Review: SCHOOL FOR EXTRAORDINARY GIRLS #1: GIRL ON FIRE Is Like a Sci-Fi 2000s Nickelodeon Teen Show

On the list of most anticipated graphic novels for the rest of 2020 was a title called School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1: Girl on Fire. This title had a cool cover, and it sounded like a pretty interesting story. I was able to secure a review copy of the book, and it was interesting. I’ll do my best to not share any spoilers below. The graphic novel is written by Jeremy Whitley with Jamie Noguchi providing the art. You can purchase a copy for yourself through comiXology if it sounds like a good fit for you.

First, I want to address the art of the book. Overall, it’s pretty good. It’s not my favorite art, but Noguchi does show off some skill. I chalk this up to the subjective matter of taste and not an objective problem. Really, the big letdown is that in my digital copy, the art seemed out of focus and a little blurry. The text was sharp, but the art not so much. Now, considering that the preview pages on comiXology are sharp and clear, I’m chalking this up to solely my review copy.

So, what’s the story like? Well, it’s pretty average on the surface. It’s about a teenage girl whose life gets turned upside down, and she doesn’t know who she is or anything. It kind of reminds me of X-Men a little if we were to follow one of the less prominent characters. There are some great character growth moments too as Tara slowly learns who she is and more about herself and her newfound world. She navigates the rough road of making friends and its a little relatable.

It’s sci-fi enough to attract people more into that, but it also gives off a lot of similar vibes to Nickelodeon shows from the mid-late 2000s. In all honesty, it’s a lot more of the latter with the former just sprinkled in for setting.

The story has fun characters (Kat and Summer are definitely my favorites), good relationships, a fun premise, and just enough cheesiness to be enjoyable by a certain audience. The catch is that while I can enjoy this book to some degree, I acknowledge that I am not the target audience and therefore can’t relate to it as well as others. If I were a teenage girl I probably would’ve enjoyed Girl on Fire considerably more. That being said, it’s still not a bad read.

If you like cheesy teen shows, I would definitely give Girl on Fire a read.