Saved By The Bell (Vol. 1) | Joelle Sellner, Chynna Clugston Flores & Tim Fish | Review

Saved By The Bell (Vol. 1) | Joelle Sellner, Chynna Clugston Flores & Tim Fish | Review

• Monday, 28 September 2015

*Review copy c/o Netgalley, image via Goodreads

As soon as I heard that there was going to be a graphic novel adaptation of Saved By The Bell I knew I had to get my hands on it! Like many people around my age I grew up watching the TV show (which debuted the year I was born), and in more recent times have found myself laughing along at all of the craziness as podcaster April Richardson discusses the show with guests on the amazing Go Bayside!.

One of the big differences from the TV show is that the graphic novel brings the characters we know and love into the modern day. This version sees Lisa as a vlogger, Kelly auditioning for an X-Factor style talent show, a Bayside High dating website and Screech's robot Kevin as a super computer who can do pretty much anything! At the heart of the story though are those same characters, just as I remember them from the show.

There were also a few little nods to the original setting of the late 80's and early 90's, such as Zack saying 'I can't believe anyone ever used this' about an old-style mobile phone which looks exactly like the one his TV counterpart used. I loved this new take on the characters and thought the transition to the modern day setting was done really well, managing to bring the story up to date without losing the spirit of what made the original series a success.

The brightly coloured illustrations were very reminiscent of the sets and outfits found on the show, as well as in the iconic opening credits. Speaking of which, the pages separating the eight stories found within the graphic novel are each adorned with the Bayside Tigers logo upon a background that is taken from that famous opening sequence.

Whilst it's pretty difficult for me to step back from being a fan and look at the graphic novel from the point of view of someone who isn't familiar with the show, I can still see it being enjoyable for today's teens.

All in all this graphic novel is a quick and super fun read, and is certainly perfect for fans of the show. I hope we'll be seeing a volume 2 soon!