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Save Yourself!
Aoe, Thel, and Gen, better known as The Lovely Trio, first burst onto the scene five years ago when they saved Earth from a surprise space monster attack.
As a result, everyone idolizes them as super-heroic pop icon magical girls, including Gigi, whose brother died as a bystander in one of their battles. But when Gigi witnesses the Lovely Trio battling a monster firsthand, she sees something that causes her to question everything she thought she ever knew about her heroes, and the "monsters" they fight, who may not be monsters are all!
What she learns just might save the world, but only if she can survive the Lovely Trio herself in this magical new graphic novel from the team behind Pandora's Legacy, writer Bones Leopard (Identical) and artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Just Beyond).
Collects Save Yourself! #1-4.
As a result, everyone idolizes them as super-heroic pop icon magical girls, including Gigi, whose brother died as a bystander in one of their battles. But when Gigi witnesses the Lovely Trio battling a monster firsthand, she sees something that causes her to question everything she thought she ever knew about her heroes, and the "monsters" they fight, who may not be monsters are all!
What she learns just might save the world, but only if she can survive the Lovely Trio herself in this magical new graphic novel from the team behind Pandora's Legacy, writer Bones Leopard (Identical) and artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Just Beyond).
Collects Save Yourself! #1-4.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2022
447 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
February 28, 2023
hello have you been looking for a magical girl comic book featuring an awkward depressed introvert gamer girl x giant space monster thembo (heart full, head empty, muscles massive, lips amphibian), secret underwater alien headquarters, found family held together by traumabonding and pastries, prolonged fight scenes, explosions, the aggressive use of jewel tones, and also everyone (EVERYONE) is gay? if so, do I have a recommendation for YOU
February 26, 2022
rep: sapphic mc, nonbinary li, Black achillean character, Black trans side character
cute but frankly kinda rushed & underdeveloped
cute but frankly kinda rushed & underdeveloped
February 26, 2022
Rep: sapphic mc, nonbinary li, Black gay side character, Black nonbinary (genderqueer?) side character
August 29, 2022
Nice concept, but incredibly underdeveloped.
June 12, 2023
Bad guys, monsters, heroes and lots of very pro-queer sentiments come together in this collection of the Save Yourself world. Gigi, still dealing with the death of her brother, along with his husband, find themselves in the middle of a battle not just for themselves, but for the very planet. Earth has found new heroes, but things are not always what they seem. And love is never easy as Gigi finds herself falling for one hot, pink-haired wonder (who just happens to be a real life "monster").
February 25, 2022
What if your magical girl saviours weren't so heroic? What if...they were actually the villains of the story? Who's going to save you, if they're not? Maybe you'll have to...well, you can figure out the rest.
Save Yourself! has a neat premise. Sometimes it's easy to fall into the trap of having a neat premise and not being able to execute a story around it. But Bones Leopard (what a brilliant name) leaps over the tiger pit and crafts a cohesive and compact story in only four issues that creates a lived-in world that I'd love to see again, populated by solid and well-rounded (and diverse!) characters that have a lot to say, and will say it whether the world wants them to or not.
The artwork from Kelly and Nicole Matthews is absolutely gorgeous - think Steven Universe meets Stephen Byrne, and you're halfway there. The colours pop, the movement's there, and each and every characters' appearance fits their personality to a tee.
There's a lot of good things about Save Yourself!. It's a story you've not seen before, featuring characters you've likely not seen represented often, and it looks lovely from cover to cover. Another gem from Boom! Studios.
Save Yourself! has a neat premise. Sometimes it's easy to fall into the trap of having a neat premise and not being able to execute a story around it. But Bones Leopard (what a brilliant name) leaps over the tiger pit and crafts a cohesive and compact story in only four issues that creates a lived-in world that I'd love to see again, populated by solid and well-rounded (and diverse!) characters that have a lot to say, and will say it whether the world wants them to or not.
The artwork from Kelly and Nicole Matthews is absolutely gorgeous - think Steven Universe meets Stephen Byrne, and you're halfway there. The colours pop, the movement's there, and each and every characters' appearance fits their personality to a tee.
