I was not a fan of the art, but I enjoyed the twisty story about a possibly haunted museum.

This is lowkey advertised as a ghost story but it's the lowkey part that you should pay attention bc a ghost we do see but literally for one panel & the story itself tries, I suppose, but is neither really creepy nor frightening. It works a little better as a story abt struggling w mental illness but even there it's nothing to write home about. The characters feel flat & not exactly believable so you end up not caring much for their well-being anyway. Not even the art saves this graphic novel since it seems kind of rushed & really only there to tell the story as fast as possible. Which wasn't actually fast at all - that's what I had the biggest problem with!! The whole thing is so slow paced, we get to the middle almost before anything interesting happens & even then it's not gripping enough to hold your attention.

Seems like a shame, this could have been a cool story if only given more care.

Archival Quality is a gem of a little comic. Starring Celeste Walden, who has just lost her library job due to a nervous breakdown, the story follows her explorations as archivist in a strange and secretive library. There's a mystery to uncover, one that becomes deeply personal to her as she begins to identify with the ghost contacting her. But these things are harder to investigate when people question your perceptions at every turn, and maybe you question your own.

Delving into the dark history of the treatment of mental illness in America, and reflecting on lingering perceptions and reactions that all people who have mental illness must face, Archival Quality transcends its mystery format to be exploratory and highly relatable. I read it in one sitting and will probably purchase a paperback copy for my collection later in the year when it's published.

I'd also say that this story in itself would be a good text for cultural/literary studies for young people, and it could be well paired with many staples in literature that deal with a narrator that is treated as unreliable or dismissed based on their mental status.

Full review on SAF forthcoming.

A little slow to get anywhere, but overall, I really enjoyed the story.

The main character was highly relatable. Going in, I did not know much about the story, but her depression is something I can understand. She was so harsh to some of the other characters. That was in part to her depression, but I honestly felt it was overdone a little. I felt sorry for the person she was really harsh toward. I understand depression can make you do things you don't mean, but this is just how I felt when I read those parts.

I enjoyed her growing friendship with her coworkers at the museum.

The story was super slow. I liked that for the most part, but I really did not like all the time skips. I felt like there were huge chunks of the story I wasn't being told.

The artwork took some getting used to.

This was a quick read even at 280+ pages. I want to see what a print copy looks like, as I did not care for the art as it looked in the digital copy. The story felt a little jumbled, like I was missing pages. I think it could have been fleshed out more for a full novel. I didn't feel particularly invested in any of the characters.
Overall it was interesting material.

Obligatory Statement: I received this e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and this in no way affected my opinion of the book. 

This was a unique story about recovering from a mental breakdown, learning to love yourself, and a little paranormal mystery. 

The main character, Cel, is a very relatable bookish librarian who at the being of the story is recovering from a mental breakdown. Throughout the book, we witness her struggling with depression and her unwillingness to get help even though she knows that it will help her. Cel's depression is represented as the disease truly is and her fears about therapy are ones that many with depression and other mental illnesses share.  I loved all of the characters. There is Aba, the super posh museum director who I imagine has a British accent and drinks brandy on the weekends in his massive home library, Holly, the head librarian who helps Cel get adjusted to living in the Museum, and Gina, Holly's girlfriend as well as Cel's Boyfriend, Kyle. There is also the Museum Board which reminded me of the City Council from Welcome to Night Vale. 

Now for the paranormal aspect of the story, it is not super scary and the panels are creepy but I not in that horror movie, nightmarish creepy. And though Cel solved this one mystery, there is still a lot more to be said about where the story could go. One thing that I did not care for was the art style. It just did not do anything for me.

When Celeste loses her job as a librarian, she's willing to accept any new job, even one in a haunted museum. The more she dives into the archives, Celeste discovers the secrets of the museum's past, and begins to have dreams of a ghost who died there. She'll need the help of her new coworkers to uncover the truth about the ghost and the secretive museum board.

I was disappointed in this comic. The artwork isn't that good, and looks as though it were just thrown together. The story fell flat for me. It takes a long time for the plot to get going, and the mystery didn't have much to it. I felt like a lot of plot points were unnecessarily repeated again and again. The pacing of the story was odd, and there were many plot holes and unresolved questions at the end.

