<center><img src="http://lady-business.org/bookcovers/cover_archivalquality.png" alt="Cover of Archival Quality"></center>

<blockquote>After losing her job at the library, Celeste "Cel" Walden starts working at the haunting Logan Museum as an archivist. But the job may not be the second chance she was hoping for, and she finds herself confronting her mental health, her relationships, and before long, her grasp on reality as she begins to dream of a young woman she's never met, but feels strangely drawn to. Especially after she asks Cel for help…

As Cel attempts to learn more about the woman, she begins losing time, misplacing things, passing out—the job is becoming dangerous, but she can't let go of this mysterious woman. Who is she? Why is she so fixated on Cel? And does Cel have the power to save her when she's still trying to save herself?</blockquote>

<em>Archival Quality</em> is one of those books where I’ve finished it and I’m <em>still</em> not sure how I feel about it. It’s a graphic novel revolving around Cel, a former librarian recovering from a breakdown, who finds herself working the night shift at an archive that used to be a sanatorium and is <em>probably</em> not haunted.

(It’s <em>definitely</em> haunted.)

<cut>I wasn’t keen on the art – sometimes I found it really cute and cartoony, and sometimes it just became a little too simplistic for my taste and didn’t work, and sometimes my opinion changed between <em>panels</em>. The colours are bright and poppy and the character designs are distinctive – Molly in particular, I love her looks and she is now <a href="https://twitter.com/Spindilly/status/976755154618896384">my favourite reaction image</a> – but the drawing style itself just wasn’t my thing. Especially as the backgrounds are <em>very</em> simplistic, sometimes to the point of becoming boxes of colour, old-school style.

As for the story… Hm. I was interested in the mystery and the ghost, and the suspicious behaviour of those around Cel was interesting without verging too far into “Oooh, is it all in her heeeead!” which is a trope I despise. (There <em>are</em> characters who explicitly say that they don’t believe that there is a ghost, but it’s not presented as casting doubt on the reality of the <em>story itself</em>, if that makes sense.) I liked the friendship Cel forms with Molly and Molly's girlfriend Gina, and I don’t know if I was supposed to be <em>happy</em> about what happened to Cel’s boyfriend or take it as part of her mental illness making her lash-out at those around her, but I was <em>glad it happened.</em> While it doesn't go into much depth about the medical practises of the sanatorium (the author does specifically acknowledge that she's not included much, and that she couldn't cover the abuse of specifically women of colour as much as the topic deserves), what we get is equal parts fascinating and horrifying. However, from the way the story is set up, I expected something <em>much</em> worse to be waiting for Cel when she finally found the resolution to the mystery; from the way it was set up, I was half expecting there to be an actual undead cult, rather than the rather mundane immorality that we got. Plus, I thought there would be more of the actual archives involved, which disappointed me a little as a library nerd who explicitly picked this up <em>for the archives and anxiety</em>.

The story does go into Cel's mental health as well. For the majority of book, she is <em>strongly</em> against getting traditional treatment even in the face of losing her job – it’s a consistent thread through the story that she feels afraid to fill her prescriptions, that she feels guilty for not taking advantage of the help available to her when she’s surrounded by evidence of how much worse treatment for mental illness used to be, and that she is terrified of getting sectioned (involuntarily committed) – and believes that if she can save the ghost she can save herself. This is a fairly standard trope that in this case I had to talk over <em>a lot</em> with <user name="justira"> because of one scene.

<center><a href="http://lady-business.org/images/archivalqualityiwssteenz.png"><img src="http://lady-business.org/images/archivalqualityiwssteenz.png" alt="Comic page from Archival Quality. Cel is talking to Molly about her mental health." Height="200"></a>
<em>(Click for larger version.)</em></center>

I read this ("Wouldn’t you want to know that there was anything, anything at all, you could do to save yourself from the worry and the anxiety and the pain?") as disingenuous and in direct conflict with Cel's characterisation and attitude towards treatment through the story thus far, and it took Ira to point out that maybe she was speaking generally about the frameworks they were using ("I want to get better" vs "being healthy") instead of about her own situation. I genuinely had not thought of that as an option, but now that it's been pointed out I can see it. It reads confusingly to me, which probably explains my conflicted feelings!</cut>

The long and the short of it is that <em>Archival Quality</em> wasn't for me, and I don't know if it was that my expectations of the book were wrong or if it's a problem with the book. It's worth checking out if you want a ghost story about 1920s sanatoriums and mental illness though!