There's a lot of good things about Save Yourself!. It's a story you've not seen before, featuring characters you've likely not seen represented often, and it looks lovely from cover to cover. Another gem from Boom! Studios.
June 28, 2022
Cool concept, but quite underbaked. Artwork is great-- no surprise from Kickingshoes!
TW: past death of a loved one
❓ Read for the 2022 Whatever-You-Want-Athon ❓
TW: past death of a loved one
❓ Read for the 2022 Whatever-You-Want-Athon ❓
March 12, 2025
Magical Girls! Aliens! And Gay people galore! OH MY!!!!! Was this as iconically queer as I was hoping it would be? Why yes it was! Were all of the main cast part of the LGBTQIA+ community? Abso-ducking-lutely!!!! I loved every page more than the last and I wish this wasn’t the only volume. 😭
April 22, 2022
Fun and queer twist on magical girl/alien/kaiju stories.
February 4, 2022
*I recieved a free review copy from BOOM! I recieved no compensation for this review.*
First, I love Kelly and Nichole Matthews art style. Always have, always will. But I also enjoy the spin of superheroes saving the world may not being what they say they are. It's clever and fun. The diverse representation of gender and race is a strong point and a sweet, gentle romance is always a plus for me. Looking forward to future issues.
First, I love Kelly and Nichole Matthews art style. Always have, always will. But I also enjoy the spin of superheroes saving the world may not being what they say they are. It's clever and fun. The diverse representation of gender and race is a strong point and a sweet, gentle romance is always a plus for me. Looking forward to future issues.
July 7, 2022
4.5
As a big fan of aliens and weird magical girls I had a lot of fun with this! The bright colors and unique alien designs give this whole things a candy-tinged vibe, which only made the dark element seem that much darker. This is a story and a cast of characters I'd love to follow further, and maybe get a little more depth from both of them.
As a big fan of aliens and weird magical girls I had a lot of fun with this! The bright colors and unique alien designs give this whole things a candy-tinged vibe, which only made the dark element seem that much darker. This is a story and a cast of characters I'd love to follow further, and maybe get a little more depth from both of them.
September 11, 2023
Summary:
Science fiction tells many tales about aliens coming to Earth and becoming our heroes. That is the story of The Lovely Trio. Aoe, Thel, and Gen all came to Earth and helped protect it against the new monsters.
Or rather, that is what they want humanity to believe. The Lovely Trio and the monsters they are fighting may have a stronger connection. If this is true, it makes the death of Gigi's booster all the more horrific – and tragic.
Review:
Once again, I wish there was more to a series. Save Yourself! was such a vibrant and exciting reading experience, and that's putting it mildly! However, I should mention that it is also an emotional lead, as Gigi has to process emotional trauma and significant betrayal in her life.
Picture Sailor Moon vibes, but with a few darker twists. That's how Save Yourself! read to me. This graphic novel is also delightfully LGBT+ friendly, which is always nice. Throw in the bright and beautiful colors, and it's easy to see why any reader would fall in love with this story.
My one negative is that there was a fair bit of info-dumping. I think this happened because of the relatively short nature of the series. It's only four issues in total. Again, I wish there had been more. I'm sure an additional issue or two would have helped solve this.
Side note: If you enjoyed Save Yourself! consider checking out Unbreakable by Mira Grant. Or vice versa! If you're an Unbreakable fan, check out this graphic novel. Both have very similar vibes and points.
Highlights:
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Magical Girls
Battle for the Earth
Aliens Turned Heroes
LGBT+
Trigger Warnings:
Sibling Death
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Science fiction tells many tales about aliens coming to Earth and becoming our heroes. That is the story of The Lovely Trio. Aoe, Thel, and Gen all came to Earth and helped protect it against the new monsters.
Or rather, that is what they want humanity to believe. The Lovely Trio and the monsters they are fighting may have a stronger connection. If this is true, it makes the death of Gigi's booster all the more horrific – and tragic.
