Reviews

Potential by Ariel Schrag

corpuslibris's review

Go to review page

4.0

Dug this, definitely reminded me (perhaps too closely at times) of high school. Especially good were the ways Schrag used the strengths of the graphic medium to demonstrate more fully the mental turmoils of being an adolescent. I'm also a sucker for art styles changing as consciousness/mood/mental state changes.

ursulamonarch's review

Go to review page

3.0

It feels like a "most improved" award is due to the author with the growth of her writing and drawing.

peonylantern's review

Go to review page

2.0

Teenage angst at its best.

teelight's review

Go to review page

4.0

Of this series Potential is probably the best. The plot is strong, though it does drag a bit, and many of the artwork problems present in Awkward and Definition have been corrected in this one.

satyridae's review

Go to review page

5.0

Junior year. Shrag hits it out of the park again. She's so honest, so immediate, so painfully real.

jodiwilldare's review

Go to review page

4.0

When we last left off, Ariel Schrag had just finished tenth grade. As good as her freshmen and sophomore years were to read, junior year is even better.

The first thing I noticed about Potential the second book in Schrag’s high school chronicles, is that her drawing skills vastly improved from sophomore to junior year. Gone is the amateurish, cartoons and in their place are drawings with real depth and emotion. The art here is really clever, not only does she depict various moods altered by chemicals (one kind of border represents being drunk, another represents being high) but she really packs a lot of emotion in her character’s faces. My favorite is the hot, young Alexis, one of Schrag’s girlfriends who is pretty but dumb. The girl is drawn with empty eyes. It’s a nice touch, and there are a lot of touches throughout. Another bit of art awesome is the dream sequences which become increasingly realistic compared to the comic aspect of daily life.

Read more

knitterscasket's review

Go to review page

3.0

Perfectly captures the horrors and fun of high school relationships and intensities of being an adolescent.
More...