Disney Villains: Maleficent #1

Disney Villains: Maleficent

by Soo Lee

Disney and Dynamite proudly present Maleficent, Queen of the Forbidden Mountain! Her realm is shrouded in darkness, and evil, and full of all things that go bump in the night. Her soul is cold, hardened by a lifetime of small-minded wanderers seeking to steal her powers to satisfy their mortal greed. Her patience wears thin. Her mystical might grows. It is a matter only of time before she descends the mountain and unleashes her horrible magics upon the powerless people below. A stunning vision of villainy from writer and artist Soo Lee! 

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

31 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2023

Reviews

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the Scar series!

This is just a short story to introduce us to this famous villain, and I really enjoyed it. There's already a great balance to make you feel sympathy for her while also being entertained by her wickedness.

Artwork is a great blend of modern with hints of the Disney cartoon sneaking in.

A really fun intro to the series and I'm looking forward to seeing how things go down in the next issue.

[Maritina Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story begins with a young man, wandering inside a dark forest. There, he meets Maleficent and he is taken aback by her, so he asks her for a token to remember her by. She gives him an enchanted compass, but when greed overtakes that man, Maleficent curses him the way she sees fit.

Lol, that's not even the summary of the story, this is basically the whole story. But what can you do, when the book is like 24 pages long?

This comic book picked up my interest because of its subject and its beautiful art. I love Disney movies, Disney musicals etc. Maleficent may not be one of my favourite Disney villains, but of course I'd be down to read something that has to do with her.

This one, serves as an introduction to what I imagine will be a bigger story. I didn't find it extraordinary or anything, but there's also nothing objectivelly bad about it. So, calling it mid would be pretty accurate?

Alhough, to be honest, I went into this without knowing what it is about and I kinda expected it to be an origin story, but it was not. And storywise, given the fact that even when the story begins, Maleficent is very well known for being a dark enchantress, the young man acting like some kind of a fanboy, doesn't make any sense. The man should be thankful she let him go and gave him the enchanted compass, not keep on following her!

And last but not least, the art was phaenomenal. I think the same person who illustrated this one, has also illustrated Carmilla: The First Vampire as well and the best part about that book was the art style, so, of course I'm gonna talk about it again.

Anyway, let's see how this continues!

If you made it this far, congratulations!
'Til next time, take care :) :) :)

[Hannah Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maleficent 💜🖤

[Kay ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased since I love Maleficent. I was hoping this would be an origin story though. I enjoyed the first issue, not much happened but it sets up for the entire series I am sure. I want to see where this series goes.

[Alex Ridgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's honestly not a lot for me to say about my reading experience with this series, I was able to read the entire series in one sitting, and I don't remember much of what happened, as disappointed as I am to admit. I was hoping it would be somewhat like the Disney movie sleeping beauty, or at least tell us a little more about Maleficent's backstory, instead that's not what we got.
Instead the story took a much different direction that I didn't expect, introduced characters I didn't know why I should care about, which left me lacking the rich exploration I was expecting. The only reason I gave this book a three star was because I was able to get my hands on a graphic novel version of the series, and even though the story was lacking, I did love the imagery.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is good, but not much story in one issue

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up front Maleficent is one of my least favorite Disney villains. I saw the comics in store and thought they might endear her to me. So far not so much. This first issue seemed to focus on someone who wasn't her. We don't see her be mean per say. But that's always her deal isn't it? She's misunderstood. Wasn't hugely impressed by the art and thought this volume was boring. Will continue though for at least the next 4.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie .. after reading the Disney Villains Scar #1 and #2, I was worried that this title would also be disappointing. But I was pleasantly surprised! Loved the story. Really enjoyed the art. Love that these books look to be story stories issue by issue. Can't wait to read more.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maleficent

Great start to this story. Maleficent is such an intriguing character. Story caught my interest, and I can't wait to continue it....let's see what adventures lay ahead for this young traveler.....

[Lauren Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short introduction, but a good one at that. Excited for this series!!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited to see more stories with Maleficent in them. This first comic did not let down. I can't wait to get the next issue and read it.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the cover art!
And how cute is Reynaud in his "final form" 😍

Anyway, I think I know where the story is going... 😜
And I'm looking forward to read the rest.

[Jenna Alcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do people always betray maleficent, it Is a good start to a series.

[Lolaetsaplume · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bof, histoire trop rapide

[Jodi_ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cawpile: 7.00 4*

[Nicole Geub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, colorful and dark all at once. So now we have Reynard the fox of old fantasy. Thanks Maleficent!

[Marissa Barba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting first issue! I wish it was a bit longer, instead of having all the extra advertisements for other comics at the end.

[PixieART · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got me interested in the whole Disney Villain collection of comics.

[Al Capwned · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was such a promising preview, hope the rest of it is as good as the beginning.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issue 3’s cover is Everything. Wow.

[Ember Moto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like this book at all. I thought this was going to be some backstory on Maleficent like how she became an evil fairy. What I got instead was a couple of barely connected short chapters.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable graphic tale of the evil Maleficent.

[Will Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty enjoyable for a short Disney comic.

[David Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine
Artwork is Ok
Not much to the story

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maleficent! What a thrill to see her at her full evil self!!

[Saerval · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me comic books are more about art first and story second and the art does not disappoint! It looks like a blend of old paintings and your typical comic book style, which is just perfect for the subject matter. The cover variants are all so beautiful too, I'm guilty of wanting each one.
As for the story, though, I actually quite enjoyed picking this up! Each comic is woefully short, so the first issue really is just dipping your toes in, but I've already picked up the second and plan to continue reading, because there's the promise of a new story with a character I've enjoyed since childhood. Truly, if I had anything to critique (aside from the length, but I don't think that's the author's decision in this case) it would be that Diablo is referred to as a crow instead of a raven 😆