Gladstone's School for World Conquerors #1

I picked up this issue assuming the title character was not Donald Duck's nemesis. I was right.

But the title lured me in - and I'm glad it did.

Gladstone's School for World Conquerors takes the "School for Gifted Students" idea and turns it on its head - instead we have a school for budding super-villains.

The first chapter is the backstory behind the school, and it's the only part of the comic that drags (although it does have its clever moments).

But once we get to the school, the story gets lively. We meet some of the students, like Kid Nefarious, Mummy Girl and the Skull Brothers.

They're studying the skills needed to be future villains, of course - and writer Mark Andrew Smith has fun with some of the typical quirks of comic villains.

I like the art by Armand Villavert - it's not realistic, but it is loaded with life and energy and whimsy. A few panel laouts are a bit tricky to follow, but it's a fresh style and benefits from fine color art by Carlos Carrasco.

It would be easy to make this just a comedic look at the bad guys, but there's apparently more going on than we (or the kids at the school) realize.

It's a fun comic and well worth checking out.

Grade: B+

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