Jessica & Elizabeth Are Back in Dynamite’s Sweet Valley High Original Graphic Novel

The Wakefield twins are back this May in Dynamite’s first ever original graphic novel based on the beloved Sweet Valley High books. Academic All-Star? reinvents Francine Pascal’s wildly popular soap opera series, with long-time fan Katy Rex (Charmed Magic School, Jade Protection Services) on writing duties, Devaki Neogi (The Sceptics, Curb Stomp) on art, and Pippa Mather (Charmed Magic School) handling colors.
When Jessica develops a crush on her new Shakespeare teacher she begins to model her behavior after her more studious sister Elizabeth. Distinguishing between the twins may become difficult, and surely Elizabeth will have to straighten out the confusion caused by her impulsive sibling.

Rex explains her love for the series. “I have been an absolute bookworm my whole life and I transitioned from Sweet Valley Twins to Sweet Valley High, and in a lot of ways I grew up alongside Jessica and Elizabeth. They’re timeless characters, so much so that it’s practically intuitive to see how they would feel and act in any era. My lifelong experience with the books really allowed me to nail the voices and the feeling of the series. This is absolutely classic Sweet Valley and it’s equally absolutely 2019.”
“Sweet Valley High is a book I read as a teenager and to actually be on art duty in the translation to the graphic medium is a dream to me!” Neogi chimes in. “I have spent the large part of a year on this book and the entire team of Katy, Pippa, Cathy, and Joe (Rybandt, editor) have been fantastic to work with.”
“Sweet Valley High is such a prolific hallmark of young readers fiction and we are proud to be bringing it to graphic novels for the first time,” says Nick Barrucci, Dynamite Publisher/CEO. “Francine Pascal has been a joy to collaborate with and we’re lucky to have such a passionate writer like Katy. Sweet Valley fans of all ages will love this book!”
Look for Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star? this May. The graphic novel will also be available on Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more.