TRoOB Ratings Scale

[jducoeur]

I'm beginning to post occasional entries of TRoOB -- The Review of Obscure Books. This is an on-again, off-again comic book review column that I've been doing occasionally for about fifteen years. It was originally created to highlight obscure independent comics that I didn't think were getting enough attention; over the years, it's broadened to review pretty much anything I feel like, good or bad. Reviews here are going to be strictly at whim.

I do finish every review with a grade. In the interests of clarity, here's the intended scale:

A	The creme de la creme -- the reason I read comics in the first place. These are books that I recommend to anyone who thinks that comics are a valid medium for literature. (Yes, there is an A+, but it is reserved for the true landmarks of the field: stuff like V For Vendetta, Maus, or A Contract With God.)
B	Solidly good reading, which I would recommend to anyone who finds this book's genre at least somewhat interesting. Well worth the time.
C	I find that this book is worth my time; then again, my standards are lower than some peoples'. Remember, I read something like 75 titles a month. Decently entertaining, and worth a look, but nothing to write home about.
D	I bought this, but I'm having trouble justifying the expense. I probably won't be buying it in the future. Generally not recommended.
F	Avoid at all costs. The canonical example is Secret Wars II, for those of you who have been around long enough to remember that...

Comments

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

Is there a category for a comic that you would recommend for first-time comic readers, whether or not you personally loved it?

I'm not exactly first-time, as I follow three books with reasonable consistency, but I am curious. :)

[jducoeur]

I don't really have a category for first-timers, mainly because I don't think there's any such thing as The One True First Comic. Tastes vary a lot, and few people like as many different genres as me. So I would probably recommend different books for different people. (And I'd generally need to sit down and talk with the person about what kinds of literature they like in general to make a really confident recommendation.)

That said, the ratings I do give are my opinion of pure quality of the books. So certainly your odds of liking an A-rated book are better than those of liking a C-rated one, regardless of what genres you personally prefer, simply because it's better-written...

Secret Wars II

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

but I *liked* Secret Wars II! Well, ok, I was given one issue and then never bought the rest, even though it was in my heyday of "singlehandedly keep Marvel in business"...