Miss Bliss, Redux: A Review of Lion Forge’s Saved by the Bell graphic novel

GothamGal is a devoted comic fan. Reading comics from an early age (TinTin, Archie, Katie Keene and much more), she has recently revisited her old interest and is branching out into the streets of unread comics and graphic novels! While she favors DC Comics, Marvel is slowly winning her over—but Vertigo, Image and IDW have so many new things to offer, she might just say she’s a comic fan—with no labels. She fights for literature, education and the right for ALL to read comics!

I’ve made no secret of my love of Disney and of Comics. In fact, when the two worlds merge, I get super excited. Enter Good Morning, Miss Bliss which led to Saved by the Bell. And, since Hayley Mills is the Queen of Disney, it makes sense that the first time I saw it was on the Disney Channel (probably just before or after

I’ve made no secret of my love of Disney and of Comics. In fact, when the two worlds merge, I get super excited. Enter Good Morning, Miss Bliss which led to Saved by the Bell. And, since Hayley Mills is the Queen of Disney, it makes sense that the first time I saw it was on the Disney Channel (probably just before or after MMC  if I am being completely honest).

 So once Miss Bliss was no more, Saved by the Bell took up its much needed slack, and all of a sudden we have Jack Morris, AC Slater, Kelly Kopowski, Jessi Spano, Lisa Turtle and Screech, with copious amounts of Mr. Belding.  Enter Lion Forge’s graphic novel, Saved by the Bell. I was given an electronic copy to read in exchange for my honest review. Thanks, Lion Forge!

Starting from AC Slater’s first day, this graphic novel takes fans of the show (as well as soon-to-be fans) through the various ins and outs of life at Bayside High School. Zack, sensing the new wrestler’s motives to be a little more than friendly toward the object of his affection, Kelly, decides to start pranking AC Slater in the best way. But, there is a little bit of blowback, and soon Zack’s best laid plans to come back to haunt him. Will he ever be able to get Kelly’s attention, or has that ship sailed with the entrance of AC Slater?

There are a few more episodes, including a fundraiser that pits guys versus girls in a cutthroat battle to win a $1000 mall gift certificate. Lisa is the fashion plate, and works at showing her skills around the school as a fashion correspondent. Jessi is her academic/extracurricular machine—the gal has it going ON! And as jocular as Slater may be, Screech shows he is the exact opposite—even when he creates a robot that becomes part of the group of friends. Kelly uses her singing as a way to get her on an American Idol-type show—which, other than Star Search, did not really exist during the time the original show aired.

That’s just a taste of what you’ll find in Lion Forge’s Saved by the Bell. I feel like the art lends itself perfectly for the time period—it is the perfect way for those who saw the show when it aired to share/bond with their kids. There are, however, updates due to the publishing date. For example, the infamous cellphone makes an appearance. If you are unsure about what the Zack Morris-era cellphone looked like—it’s here:

Personally, my favorite Bayside moment is when Jessi has a breakdown—mostly because I kept telling all my friends who didn’t have 4.2 gpas that I would be cracking a la Spano at some point, but they never believed me, but I digress.

Lion Forge is shaking up the graphic novel market by offering a true-to-air Saved by the Bell graphic novel, and it is available now in your favorite format from your favorite retailer—or give your local comic book store some love and pick it up there!