Murder School

by Paul B. Rainey

A memoir of British middle school bullying and one precocious comic nerd’s fight to make it through while remaining as invisible as possible.

Paul B. Rainey takes a look back at his middle school education and the indignities suffered—a mix of stalled friendships, pitched battles with martinets, and exasperated pleading with intractable parents. Playground games take on outsized importance as Paul and his friends seek respite from a particularly abusive science teacher. Paul jockeys to hold his place in the complicated hierarchy of school bullying.

Rainey takes a classic “school daze” tale—both wistful and hilarious—and manages to turn it on its head with a couple of his now famous twists. Find out the truth behind The Murder School and the effect it’s had on Rainey well into middle-age.

Genres: Graphic Novels

216 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2026

Reviews

[Rol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably Rainey's best graphic novel yet, this hooked me from the start with its grim portrayal of early 80s secondary school life - the laughs, the humiliation, the slipper. But there's a lot more going on here than the usual nostalgic memoir. Structurally, Rainey plays some fine games with the reader's emotions while the framed narrative allows him to question the very nature of autobiographical writing - what is true and what is manufactured to make for a more satisfying story?

A damn fine comic.