[Caution warnings: Historical medical abuse, untreated mental illness]

<em>[This review is based on an advanced reader copy from Netgalley.]</em>

I really loved this graphic novel, I think it may be a new favorite. I love libraries, museums, unreliable narrators, and mysteries of the past - so this was great. Cel is a young woman with depression - and she makes a great "unreliable narrator" for the haunted museum. Her boyfriend Kyle irritated me - he felt the most one-dimensional of all the characters and got on my nerves. I loved the art-style, and how the colors changed in the flashback/dream sequence panels. I also loved the diversity of the comic, with both a lesbian couple, and a POC major character. The ending felt a little abrupt to me, but cute.

Archival Quality is a story about a young woman's quest to find her place in the world after a job loss, mental health issues, and many bouts of strange visions of a disturbed ghost whose body was sold in pieces for profit.

WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Fans of supernatural tales won't mind this one. There is a tiny plot in there about lesbians, though. Keep away if that rankles your chain.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
I was initially concerned about the illustration style (I believe it looks crude) but was shown the error of my ways few pages down the line. The story is solid and dialogue is natural. The art style grrew on me after a while and I came to appreciate its uniqueness. More importantly, this is a story that explores the realities of mental health issues in a way that isn't wishy-washy, neither does it offer any quick fix for it.


......

Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz is available to buy on all major online bookstores.

Many thanks to Oni Press for review copy.

Archival Quality, had so much potential, it pains me to give this a 2.5 stars. It had an interesting premise with the haunted museum and Cel (protagonist) as well as the ghost having mental illness. It also attempted to highlight how people with mental illness were treated in the 18th-19th centuries and the horrors contained behind the doors of an asylum, and effectively maintained the eerie, macabre feel. It featured diversity in characters in terms of race, sexuality and body shapes which is always a treat.

However, the graphic novel had juvenile art in comparison to its adult themes e.g. mental illness, relationship problems, employment problems which just did not work. This in no way means that the art was bad, it was very well done, it just didn't compliment the story and its themes. I did get accustomed to it after a while but I still felt that it could've been much better.

Cel's behavior as a character was also just not what I was expecting because of how she refused to get help and the unhealthy way she dealt with her relationship with her very supportive boyfriend Kyle. However, she did come out as a strong, resilient, independent character who stuck to what she thought was the right thing to do. The friendship between Cel and Holly though was the highlight and I loved every bit of it. The relationships between all the other characters could've been more fleshed out though especially Abayomi's character and his relationships with everyone. Moreover, there were just too many questions left unanswered and I would've appreciated more detail and some matter to the ghost story. The lack of it did make it easier to understand but at the same time left it a little vague and not enticing enough.

Overall, this featured a strong, resilient character with a touch of supernatural mystery and gore, however, failed to completely pull me in. I would say though that for some reason I feel this is one of those hit or miss books and everyone will feel different about it so give it a try maybe, it's always refreshing to read a graphic novel!

★★★☆☆

Pretty good, I like museums

+ I was really pleased with the art style (even though that’s totally subject, whatever I liked it). However, the image quality (in terms of graininess) was pretty substandard, especially when compared to the high quality of the text bubbles, which just led to an inconsistent feel in addition to the graininess. This is a huge problem for a graphic novel, so I hope it was just my copy.

+ Some of the speech bubbles were laid out confusingly, but it was largely readable.

+ I had some trouble getting into the book, and I feel like the intro was a little slow. And although it did pick up a little bit, the supernatural mystery part of the supernatural mystery did not satisfy me much at all.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Lockwood & Co. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

+ The characters were enjoyable and relatable and there’s GAY, people. LESBIANS. Plus Kyle likes The X-Files which means we should be friends.

