Steve L. McEvil, Middle School Super-Villain
by Lucas TurnbloomPublished by: Crown Books on June 1, 2022
Genres: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Pages: 240
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Lean into your wicked side in this full-color graphic novel series about a middle-school super villain (in training) who must choose between saving his town and doing the most horrific thing of all--teaming up with the good guys.
Hi! My name is Steve L. McEvil, and I am THE GREATEST SUPERVILLAIN IN THE WORLD! Or…I will be. It’s hard to take over the planet when you still have a bedtime.
Right now, my grandpa Tiberius McEvil is teaching me how to pull off my nefarious schemes. Though lately someone has been doing the job for me. These weird stones have appeared in town. Professor Stinger won’t stop droning on about wormholes. And no one is more villainous than my new neighbor Vic Turry. That guy is just so…NICE! Barf. Even Sierra, who rarely looks up from her geology books, is impressed by his good guy routine. But I’ll show them all. No one can outsmart Steve L. McEvil! (Yeah, yeah, I know it rhymes.)
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Colorful, engaging graphic novels
- Funny supervillains along the lines of Captain Underpants
- A super relatable protagonist just trying to do what’s wrong, like his family demands
- Lots of humor
- A quick, easy read with an engaging story
- Engaging books for struggling readers
Many thanks to Crown Books and TBR and Beyond Tours for an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I got a lot of different vibes from this book when I first saw it. There definitely feels like there’s an element of Captain Underpants, to some extent, but it also gave me that nostalgic feel for shows like Dexter’s Lab. It also felt a little like Rick and Morty for kids, and since my household loves that show, I was definitely intrigued!
Steve L. McEvil is a hilarious graphic novel about a supervillain-in-training whose attempts to do evil keep getting thwarted by his crush and the frustrating do-gooder new kid that just arrived at his school.
I ended up having a ton of fun with this book! It was a quick, easy read, perfect for struggling readers. The artwork! Oh my gosh. Y’all, this artwork is stunning. It’s so vivid and active and engaging. Turnbloom could illustrate how to heat a Hot Pocket and I’d still treat it like the literature it is. xD
I would just like to start by saying that this art style is so freaking cute that I couldn’t resist picking this book up, and I was not disappointed.
I tend to be sort of picky about the type of illustration styles I enjoy and gravitate towards. Why? Because I’m extra. I dunno, what do you want from me? Usually, I know right away whether an art style is going to work for me personally or not.
I absolutely love Turnbloom’s art style. I find it extremely charming, dynamic, and engaging. It’s a really interesting mix of cartoony and detailed. Perfect for a story about a supervillain! It’s every bit as quirky and charming as the story itself.
Meet the McEvils, who come from a long line of successful supervillains. Well . . . sort of.
See, Steve L. McEvil’s grandfather, Tiberius McEvil, is well known, even though he claims he has now retired from supervillainy. Steve plans to follow in his grandfather’s footprints and lead a life of supervillainy himself . . . even if, technically, most of his evil plans go awry. It’s the intent that counts, right?!
Something went a bit wrong with Steve’s father, though, who veered off the path of villainy to become . . . an artist. In particular, a cartoonist. Might Turnbloom have been inserting some of his own despair and experience in Steve’s father’s struggles with his cartoons? Perhaps. In any case, it’s funny!
In any case, Steve has a lot to live up to! I mean from his grandfather, of course, not his father, who is a little bit the black sheep of the family (though, bless his heart, he’s following his dream and doing his best).
Like any good supervillain, Steve L. McEvil has stumbled upon his very first archnemesis . . . who keeps insisting that they’re friends? Weird. Obviously, this is some conniving master plan.
Steve knows right away that he’s not going to like the new kid, Vic Turry. Not only is Vic a hopeless do-gooder who’s compelled to do the right thing, but he also immediately becomes best friends with Sierra, who Steve definitely does not have a crush on. Obviously, Vic has basically just declared war. Despite his (extremely annoying) insistence that he and Steve are good friends.
There’s obviously something weird about Vic Turry. I mean, other than being the do-gooder that he is, of course. Or the way he somehow, inexplicably keeps tricking Steve into doing almost hero-esque things. Obviously, he’s a horrible influence that needs to be dealt with.
Steve L. McEvil is surrounded by a rather interesting squad, from his archnemesis to his crush to his death bot, who is slightly malfunctioning thanks to his nosy mother who insists that children’s toys shouldn’t be able to destroy people. Silly parents.
It may come as no surprise at all that all the characters in this are basically larger than life. I mean, they have to keep up with Steve and the rest of the McEvils, right? I had an absolute blast with this squad, and I can’t wait to go on more adventures with them. Not only are they just plain funny, but they play off each other really well and work well together. Even if Steve is actively plotting how to get rid of Vic. I mean, does that not just scream best friends forever?!
What I really enjoyed about Steve L. McEvil is that he can still go either way. While he says he’s 100% dedicated to supervillainy, he’s still a kid and still finding his own way in life.
Oh, sure, he says he’s 100% committed to villainy and following in his grandfather’s footsteps . . . but then he accidentally messes up and does something good. I mean, I guess all villains experience some bumps in the road now and then, right? In the age of antiheroes and gray characters, there’s still plenty of time for Steve to decide where on the spectrum of good and evil he’ll eventually fall. In the meantime, though, what ensues is absolutely hilarious, because being a supervillain-in-training isn’t easy, as he’s finding out.
About Lucas Turnbloom
Lucas Turnbloom is a cartoonist from Southern California. In 2017, he and his wife rescued a sweet yet rambunctious little cat who inspired Lucas to write a comic as an inside joke for his wife. But when his wife insisted he put the comic on the internet, the joke grew, and “How to Cat” now has over 196k followers. In addition to capturing his pet’s most feline antics, Lucas is also the illustrator of the Dream Jumper series.
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