Dead High Yearbook [Hardcover]

Ivan Velez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2007

This full-color hardcover graphic novel tells eight intertwined stories of teens from one high school. The characters represent a typical assortment of students: popular, unpopular, rich, poor, fat and skinny, in love and not. But while they might seem like regular kids at first, they don’t stay that way, because every last one of them ends up dead—or more specifically undead—in this creepy, ironic graphic novel written and illustrated by some of the top comic-book talent in this country. Designed to look like a yearbook and packed with totally accessible art, this book is a scream!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition edition (March 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525477837
• ISBN-13: 978-0525477839
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 9, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead High Yearbook (Hardcover)

It took me a few pages to even figure out what DEAD HIGH YEARBOOK was about, but once I did, I was hooked. Call me sick, call me gruesome, call me whatever you like, but this is Stephen King mixed with Kill Bill with a dash of Twilight Zone thrown in for good luck. It's definitely not intended for anyone under the age of fourteen, but for older teens who enjoy their comics with a dash of gory horror, this book will surely do the trick.

DEAD HIGH YEARBOOK is set up like an actual high school yearbook, except for one main difference - the yearbook staff are all dead, and they're the actual subjects of the book. Several authors and illustrators have worked together to create the book, with individual stories that give the background into each staff member's sad demise.

GORE-IENTATION: WELCOME TO DEAD HIGH by Ivan Velez, art by Shawn Martinbrough - Learn just what you're in for.

FEAR PRESSURE by John Rozum, art by Wilfred Santiago - The bullied skinny geek and the taunted fat girl get some unwelcome help.

WHAT'S GOT INTO GRANDMA? by Ho Che Anderson, art by Brian Hurtt - Grandma's not taking death so well.

DEVIL DOG OF THE DAMNED by Jennifer Camper, art by ChrisCross - The spoiled princess wanted a dog for her birthday, and got a little more than she bargained for.

FANG YOU SO VERY MUCH by Wilfred Santiago, art by Nicola Scott - Petty theft just turned into a very sticky situation.

HAVE A NICEY ICEE LAST DAY by Mark McVeigh, art by Pop Mhan - The popular kids get caught up in a nasty love triangle.

WHO ARE YOU HAVING FOR DINNER? by Papo Martin, art by Wilfred Santiago - Befriending the new kid just might get you killed.

HEAD OF THE CLASS by Jacqueline Ching & Papo Martin, art by Ho Che Anderson - Why let taking the SATs go to your head?

GOOD-BYE AND GOOD LUCK by Ivan Velez, art by Shawn Martinbrough - The staff departs in preparation for another year.

All in all, I have to say that this was an entertaining (if bloody) way to spend an hour.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high interest graphic novel for teens, February 14, 2010

By 

J. S. McCarthy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dead High Yearbook (Hardcover)

I use the ALA great graphic novel list to purchase good reads for my classroom and I really enjoyed this choice and so did my kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tries waaaaaaay too hard. Unsuccessfully., August 23, 2007

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dead High Yearbook (Hardcover)

I picked up this sort-of graphic novel because it looked promising, but I have to say I was disappointed. It's a collection of nine short horror stories, all set in the inner city high school culture, and while there are a few good bits -- especially the story about gung-ho Clara, who just can't quit when it comes to acing the S.A.T. -- they're just not enough to justify buying the book. The art is derivative (reminds me of Craig Thompson), the plots are reminiscent of TALES OF THE CRYPT (you can practically hear Vincent Price playing organ in the background), and the dialogue simply tries too hard. If you're older than twelve, save your money.