It's a pretty good comic, but nothing special.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

TW: Self harm and blood.

First of all, as someone who has been taking prescription medication for depression and anxiety for many years, I feel that I need to put this out there - it is not weak or giving in or losing yourself to make the decision to use medication to manage any kind of mental condition. There are many kinds of medication on the market and just because one doesn't work for you doesn't mean that none of them will. If you are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please reach out to someone you care about or call 1-800-273-8255.

I wanted to like this story. A ghost story topped with mental illness and an interracial lesbian couple? Sign me up. That rings all my bells. Unfortunately, I just felt that Archival Quality fell short.

Cel is at a turning point in her life. Just coming out of a recent breakdown and looking for a new job, she is doing her best to manage everything on her own without accepting any assistance from medication, therapy, or even her loving boyfriend. We've all been there, I get it. That's when she accepts a position as the archivist for a local small medical museum.

The illustration and coloring is reminiscent of Lumberjanes and Nimona, but a little less crisp. The characters are deliciously diverse and well-developed. I felt that they were all real people that I could imaging being friends with.

Unfortunately, my joy with this novel ends there. I found the ending disappointing and I wanted so much more from Cel. I wanted some serious character development, but I'm not sure that she ever really got there.

This is a short, easy read. If you're coming off of something deep and need a little brain candy, this will definitely do it. I don't know that this is something I would purchase or give as a gift, personally, but at the same time I don't regret spending the time reading this.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This beautifully drawn graphic novel brings representation to mental illness while also being a fun, haunted library/museum ghost story. I love how more and more comics have diverse casts. The character designs for each of the characters are wonderful.

I also really enjoyed the afterword and Weir's own personal story. This story was very close to her and that is evident in the detail put into it.

I give this graphic novel a 4/5. If you like ghost stories, creepy old asylums, and libraries, but also want a story with heart, you'll love this book.

I wanted to love this book, because it combines archival work and graphic novels, but it really wasn't all there for me. I liked the cast of characters mostly. Celeste, Holly, Gina, and Aba were all really great. Well-rounded for a fairly short graphic novel. The plot, however, was not. Maybe it was just too rushed for me, especially towards the end. I feel like we don't really find out much about the girl. Much more haunting could have ensued. Overall, three stars.

I wouldn’t say this book is semi-autobiographical, but the author does know about mental illness and archiving medical history.

Cel, the main character, has such a job, and the mental illness, but she loves the structure of doing this sort of work.

If you pick up and only read the first few pages, you might say, “what the heck is going on,” which is what I did, but then I got past that, and realized that this was a pretty cool little story of the bad things that happened to people of mental illness in the bad-old-days.

Well written, and it shows that the author know from where these expereinces and feelings come from.

You have to be in the mood, a bit, because this is quick, but not easy. There is pain and sadness, but homor too.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I think in the end the biggest surprise for me with this book is that it's being pitched at a junior audience, which is a pity given its ghost story trappings - but that's not to say it's a bad read. I have to say I really liked my time with Cel, the young woman with a lovely set of funky/cute clobber and a dumb-ass hipster boyfriend, who takes a job and lodgings at a never-visited medical museum, and ends up investigating what seems to be a haunting. It's a really rich book, one that hints at taking in so many threads - a romance here, a bit of lesbian exploration there, a new kind of metaphor for the damage the damaged mind can cause (for Cel has had mental health issues in the past, and there's the possibility the 'ghost' is her damaging her own environs, whether wilfully or otherwise)...

What we get is a snappy book that only really forces itself to appeal to just teens by way of its thick, chunky line and gaudy colouring. The adult on the commute won't find much favour with that. But in nudging the reader towards the ways it could have gone that I suggested, and yet ploughing its own furrow the read is a very good one. I found that, given the richness in both character and set-up, the ending was a little weak, but it was a great debut novel from this author/artist partnership. This can be counted as a strong four stars, as it's a compelling read.

