Graphic Novel Review - 'Twelfth Grade Night' by Molly Horton Booth (Writer), Stephanie Kate Strohm (Writer), Jamie Green (Artist)

I didn't know what to expect from 'Twelfth Grade Night', a contemporary graphic novel retelling of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night', set in high school. But I certainly did not expect the fantasy elements - fairies and fairy kingdoms exist, though they are in the background and to the side, mostly. That was... strange, the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' references. On the other hand, I should've anticipated that more than one of Shakespeare's works would appear as motifs. Also, why are four-hundred-year-old fairy royals attending a high school full of ordinary human students? Is magic taught there?

However, on the blessed whole, 'Twelfth Grade Night' is an adorable and romantic comic. It's one of the few high school stories in any media I can tolerate. 'Twelfth Night' is my favourite Shakespeare play - in fact, it's possibly the only one I really like - and that was what initially attracted me to this modern, 2022 retelling. It's genuinely funny, and full of lovely, rosy, sparkly artwork, and it's hella LBGTQ friendly. Most of the characters are not straight, and many of them do not look like they fit into traditional gender roles and norms. There is LARPing, family drama, friendships, and antibullying messaging.

It's so freaking adorable and fun!

Of course, 'Twelfth Grade Night' takes full advantage of the conspicuous queer elements and subtext of its source material. It has to. Only there is no disguise or crossdressing, and thus no misunderstandings that come from that. Vi dresses in conventional boys' clothes and may look like a boy, but she is a girl, and it is just who she is. No one mistakes her for a boy. She is mistaken for a lesbian by a couple or more people, because of her appearance, but they are called out on it. Vi might not be straight, as shown in one of the last pages, but she is in love with a boy, Orsino, an artistic, hipster poet and influencer, who screams bi vibes. Olivia, the prettiest and most popular girl in Arden High (oh yeah, the school with elitist fairy royalty in it for some reason and is next to a fairy kingdom is called Arden High), is also the nicest and adroitest girl ever, and she's a lesbian. Really, there's nothing to hate about her! She's wonderful. Vi's twin brother Sebastian is explicitly bisexual, as is one of the friends in her new, prankster friend group, Maria, who additionally is Black and plus size.

I'm glad that Vi has a supportive mother present, too. Her mum is a real character, and I am here for it!

Art, poetry, song writing, music, drama, shenanigans, social media, and love abound in 'Twelfth Grade Night'. I can see it as a fresh, hyped big deal. A few things about it bug me (one reason being, like, maybe it could have been a bit more racially diverse), but whatever. It's a lovely treat of a graphic novel.

I wish it could have addressed the elitist royal fairies' prejudice against mortal humans, who make up the majority of Arden High, though. Seriously, why were they there?! Why the magic at all? Is it symbolic of Vi's new, scary life in attending the hardships and turmoils of high school independently?

Final Score: 3.5/5


P.S. I'm pleasantly shocked and surprised that something like 'Twelfth Grade Night' was published by Disney-Hyperion.