I found this very dry, but it may be that I didn't mesh with the humor. I don't know if most MG kids will have the patience for this though it brings up a serious issue of lack of school funding and the terrible conditions teachers face in a simple way. It also hints well at a middle-schooler who (may) like the same-sex/or is at least not heterosexual because it's not defined in this volume; it's not done with the 'this is a very special episode' tone. 

Overall, the artwork was cute and managed to interweave a serious issue, but it couldn't capture my interest.

I wished there was more explanation for the world/worldbuilding like who/what/where/how about the Night Coats. Who is y'all? Why does the Constable have a vested interest in Alidade? Are these hooks for the next book?

But I enjoyed the world, the artwork, and the flamboyant birdie Blue the Memris. 

 I absolutely enjoyed how real the characters felt. I could see Opal being an actual person, and I loved her narrative, spunkiness, and confidence. I've (personally) never read a fake documentary in book form, but I couldn't put this book down.

And I love how it mentions black people's creation and contribution to rock music and our, at times, strained relationship with it. I've heard many times rock referred to as the devil's or white people's music lol. 

Anyway, it is a common trope to have the journalist have a personal tie/self-invested interest in some way to the subject matter of their story, but I loved that  Opal & Nev didn't drag that reveal out. It's mentioned on the first page, so we already know why the journalist has stakes in the story.

Everything in this story felt plausible. I felt like I was watching an episode of Unsung. 

I feel either the humor has improved, or I have gotten used to the quirky style. Also, new character alert: Rose!

Overall, a pretty cute comic strip series for fans of Calvin n Hobbes and the Peanuts with some dashes of more recent chaotic cartoon humor. I'd read more from this series.

 This is not a book you enjoy, but it is thought-provoking. Honestly, it was draining and depressing, but real life cannot be censored. There's a lot of abuse, implied sexual abuse, child abuse, negligent parents, religious extremism, guilt, un-politically correct terminology, and oh-so-much repression.

At times, I thought Raina was framed somewhat as a manic-pixie girl in Craig's life, but she was more of a reprieve for him from his strict, overly religious midwest childhood.

It's sad the author was surrounded by so many small-minded people, but his artwork still shines beautifully. I honestly thought this was fictional because it just seemed overly depressing. Like, bullied at school and by the church kids? I thought maybe the author was overdoing it. But I think this is an actual memoir or at least inspired by parts of his actual life. SN: The thing about church youth getaways being a hotspot for hooking up is actually very true.

I feel conflicted with the rating because I did not enjoy reading this, but it's no fault on the actual writing or artwork. Rating may change. 

This was fun and the artwork was just beautiful and hilariously expressive. There is some lore here that was lost to me such as T'Challa's birth heritage, which comic readers may/may not know. But I was able to understand things quickly. I liked that the story subverted most clichés.

Overall, I had an excellent reading experience.

 This had a bit of gross-out humor but some heart as well. Doom and his sister Disaster bump heads when it comes to leadership styles. Doom is more logical and cares about books while his sister is headstrong and direct. He and a ragtag group of monster-like kiddies have to survive until their parents come back. The usual hijinks ensue with Doom being thrust into the leader role, but I liked the twist with the ending. 

Ending spoiler:

instead of Doom growing into the leader role, the group chooses a counsel/group of leaders. It’s a nice message that everything shouldn’t always depend on one person. 
I also legit thought Eisenhower had died. I was like that’s a little spicy for a kid’s book, but it gave the story a real consequence/ Until it got recanted.