Jordan

I give it 4 stars for the concept and story, 3 stars for the artwork. Designs of the city and maps were very good, but characters and their facial expressions were just bland and even jarring sometimes. Someone would express surprise or horror, yet they'd be drawn as almost smiling. Just sort of bizarre.

The concept is certainly interesting though, and one I've thought about a lot - albeit on a much grander scale.

This one was really fun! I didn't love the first half, as the book felt like it was “trying too hard” in a number of ways. That said, this was originally a webcomic and you can really tell that it came into its own after awhile - the second half of this book (aka, Eric Bittle's “Sophomore Year”) was great! Character relationships are more fleshed out, the characters themselves become more interesting, and we get more insight into Bitty's college experience.

I really enjoyed the connections to not only college, but the emphasis on “brotherhood” throughout, as it reminded me a lot of my own fraternity experience in college. Check, Please! has a much more “bro” take on fraternities, but it's still very endearing. Love the art, too, and the bonus content at the end of the book.

Can't wait to read Book #2!

Really, really enjoyed this one. A great adaptation of the original podcast. I think it definitely requires a listen of the podcast to fully understand what's happening in the book, as it may be difficult to otherwise follow certain moments.

Great art, hilarious writing, and overall just a really fun and creative story.

The first half was probably only about a 3 out of 5, but it really picked up in the second half. This is more like a 4.5 star rating, but that's not available.

I especially loved the introduction to Magic Brian, Gillian and the Bureau. Can't wait to keep listening to the podcast and reading the other volumes!

What a book. It communicates emotion, lonlieness, belonging... Perhaps better than any other book I've ever read. I also loved the art and the author's thick irony throughout. Probably not for EVERY reader, due to some of the subject matter, but I give it an emphatic recommendation to any mature graphic novel fan.