character motivations and arcs to be a little sloppy and unearned.

Still, this is the kind of aesthetic I'd expect from someone who works at Disney... the art is on point with its whole pastelpunk vibe, and I can see this being made into a short film, though I'd still want to see the plot beefed up. I, however, am a crusty elder millennial, and I suspect that the target audience (teens and tweens, one presumes?) are less likely to complain about plot consistency and character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This was a fun time, and I'm pretty sure that younger-me would have made it my whole personality for at least three months. You know, while listening to Evanescence and wearing Hot Topic gear, black lipstick and all.

Oh, and PS: I LOVE that Hawthorne's nonbinariness is acknowledged several times but is NOT a plot point/point of contention/something anyone discusses as though it's a problem. The Mom is supportive and nobody else gives a rip. Kudos.

Evil-ish is a really interesting play on the evil villain brigade expectations. I really liked Hawthorne as a character and liked their journey to realizing what they want and how to be who they want to be. I also liked Maple and would like to have seen more development with her. I liked the art style a lot too, and overall this was an enjoyable graphic novel.

<i>Evil-ish</i> is a feel good whimsical fantasy graphic novel that will leave you feeling joyful and refreshed. I loved this! It was so fun and the art was beautifully done!

We meet Hawthorne, a non-binary teen in a small fantasy town that is home to the Brigade of Shade, a well-known group of villains who live in a castle. All Hawthorne wants is to join the Brigade and have a life different from their current position at their family's Potion's café. After a random incident they somehow get to lead the Brigade which leads to a whole lot of shenanigans. I loved the character development in this story and watching Hawthrone grow into themselves.

If you love graphic novels, queer representation, and happy endings with beautiful art I absolutely recommend this graphic novel! I loved it! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

honestly i wasn’t a fan of this one. i’m not sure why, i wish maple had a cooler power other than with plants to make it more of a twist aspect.

“It’s not about being evil! It’s about not being here!”

Hawthorne works like a drudge, taking orders — as their mother says, they’re the best potion barista! — cleaning, brewing, putting up with customers, all while wanting desperately to join the Brigade of Shade and be free to be themselves. Somewhere where they aren’t at their mom’s beck and call, aren’t responsible for so much work they didn’t ask for, bearing so much weight on their shoulders they want to shrug off.

Hawthorne’s expressions, the beautiful artwork — the humor! — all of it hits perfectly. The characters are so well done, with humor and personality, like Valencia Sun, one of the Brigade members, who has a tally mark on her arm for each of the dead loves she must avenge … (and a picture of her lost dog). Or Dredimer, an amazing warlock … with an equally amazing shoe line. The talent show auditions with a judge of evil Brigade members, at which Hawthorne bombs terribly. When Maple comes to cheer them up the scenes are adorable, with Maple smiling, teasing, offering Hawthorne her help at getting a second chance … only for things to go so, so badly.

And ti’s perfectly drawn. It’s absolutely understandable each step of the Rube Goldberg of chaos that causes Lady Wrath to, er, die (accidentally of course!), and Maple’s expressions in the background, compared to Hawthorne’s horror, are funny! As is her face when she announces that it’s Hawthorne who killed Lady Wrath, leaving Hawthorne the new leader of the Brigade of Doom.

The story follows the expected plot beats of Hawthorne trying things their way only to get in over their head and lose control of the situation, of having to reach out to those they hurt to clean up their mess, but the art adds so much depth and nuance to it. The colors are bright, the line work is clean, the text is easy to read and the overall vibe is just perfect.

If you like fantasy stories with humor, sweet romances, happy endings and pretty pictures, you should definitely give this book a try. Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC to read!

Fans of Nimona will probably enjoy this lighthearted take on a teen wanting to join an infamous rogue's gallery of villains--only to discover they're not quite as villainous as expected. Only when Hawthorne whips them into shape alongside their new friend Maple, they become a little too effective as villains. And Hawthorne realizes they were never really looking to do evil, only to belong. This was a fun take on a teen who feels out of place and a fantasy world where magic and potions baristas exist side by side.

"Evil-ish" is a young adult graphic novel by Kennedy Tarrell. The main character, Hawthorne (they/them) dreams of joining the evil Brigade of Shade and getting away from being a potion barista at their mom's shop. When the tryouts go terribly, Maple (a bright and happy woman with impressive powers for growing plants and trees) convinces Hawthorne to come with them and talk to the Brigade's leader. An unfortunate accident leaves Hawthorn in charge of the Brigade and they get to finally act out their "evilness," but Hawthorne starts to figure out that maybe they aren't really evil. A recommended purchase for YA graphic novel collections, especially where fantasy is popular.

Hawthorne dreams of joining the Brigade of Shade and being evil away from their stifling life as a potions barista at their mom's shop. Unfortunately, they are overshadowed by Maple, a decidedly not evil young woman with plant powers. An accident leads to Hawthorne becoming the leader of the Brigade, but maybe they aren't as evil as they thought they wanted to be... Sometimes, all someone wants is to feel like they belong.

Cute!! A good story. I really liked the development of the characters. The character designs were also nice.