Also had some good thoughts of caring for someone with mental health problems. Be caring and listen to what they have to say. Additionally, on the mental health front, I really liked that the author showed the mistreatment of mentally ill people in the past.

Overall, it was good but really needs to have sharper images. And I do wonder how they kept the museum open…



Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

This is a great all-ages read! Review for Monster Librarian forthcoming.

Super cute illustrations, with a mystery to solve with a little bit of horror in between. All this with diverse characters. The only down side was the mental health issues portraited in this, doesn't really mean anything, and was totally rolled off the carpet most of the time.

2.5/5 Stars

I've been waiting to get my hands on this graphic novel since it was announced. As much as I was into the story of a girl working at a haunted museum and trying to find out information about a ghost that is haunting her, I unfortunately I found the execution pretty meh. I wanted to love it. I did. But I just was bored throughout the whole thing. Plus, the ending felt rushed and anti-climatic.

I did love the character designs and how diverse the cast was though. Unfortunately, they just felt flat to me. I also liked the mental health rep in this graphic novel and how the author explored how people with mental health conditions have been treated and mistreated throughout psychiatric history. I can see lots of people really liking this but it just wasn't for me.

Celeste is hired to be the new archivist at the haunted Logan Museum and Library. She gets an apartment in the building since she will be required to work after the building is closed to the public. She has a spooky boss, a helpful librarian coworker, a sometime boyfriend and a growing relationship with a ghost, But she is not sure that the ghost is real or just part of her mental condition. Over the course of the story, she learns to wok through her issues and manages to set the ghost free with unexpected results. The concept intrigued me, but the execution (artwork and coloring) got in the way of the plot for me.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to review this title.

This graphic novel is about Celeste who starts a new job as an archivist at a museum. Strange things starts to happen at this museum and she tries to figure out what's going on. It also focuses on mental health.

The story took a while to get into, but I really wanted to figure out what was going to happen at the end. When I finally got into the story I was really enjoying it. Unfortunately I was very disappointed by the "big reveal" at the end. I didn't really care for the main character, but found some of the side characters likeable. The art style was a bit simplistic for my taste. When it comes to the mental health aspect, I feel a bit divided. I feel as though both Celeste and her boyfriend were portrayed with good intentions, even though their opinions were different.

All in all, not for me. A good concept, but I felt that it didn't reach it's full potential.

This is a lovely book, both in terms of the art and the story. The treatment of mental health is beautiful and personal.

Both spooky and thoughtful, this graphic novel looks at the grim history of psychiatric treatment and gives agency and closure to the ghost of a mistreated patient through the actions of a young archivist, who also struggles with her mental health. It's an important message that never gets preachy. The art is also lovely, with very expressive faces and eye-catching colors.

Archival Quality tells the story of librarian Celeste “Cel” Walden who has recently been let go.
The story starts just before she applies to a job in a spooky museum. She soon realises the place might be haunted…

I enjoyed this story. It was well built and I had fun reading it. The main character was very interesting and the ghost thing was very interesting, especially with all the mental health issues that were discussed.
However, I felt like the relationship weren’t very deep, they seemed a bit rushed and underexplored to me…
Also, I wasn’t a huge fan of the art…
But, mostly, this was really good and it made me very curious about this author...

Trigger Warning - mental health.

This should have been the perfect graphic novel for me. I hate writing negative reviews and I want you to know there are plenty of really positive reviews too. I would encourage you, if you’re considering reading this graphic novel, to check out some of the 4 and 5 star reviews as well. Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you. 😊

Our main character, Celeste Walden (Cel), has lost her dream job in a library as a result of a breakdown, lives at home and has been in a five year relationship with Kyle. Kyle sometimes comes across as fairly passive aggressive but most of the time he appears genuinely concerned about his girlfriend’s mental health. Kyle like The X Files so I figure he must be a good guy.