Review:
Once again, I wish there was more to a series. Save Yourself! was such a vibrant and exciting reading experience, and that's putting it mildly! However, I should mention that it is also an emotional lead, as Gigi has to process emotional trauma and significant betrayal in her life.
Picture Sailor Moon vibes, but with a few darker twists. That's how Save Yourself! read to me. This graphic novel is also delightfully LGBT+ friendly, which is always nice. Throw in the bright and beautiful colors, and it's easy to see why any reader would fall in love with this story.
My one negative is that there was a fair bit of info-dumping. I think this happened because of the relatively short nature of the series. It's only four issues in total. Again, I wish there had been more. I'm sure an additional issue or two would have helped solve this.
Side note: If you enjoyed Save Yourself! consider checking out Unbreakable by Mira Grant. Or vice versa! If you're an Unbreakable fan, check out this graphic novel. Both have very similar vibes and points.
Highlights:
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Magical Girls
Battle for the Earth
Aliens Turned Heroes
LGBT+
Trigger Warnings:
Sibling Death
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
March 25, 2023
Step aside, here comes the true target audience for a book about queer magical girls: a man in his 30s! Granted, a man raised on a steady diet of Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, and is only mostly straight.
I'm sure if you handed this book to a thirteen year old girl, this would quickly become their favorite comic, but to me it's a perfectly delightful piece of fluff that I don't regret spending an afternoon with.
When I first read the synopsis of this, I was worried it would be another cynical dark magical girl series, the like of which has infested the genre since Madoka Magica. Too many other comics have the twist of "the superheroes are secretly evil!", and are done by people trying to be edgy with no love or understanding of the genre. I am glad to be surprised. Bones Leopard clearly loves magical girls dearly. This comic is bright, colorful, and absolutely refuses to anything resembling cynical.
The story is light and breezy, buoyed by being so unapologetically queer. Events happen at a fast clip, but never feel rushed. But maybe it's just a touch *too* light and breezy. I think it could have done with maybe just one more issue to let the readers take a breath and dig a touch deeper into some of the characters (I want to to know *everything* about bear), but thats's honestly a nitpick.
I'm sure if you handed this book to a thirteen year old girl, this would quickly become their favorite comic, but to me it's a perfectly delightful piece of fluff that I don't regret spending an afternoon with.
When I first read the synopsis of this, I was worried it would be another cynical dark magical girl series, the like of which has infested the genre since Madoka Magica. Too many other comics have the twist of "the superheroes are secretly evil!", and are done by people trying to be edgy with no love or understanding of the genre. I am glad to be surprised. Bones Leopard clearly loves magical girls dearly. This comic is bright, colorful, and absolutely refuses to anything resembling cynical.
The story is light and breezy, buoyed by being so unapologetically queer. Events happen at a fast clip, but never feel rushed. But maybe it's just a touch *too* light and breezy. I think it could have done with maybe just one more issue to let the readers take a breath and dig a touch deeper into some of the characters (I want to to know *everything* about bear), but thats's honestly a nitpick.
March 11, 2023
Save Yourself! is a very fun comic that has the fun theme of your heroes not always being what they appear. It works to disassemble several different tropes and topics, like magical girls, hero worship, and influencer culture. The true roles of the good guys and bad guys as seen by society are flipped, and it's up to those perceived as the antagonists to both expose the truth and save the world.
The overall story is cute, and the art is super nice to look at. On top of that, the LGBT+ representation is also on point. My main issue is the pacing, which is incredibly fast. Of course, I understand that the story has to make due with the time it's given, which overall is only about four volumes. However, that means that everything that happens in it, from the formation of relationships to the downfall of the antagonists, happens in a single day. Maybe two. Characters don't get the chance to properly react to new otherworldly concepts and life altering realizations since the story can't afford to spend time on them.
Aside from that, if you're wanting to read something short and sweet that dip into all of the following concepts above, I recommend it. An expansion of the story would be ideal, but as it is, it's good for a quick, non-commital read.
