By Thea Srinivasan

Scared by the Bell has brought up a lot of nostalgic memories from my middle school years. I remembered trying to fit in with my classmates, going through puberty, feeling like an outsider and navigating the multiple classes at my school. But I don’t think I’ve ever had a werewolf or a vampire in my class. If that were the case, every teenage girl would be swooning over them as if they were the next teen hunk to lead them into an epic romance.

Scared by the Bell is not another young adult romance novel. Instead, it’s about a kid named Peter who ends up transferring to a new school. Unfortunately, he has to deal with bullying, fitting in and being the only human at a school filled with supernatural kids from myths and legends.  As he tries to survive middle school, he learns about the other students and tries to figure out how to survive this madness one day at a time.

When I read this, I honestly saw a lot of similarities to an old show I used to watch on Cartoon Network called My Gym Partner is a Monkey. The premise is really similar to this comic as it involves a human middle schooler getting transferred to a school filled with animals. While that show was more comedic than this tale, I do think that this story will cover similar themes found in that show such as different species habits/ cultural backgrounds, knowing instinctual barriers and dealing with inferiority based on biases of different species.

I really liked seeing all of the classic literary characters many of us have seen growing up. From Vlad the Impaler to Frankenstein, there are a lot of familiar faces that many people can relate to. Also, the supernatural characters that are used in this comic are more driven toward Western literature rather than tales from all around the world.  This is a give-and-take process for someone who has not read a lot of American or European literature. But what makes this piece really special are the few backstories I’ve seen with the supernatural characters. I initially thought this story would talk about how the supernatural characters were integrated with society and how the alternative universe discusses how humans and the other species get along. I was dead wrong. Instead, I saw other species with equal intelligence being forced to hide from humanity. It seems easy to handle at first glance, but the author gave quite a surprise when I saw their backstories.

Peter is just another average kid. He seems outgoing enough and has enough common sense to panic in the midst of an out-this-world situation. He’s an ordinary kid with nothing special about him except him just getting transferred to a new school with supernatural kids. Usually, a lack of character development throws me over the edge. But for a story like this, I’m not fazed by this at all.  My only hope is that Peter develops into a character with some development rather than being given a group of people and some special powers that throw him over the edge.

The art style reminds me of Archie or Big Nate with the bold features and focuses on characters. Instead of bright, peppy colors, the author gives a duller palette that fits in with the moments of normalcy and panic Peter deals with.  One giant bonus point is for the fact that the author took immense time in drawing out each student as a different species. I’m really excited to learn about the school and the other situations Peter has to deal with while he’s at this school.  Another plus for the author is for the small motion lines that indicate when an action is taking place. It’s the extra effort and details that make this art style fun to look at.

I’d recommend this comic for someone going through middle school or for anyone who wants a fistful of crazy scenarios without the overwhelming feeling that comes from dramatic moments. This is a great start for the author and I hope I get to see a lot out of his universe and all of the characters he created. This story is for the person who wants a dose of innocent hijinks with a family- friendly nature that allows anyone to read and relate to this comic.

Score: 4/5

Scared by the Bell: Middle School is Full of Monsters
Self-Published