Despite Kyle’s concerns Cel winds up with a job at the Logan Museum as an archivist. The archivist job comes with a fully furnished apartment, which is pretty sweet deal for someone who scans antique medical documents and photos for a living.

Almost immediately Cel starts losing time, dreaming of a girl she’s never met but feels compelled to help and items tend to move around unassisted. Her boyfriend is understandably worried about her mental health and she’s pretty good at being the cranky girl pushing people away.

Cel’s boss is Holly Park, the Head Librarian, who’s worked at the museum for three year, has a girlfriend called Gina, and rocks purple hair with a couple of sections of blue. Prior to this job Holly was a medical student.

Abayomi Abiola (Aba) is the 29 year old chief curator who manages the collections and is kind of a mystery for much of the book. He’s standoffish and cold, and you get the impression he knows more about the museum than he lets on.

I spent the majority of the graphic novel wondering how the museum stays open when there are apparently very few customers. I was so close to giving up for more than half of the story because it seemed to drag out, I had no connection with (and didn’t particularly like) any of the characters and the plot didn’t seem that cohesive.

There were mysteries of who the girl was that Cel was dreaming about and if there was a connection between Cel and her, who the Board members were, what they did and why Cel wasn’t allowed on the third floor, what happened to the previous curator that vanished, and what the deal was with Aba. Some questions were answered but frustratingly others weren’t.

I did appreciate the diversity in the characters as well as the exploration of how people with mental health conditions have been treated and mistreated throughout psychiatric history.

Ultimately though, I was expecting more from this paranormal mystery and unfortunately I was fairly bored for most of the story. While I know people experience mental health conditions differently I found Cel’s character irritating, particularly the amount of time she spent snapping at the other characters. Frankly I was surprised she made it past the interview to get the job in the first place and shocked she managed to keep the job.

Favourite line (by Holly) - “Be gone. I have to librarian.” (page 183)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

<p>It's a ghost story and a mystery and some stuff about mental health and kind of a hodge-podge that gets spooky with an unsatisfying resolution (but at least not, thankfully, <i>it was all a dream</i> or <i>she's secretly hallucinating</i>, so yay on me for finally not inadvertently selecting via <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> such laziness). I just can't get past how unsatisfying the dénouement was when the set-up -- a depressed girl working nights at a medical specimen museum that is haunted by a ghost from when the building was an asylum -- was so full of potential and then squandered.</p>

<p>I'm actually angry about it, like personally affronted. It could have been so wonderful. I am rage-filled on the internet!</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/20782560/book/150751381">Archival Quality</a> by Ivy Noelle Weir went on sale March 6, 2018.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

I loved this. The unreliable narrator works really well here and you really question the events happening. This is a great study on mental health and highlights a lot of my personal struggles, while still feeling like a light read with the humor. I think the art style really contributes to the overall effectiveness of deep issues confronted in a whimsical setting. The diverse rep in here is fantastic. The author's note and illustrator's notes were a fantastic addition and really added to the story in my opinion. I cannot recommend this enough. It also happens to be the first graphic novel I have absolutely loved.

ARCHIVAL QUALITY is a graphic novel about a young woman who starts working at a spooky museum that used to be an asylum (and other things). It's a haunting, somewhat suspenseful story that deals with mental illness in a way that feels both realistic and respectful. Reading the author's note (from Noelle Ivy) you'll get a good idea of how Ivy used her own life experiences to inform the narrative.

The story has a distinctly gothic feel, but is populated with queer characters and characters of color, something a lot of the Victorian gothics neglected to do. It's also hopeful and honest. Steenz's art is super cute, which makes even a rotting skull seem not-so-scary, and transforms what could have been a depressing and scary book into something... more.

Readers will appreciate the main character's struggle with her own mental illness and her need for independence and a choice in her path to mental health. There's also a distinct focus on being healthy rather than "getting better," which those of us living with chronic conditions will recognize.

Great graphic novel about archives and mental illness. This book also displays a strong but natural depiction of diversity.