The overall story is cute, and the art is super nice to look at. On top of that, the LGBT+ representation is also on point. My main issue is the pacing, which is incredibly fast. Of course, I understand that the story has to make due with the time it's given, which overall is only about four volumes. However, that means that everything that happens in it, from the formation of relationships to the downfall of the antagonists, happens in a single day. Maybe two. Characters don't get the chance to properly react to new otherworldly concepts and life altering realizations since the story can't afford to spend time on them.
Aside from that, if you're wanting to read something short and sweet that dip into all of the following concepts above, I recommend it. An expansion of the story would be ideal, but as it is, it's good for a quick, non-commital read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2022
Recommended by my local shop owner.
Short graphic novel about a world where "the Lovely Trio," magical girl aliens, regularly save Earth from space monster attacks. Gigi, a young queer woman, lost her brother when he was a bystander to one of their battles. When Gigi ends up in the crosshairs of one of their fights, what she sees convinces her the Lovely Trio aren't what they seem. Mia, a shapeshifting alien themself, could use Gigi's help in getting Earth to realize the truth.
I wish this had been just a little bit longer, to flesh out the characters and plot a bit more beyond the bare bones, but it's really fun, and it's great to see casual queer representation starting to become more normalized. One of the sweetest parts is Gigi's bond with her late brother's husband, Shawn. The story largely serves to critique celebrity and influencer worship, and I hope any younger teen readers who pick it up will parse what it has to say. I'm not sure if there's any future plans for this but I enjoyed the story and art enough I would look for more from any of the creators.
Short graphic novel about a world where "the Lovely Trio," magical girl aliens, regularly save Earth from space monster attacks. Gigi, a young queer woman, lost her brother when he was a bystander to one of their battles. When Gigi ends up in the crosshairs of one of their fights, what she sees convinces her the Lovely Trio aren't what they seem. Mia, a shapeshifting alien themself, could use Gigi's help in getting Earth to realize the truth.
I wish this had been just a little bit longer, to flesh out the characters and plot a bit more beyond the bare bones, but it's really fun, and it's great to see casual queer representation starting to become more normalized. One of the sweetest parts is Gigi's bond with her late brother's husband, Shawn. The story largely serves to critique celebrity and influencer worship, and I hope any younger teen readers who pick it up will parse what it has to say. I'm not sure if there's any future plans for this but I enjoyed the story and art enough I would look for more from any of the creators.
February 8, 2023
I wish this had been a little more developed because the concept is amazing and the art! I loved it! But some of the world building definitely needed to be fleshed out a little bit more, because some of the storylines were a bit difficult to follow. A little more background at the beginning would have helped establish what was going on a little later.
Despite that, the characters were all fantastic. Maybe a few things were a little rushed, but it was a great little queer found family. Heck, I'd read more stories about them! this could be at least twice the size and I would still definitely read it. Mostly for the characters, really.
If you're look for a fun, found family, adventure comic, I'd recommend picking this up!
Despite that, the characters were all fantastic. Maybe a few things were a little rushed, but it was a great little queer found family. Heck, I'd read more stories about them! this could be at least twice the size and I would still definitely read it. Mostly for the characters, really.
If you're look for a fun, found family, adventure comic, I'd recommend picking this up!
November 27, 2021
Not all magical girls are girls.
A trio of Heroes come down from space to help the human race from monsters. Except, they are actually eating people and blaming the ones who are actually trying to stop them. There is way more to the story than that, but its too good to spoil. Lots of Queer representation/positivity. Great Art!
This book was both a delight and super stressful. The art definitely helps soften the seriousness of the series. They take on lose and grieve, lots of family issues and how hard it can be to be lonely. I was expecting the cuteness, but not the life lessons.
A trio of Heroes come down from space to help the human race from monsters. Except, they are actually eating people and blaming the ones who are actually trying to stop them. There is way more to the story than that, but its too good to spoil. Lots of Queer representation/positivity. Great Art!
This book was both a delight and super stressful. The art definitely helps soften the seriousness of the series. They take on lose and grieve, lots of family issues and how hard it can be to be lonely. I was expecting the cuteness, but not the life lessons.
