School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Dead High Yearbook puts the "graphic" back into graphic novel in true splatter horror-movie form. This group of grisly stories is connected by an overarching tale of two zombie yearbook editors putting together this year's annual. The deaths range from in-your-face gruesome to only suggested. Even without every corpse pictured, there are plenty of splashes of blood and bloody fingerprints on the pages to satisfy even the most ghoulish readers. The book goes so far as to include pre- and post-death "photos" on the endpapers. Several artists contribute to the book, so readers see a variety of styles from superhero physiques to mangalike faces to scratchy indy-artistry. The stories of death are also varied, ranging from the truly weird (an exploding boy) to the supernatural (zombies and vampires, anyone?) to the mundane (car accident, love triangle gone sour), and are generally well done. There are some attempts at humor, which don't work so well, even as black humor. Overall, this is a book for readers with strong stomachs for these sorts of visuals.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
McVeigh and Velez's collection of nine stories by various writers and illustrators crosses the line between macabre and tasteless, but horror movie-addicted teens will likely devour it for that very reason. A line-up of teenagers meet horrific fates in stories of varying quality. A story about zombie grandmothers raises the "ick" factor, while one about a hate crime gone horribly wrong seems to be heading toward a cautionary tale but ultimately comes off as preachy. "Have a Nicey Icee Last Day" is a surprisingly meanspirited revenge tale involving two girls and one guy; "Who Are You Having for Dinner?" is the standout of the bunch, a tongue-in-cheek and teeth-in-neck yarn with an interesting visual style and more than a little bit of humor. Striking a mood reminiscent of the classic EC Comics horror titles, the volume ties the stories together with a clever conceit (the padded paper-over-cover book's design simulates a high school yearbook, and the premise involves the editing team trying to get photos together to go to press). Ages 12-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Grisly episodes in an underworld yearbook of recently dead teens are caustically presented in this comic collection. Predatory homosexual vampires facing off against gay-bashing thugs; demonic changeling dogs devouring their hosts; human experimentation via Asian herbal medicine; and petty jealous murderers on a rampage--all without much character development, motivation, or suspense--are among the stories casually presented to repulse and shock readers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Reminiscent of 1950s horror works hosted by sarcastic macabre beings that gleefully connected the dots between gruesome vignettes, this imaginative title will satisfy fans of gore, grisly death and demonic possession. Echoing the Cryptkeeper's role in William Gaines's classic Tales from the Crypt, Zombie Boy and Girl introduce each bizarre storyline documenting the individual deaths of Dead High's yearbook staff. A determined student literally loses her head on her way to an achievement test, a too-cute Chihuahua morphs into an evil beast with rudimentary horns and a girl-versus-girl spat leads to murder in a dark cemetery. Each story is heavily laced with irony and dark humor that keep the pages turning. This hardbound title, easily mistaken for an archived school-library yearbook, aces the eyeball test. Vivid colors leap from frames containing black backdrops where we know evil lurks. Creatures in the goriest panels are outlined with bold strokes, adding additional emphasis to the violence. This title is a great change-of-pace for teens going through superhero overload. (Graphic novel. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Put together to resemble an actual yearbook, this handful of graphic-novel horror stories chronicles the lives and, more pointedly, the grisly deaths of a group of high-school students. Each tale is rendered by a different artist, and although the contributors do add bits of personal flair, the collection is still an artistic whole, with heavily outlined shapes and rich, dark colors used throughout. Although many of the entries seem to rehash genre cliches, the best stories pair the horror with resonant emotions, as when an honor student is determined to take her final exam (headless or not). The art is stylish, and the stories may satisfy some fans, but this is an optional purchase. --Robin Brenner Copyright 2007 Booklist