Cel Walden is having some mental health troubles. As a result, she loses her job at the library, but soon finds gainful employment as an archivist at the Logan Museum, a little-known repository of medical history. The new job is not quite what Cel imagined it might be: she's required to keep odd hours, obey a byzantine set of rules regarding her comings and goings, deal with a uniquely abrasive (and oddly secretive) boss, and, on top of all that, the museum (and her new apartment) both seem to be haunted.

Though Holly, the museum's resident librarian, is friendly and accommodating, Cel finds that the other stressors of her job combine to aggravate her already fragile mental state -- and it doesn't help that the ghost who is haunting her seems to have undergone serious mental health troubles of her own.

As a trained archivist and practicing librarian, the setting of this book was delightful for me (and will be even more interesting for folks in the medical history field). The characters here are given space to slowly reveal themselves, grow, and change, and the central mystery surrounding the archives and their restless ghost messily parallel Cel's own mental health struggles and their eventual "resolution" at book's end.

A wonderfully drawn, delightfully diverse, and extremely compassionate story. Definitely an instant favorite for me.

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Archival Quality quickly wrapped me up in its storyline and took me along for the ride. I was intrigued by the slow discovery of what is going on. The story was beautifully paced with well-developed characters that made the story even more enjoyable to read.

This story was an excellent ghost story filled with deeper meanings about life. Throughout the story, Cel grows and shows just how strong she is despite struggling with her mental illness. It was truly refreshing and exciting to see a character like Cel.

Oy....
Where to even start with this....
I guess I will start with the most obvious thing - the art in this does not match the story AT ALL. The art is VERY juvenile, which gives the graphic novel the immediate appearance of being something that should be aimed at teens or even tweens - but (despite the fantasy elements of the story) the themes in the story itself are way too adult for the audience that might actually pick it up.
The protagonist is an adult woman suffering from diagnosed clinical depression so severe that it has cost her a job, since she was incapable of actually DOING her job (we actually see her sitting in a closet at her job crying and hiding) and yet she refuses help from not only from her family and friends, but also from doctors (choosing not to take medication because she's "afraid" of it... instead she decides that what is best for her is to take on an even MORE difficult and demanding job, and torpedo the heck out of her FIVE YEAR relationship with a guy who is not only the nicest dude on the planet, but also genuinely cares about her. (She breaks up with her because he is worried about her and wants her to get help).
Then we through in the freaking ghost of a lobotomized former patient of a horrible turn of the century asylum and nothing here makes ANY SENSE!

Also, not to be a total nit-picker, but I am a librarian - a REAL ONE with a DEGREE, and it annoyed the absolute CRAP out of me that not one of the characters were AT ALL qualified to do their jobs, (two of the main characters are college drop-outs who somehow become a museum archivist and a librarian???? REALLY?) and the ONE person who actually finished college tells everyone that he sucks at doing research? AY DIOS MIO!

I received this for free on NetGalley.

Basically, this is about a girl who takes a new job at a (supposedly haunted) museum. She then uncovers a dark secret about this museum and decides to take action.

I went into this graphic novel expecting a ghost heavy storyline. It didn't deliver. The plot focused on the archiving job itself as well as Cel (the main character) struggling with her mental health. Also, the cover shows a white ghost girl. This image was not used in the actual book. So that was slightly misleading. There was also a mystery involving the Board at the museum. I thought that added a lot to the plot, but the conclusion of that mystery was not satisfying for me.

As for the art, I (to be harsh) hated it. I much prefer when art is detailed and has vivid colors. The colors in this were muted (which could add to the supernatural theme, but in this case, did not) and unappealing. I also did not like the way that the characters were drawn. I prefer a less cartoon-like appearance.

While this was not what I expected it would be, it was still a solid read. I went through it in about an hour. None of the characters were memorable and neither was the story. Unfortunately, this won't be sticking with me.

A fun graphic novel for junior audiences. Good story and pacing!

*** Thanks to Netgalley and the author for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.***


I thought it was a pretty good graphic novel. There was haunting museums , a ghost friendship and there was a little of mental health issues, that in the end gave a pretty good message. Hope I can get my hands in other novels by this author. Also the afterword I think is called was pretty interesting as well.