March 17, 2024
I just know there were ppl on twitter calling the Lovely Trio cunty even after they were outed as evil (I would have been one of them, Gen is so hot!)
Anyways, the art is beautiful but the writing felt very juvenile (which I guess could be intentional as the book is probably meant for teens). Also, why did the Cosmic Federation suddenly change into the Galactic Federation? Felt like an error. They should've just stuck with Galactic Federation, it sounds so much more serious. Cosmic Federation sounds like a cult.
Anyways, the art is beautiful but the writing felt very juvenile (which I guess could be intentional as the book is probably meant for teens). Also, why did the Cosmic Federation suddenly change into the Galactic Federation? Felt like an error. They should've just stuck with Galactic Federation, it sounds so much more serious. Cosmic Federation sounds like a cult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 14, 2022what started as a really neat concept did not have much follow-through. and in some ways, it reminded me of lilo and stitch (aliens are real, but secret because earth isn't in the galactic federation, a mix of aliens and humans save the world, progress ensues). the art is lovely and soft, and i do love a giant thembo who turns into an axolotl inspired dragon, but that wasn't enough to carry the story.
July 16, 2024
This was just kind of fine. I liked the overall concept, but as with many graphic novels, this is too short for you to get to know the characters or have an impactful story arc. I'd love to see this fleshed out into something longer like a tv show or movie but I can't say that's likely to happen.
The artstyle was hit and miss for me. Very colourful and fun and I really liked the designs of the aliens.
A fun way to spend some time, but not a new favourite.
The artstyle was hit and miss for me. Very colourful and fun and I really liked the designs of the aliens.
A fun way to spend some time, but not a new favourite.
August 25, 2022
I wasn't completely in love with this, but I was in love with the art style and I did think it was really cute! If you love lgbtq+, the couple in this book are absolutely adorable, and with the aliens, this year I really think it reminded me of Steven Universe a little bit! Just with the three sisters that star in the series, they remind me of the gems ☺️ even if they're evil 🙈
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2023
I loved this, but I wish there were maybe 2 more issues in the series to really round out the story because I feel like there was a fair amount of lore/background that was missed due to the low issue count. The artwork was gorgeous, the characters were very well fleshed out, and this can absolutely be used an easy to digest method of introducing pronouns.
March 15, 2022
I LOVED the diversity in this book and the overall premise. However, the storyline was rather rushed. It's good for a quick comfort read and I'm glad I read it overall. If you like magical girls or if you're a fan of Kay O'Neill, you'll probably like it :)
May 24, 2022
Very nicely done artwork! Although I feel like the story could’ve been fleshed out more. This felt kind of like a “monster of the week” anime episode more than a graphic novel or comic. I finished it in about 15-20 minutes.
May 25, 2022
Fun and sweet, but rushed. I wish it had been two or even three volumes! I wanted to know what happened to the magical girls and whether their familial relations improved or were they just locked up in space jail?
Loved the illustrations and the tongue-in-cheek nods to fandom.
Loved the illustrations and the tongue-in-cheek nods to fandom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2022
Short and sweet... but, actually, too short. The art is colorful and cute and the story has a lot of potential, but the storytelling is so rushed that it just feels superficial and too childish.
Nice (non)gender representation too.
Nice (non)gender representation too.
September 8, 2023
The art is great but the story is a bit too simple, maybe? As in, a bit of the issues were too glossed over for it to be 5 stars for me, but it was still super fun and the plot was easy to follow. And the characters are all super cute!
November 25, 2023
3 stars for the story
3.5 stars for the art
Cotton candy coloured art and a soft as air cotton candy story as the supposed alien saviours of the Earth turn out to be the actual opposite. A fun, quick read.
3.5 stars for the art
Cotton candy coloured art and a soft as air cotton candy story as the supposed alien saviours of the Earth turn out to be the actual opposite. A fun, quick read.
September 26, 2021
Story was a bit meh for me but loved the inclusivity of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews