A graphic novel about/involving cosplay is something I hadn't yet come across in my reading career, so I was excited when this appeared on my radar!

It was really neat to see all of the character/pop culture references throughout the book, and there's a list in the back that tells how many there were, including page numbers which was neat. Unfortunately the references and campiness was about the extent of the things I enjoyed.
The length and lack of likeable (and fleshed out) characters were the main things I disliked, along with there being a couple of inappropriate/gross comments said throughout. If the book either cut some of the unnecessary pages or replaced them with character building it could've been improved. The dialog was also a bit off at times and the plot itself was a bit "meh". I did enjoy that the cosplay kids were the ones to be the true heroes, and it seems that the book is set up for another volume so there is time for improvement if that happens.

Overall I didn't really love this one and won't be picking up any additional volumes. Of course, everyone is different so if the blurb appeals to you I'd still give it a go!

*I was given a copy of this title via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I am the Cosplay sponsor at my high school, so I have a vested interested in this title. The illustrations, dialogue, and plot are all well-developed with a great message. It's a quick read which I appreciated. It's a cute book that I will definitely purchase for my library because it fills a void. Although the audience is niche, there's definitely a need for books like this!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

For those who know me long enough, you will not be surprised that I would pick up this title.

I loved how so many varied references of geekdom is included in here. In fact, there are two pages with just 150 references alone.

It is a fun coming of heroes graphic novel where kids who cosplay become real life heroes.

Fun read, fantastic art, and it makes me miss my adventures at comic cons.

Good one.

This was a very quick read, but a very cute one!! Getting to pick out all the different references will make any nerd happy. Mix in a stellar art style and rockin' character dynamics, and you've got yourself a fun, breezy comic-con action romp!!

This Graphic Novel was such a good time. It was so funny, tender and relatable and I absolutely loved both the writing and the art.

It was such a joy to read and look through and connect with these characters. An absolute gem.

Well, five stars for the legal work on this. Some kids enter a cosplay contest at the Paris Comic-Con 2022 (albeit with one spelling change, for said legal reasons), and find all hell breaks loose when some nasty types of the criminal kind inveigle their way in. What is most impressive is how everything has been checked and let through – a lovely pyknic Poison Ivy, a Pikachu, a Thor, a cameo from a teacher looking like him out of Up – there are no end of references to well-known and established creations from across the world of genre fiction and super-hero fandom. That alone makes this fun, on some level at least, with the chutzpah of the creators getting everything in there and letting us spot them all.

And in a way it might be a necessary, or at least redeeming, feature, for once the proverbial hits the fan some of the story-telling is quite poor, meaning the multiple strands of the action take too much effort to follow. The action scenes are nowhere near as good as needed, and leave us puzzled too often as to who is where and with whom and doing what. But at least the creators didn't just use all their riffs to cover over a thin little story, for this is a full-on action comic, with multiple sides and teams and locales all within the convention site and all trying to do their thing. A light-hearted touch, as shown by the running joke about Thor looking like a certain more French character, definitely boosts this to three and a half stars – but I think the potential with greater art would have been way higher.

So cute!! All the references to so many fandoms was a clever touch, and I know it'll be greatly appreciated by each reader! The panels flowed together well and the art was outstanding! Each character was well-thought out, and relatable in their own way, such a funny and sweet tale!

(recommended the book on my instagram story)

If you have ever been part of any or many pop culture fandom(s), there is a lot of fun to be had while reading this book. There were many delightful easter eggs throughout the story - from the obvious DC/Marvel references to the less expected Die Hard reference. I quite enjoyed the experience as a pop culture nerd. Even though the protagonists are Gen Z-ers, I think this book is more entertaining for a millennial audience (like me) because some of the references are a little old. I also liked a lot of the jokes. My only gripe is that the subject matter becomes a tad heavy by the end. The crime(s) at the centre of the story could have been a little less violent to maintain the fun quotient.

Cosplay is a coming-of-age story wrapped up with a comic convention bow. It was so much fun and is definitely a great book to share with any kid who loves the comic convention aspect. A great tool to help boost confidence and self-esteem. My only complaint is I wish Cosplay was just a smidge longer.

This was a fun book to read as a lover of comics and all things geek. Cosplay was brimming with references and tributes to geek culture from superheroes to Star Wars. The passion for cons was evident in the main character and the friends he met along the way. I did however struggle with the plot line. The conflict confused me as it brought other elements into the story without fully explaining them, even at the end. I would recommend this to any comic lover, and especially to comic-con fans.

Wanted to like this, but didn't. The concept was interesting, but stumbled around into several teen story cliches. Nice girl dating the jerk, jerk no one believes is a jerk, the nerd even the other nerds avoid, and more. Also this was oddly violent and more adult themed that I felt it needed to be or originally anticipated.

Lots of action, blood, and underdogs coming together to save the day. Not a bad story, just not my cup of tea. Neutral feelings.

**Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

While parts of this book are cute and engaging, it unfortunately falls into sexist stereotypes a bit too often for comfort.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't entirely what I was expecting and I did enjoy it for the most part, despite that! This graphic novel focuses on fourteen-year-old Abel and his fellow cosplaying friends as they go to Paris Comic-con. The artwork was absolutely stunning and I loved all the different costumes and references made to pop culture throughout this graphic novel. This book does go into a little more gritty detail and illustrations surrounding the intelligence team plot, which surprised me. I also felt that not all the characters were as well developed as they could have been by the end of the story based on what they just went through. I also felt like the friend group kind of hated each other? There were some definite points of camaraderie between them but I wish we could have seen more of the connection they all have as friends past the fact that they all like to cosplay. I did like the themes of being the heroes of our own story throughout the book however, I felt like what the friend group endures is quite a lot and I am not sure that it is suitable for middle-grade readers and rather more like 15 and up. Of course, though, every reader is different and can handle certain topics differently.

Should've been a fun little adventure, but it feels too long and isn't as thrilling as it seems to think it is. There are a ton of characters, and it probably would've been better if the book had focused on a few.

The art is pretty good, and the references to pop culture characters are fun, although I kind of thought it was a letdown that there is a full list of all the references in the back.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this title in exchange for an honest review.

Abel is a cosplayer. His parents don’t get it. His brother’s a big, dumb jock. Still, the geek heaven of Comic-Kon is just around the corner, and this year, Abel plans to win the cosplay contest as his hero, Batman. But the convention has other surprises in store. When an intelligence team invades the floor in hot pursuit of a rogue agent, Abel and his friends have a chance to be the heroes they only dress up as. A series of chases and double-crosses ensues that will teach these eager kids what being a true hero really means.

While I enjoyed the fast pace of this comic and the graphics were enjoyable - I didn't enjoy the story as much as I thought I would. I think you have to be somewhat familiar with comicon to understand all the pop culture references in this graphic novel. However, with that being said, it was a nice touch that the author went through all 150 pop culture references at the back of the book.

Another criticism I have of the book, even though it was a good read is that it feels as though the plot of the story is a little rushed. While I do enjoy short graphic novels, having this much plot shoved into one graphic novel left me slightly confused.

Overall, the book is good for those who are interested in this genre, I feel a lot of people would find enjoyment in this comic. However, it was not for me.

I was browsing Netgalley and saw the cover of this and immediately knew I had to read it. It follows a group of nerdy teenagers as they visit Comic-Kon, expecting the normal day of nerdiness, cosplay and all else that they love. Things take a turn when a rogue agent, followed by intelligence storm the convention.

The concept of this was something I adored. I love all things nerdy and seeing characters like me come to life in a graphic novel was something that I was really excited for. I loved seeing all the other cosplayers in the art especially some of the marvel ones like the little feature from Thanos.

This graphic novel is on the shorter side and as a result I do feel it was a bit rushed. From the description it seemed like we would get more of an outlook into Abel's family life, but it was kept to a minimum. The events at the Comic-Kon seemed to happen quite fast as well, not really given the chance to immerse yourself into the story. I don't mind a short graphic novel, but I do feel that in this case it stunted the story.

There was also aspects of the plot that didn't make a lot of sense, with an event surrounding one of the friend group (well not initially really a friend). To avoid spoilers, but it seemed that basically next to no reaction was given and it was straight onto the next thing. There was an absence of emotion.

Overall, I was really hyped for the premise of this one but was left feeling a bit disappointed. I loved the colourful art and the sense of atmosphere, but I feel it was let down by the lack of plot development (due to its length) and the lack of character development.

I really loved the art style in this one, it was different in such a good way. I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s cosplays in this ,it was super cute!

I had a bit of a difficult time with this one. The characters were not developed enough for me to be invested in them and it was a bit difficult to follow the story at times. However, I liked the concept and the art.

3.5/5
••e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Europe Comics in exchange for an honest review••

This was a quick and entertaining read. The art style was very pretty. I liked the overall theme and the characters but I think the characters needed a little more depth. Loved the little plot twist. I think it was nice to show that sometimes we may be causing harm even though we have good intentions. Even though it was a small detail, showing Abel's family's reactions to how big and serious of an event Comic-Kon was a nice touch.
I would prefer the pacing to be different because some scenes felt too rushed and some others felt too slow.

Great comic about (surprise) cosplay! The comic takes a good look at what makes a hero, and plenty of Easter eggs hide within. Any comic fan will be sure to enjoy this read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!