Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Sunderfolk Phone Players

    10 ‘Sunderfolk’ Tips To Help You And Your Party Thrive

    05/02/2025
    Bob in Thunderbolts But Why Tho

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Visualizes Depression As Only A Superhero Movie Can

    05/02/2025
    Games to Play After Expedition 33

    5 Games to Play After Beating ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’

    05/01/2025
    Lily James in Cinderella (2015)

    ‘Cinderella’ (2015) 10 Years Later: Disney’s Live-Action Jubilant Peak

    04/28/2025
    One of the spirits seen in Grave Encounters

    ‘Grave Encounters’ Is Still One Of The Best Found Footage Horror Films

    04/26/2025
  • GDC
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2
  • MCU
But Why Tho?
Home » Indie Comics » ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire,’

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire,’

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford06/05/20204 Mins ReadUpdated:07/13/2021
The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is published by Papercutz, and written by Jeremy Whitley with art by Jamie Noguchi. Tara Smith is a focused young teen who’s parents drive her to become something great. That means no distractions like friends or hobbies. But when she oversleeps one day and fails to take her medication, it turns out her pills weren’t to help with allergies. Instead, they concealed her true self from the world. Tara is an alien. And she’s as surprised as everyone else.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The teen years are always tough. The world, and how one interacts with it changes so much for people at this stage of their lives. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if you spontaneously combusted in the middle of your classroom. Like a scene straight out of an X-Men origin story, Young Tara quickly finds herself having the worst day of her life when she does just that. Only she soon discovers she isn’t another step in human evolution. No, she’s an alien.

After her calamitous incident at school, she quickly finds herself at the School for Extraterrestrial Girls. There she must learn about her new world. Her studies focus on learning about the wider universe, as well as her newfound abilities. And passing is mandatory. At least if she wants to stay on earth.

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire uses this setting to delve into themes about self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and the need to separate individuals from larger social groups. All these concepts are given there due weight and attention. With the entire book spanning Tara’s first semester at her new school the hardship of such situations is given a real feeling of struggle. As first impressions go bad and shared histories between friends come to light, the book does a great job of illustrating not just how hard confronting these sorts of issues can be, but how long the struggle can last. Whitley’s writing does a great job of capturing the discomfort that can assault a person when they know they need to do something that is going to be painful. Even if that pain is a necessary step toward healing.

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire

Even more impressive than the simple fact of the struggles grappled within The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is the fact that Whitley approaches these situations in such a way as to avoid vilifying anyone. Each character is treated as they are clearly intended to be: someone who is put into a hard situation and does their best to cope with it.

The art of The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is an overall solid performance from artist Noguchi. The myriad of unique alien designs showcased in this book is really impressive. Every individual, whether a speaking character or a background filler, stands out from everyone else. It truly makes this story feel like these aliens have all evolved in unique settings from each other.

The colors in each panel further help to highlight the variety of the characters on the pages. And while the colors are as varied as the characters they illustrate they’re never tacky or overbearing. My only complaint about the artistic presentation lies in its backgrounds. The majority of this book takes place in front of flat walls with little design to break up the soundings. I would’ve loved to have seen various elements that perhaps showed art from the many worlds these characters hail from perhaps. Something to imbue the surroundings, with the same spirit and energy that the occupants possess, would have elevated the art.

Even with that said The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is both a thoroughly enjoyable read, as well as an informative one. It teaches lessons about acceptance, both of others and one’s self are always admirable goals. As Tara and the company overcome the hurdles life puts before them here, I cannot even Image what challenges will face them in future stories. But I’m confident this creative duo will be able to make them both entertaining, as well as informative.

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is available on August 4th wherever comics are sold.

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire
4

TL;DR

The School for Extraterrestrial Girls Book 1: Girl on Fire is both a thoroughly enjoyable read, as well as an informative one.

  • Buy via our ComiXology Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every Generation,’ Issue #1
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Maneater’ Thrives Despite Performance Issues (PS4)
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Who Killed Sarah Shaw

REVIEW: ‘Who Killed Sarah Shaw’

01/20/2025
Katabasis #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Katabasis’ Issue #1 (2024)

11/20/2024
Space Ghost Issue #3

REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #3

07/03/2024
Space Ghost #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #1

04/30/2024
The Devil That Wears My Face Issue #5

REVIEW: ‘The Devil That Wears My Face’ Issue #5

03/06/2024
The Devil That Wears My Face #4

REVIEW: ‘The Devil That Wears My Face’ Issue #4

01/31/2024
TRENDING POSTS
The Eternaut promotional image from Netflix
8.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The Eternaut’ Is Another International Sci-Fi Hit

By Kate Sánchez05/03/2025

The Eternaut tackles genre staples through an Argentine lens and winds up being one of the best sci-fi series on Netflix.

Hen in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16
8.5
TV

RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 16 — “The Last Alarm”

By Katey Stoetzel05/01/2025Updated:05/03/2025

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16 is an emotional ringer, perfectly setting the tone for what 9-1-1 can look like without Bobby Nash.

Jeanne Goursaud as Sarah in Netflix Original Film The Exterritorial
7.0
Film

REVIEW: ‘Exterritorial’ Is A Netflix Action Movie Worth Watching

By Kate Sánchez05/03/2025Updated:05/03/2025

Exterritorial scratches that mid-budget action itch that is finally starting to come into focus in the action landscape again.

Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 on MAX
6.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Day One”

By Kate Sánchez05/05/2025

The issue is that The Last of Us season 2 Episode 4 feels like a video game, and not in a good way, and not one that sticks.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here