How We Rate

User reviews are most valuable when readers and creators understand what goes into the rating system and why. This article will explicitly define our latest rating system so you understand how we assess the quality of a comic.

Why Do We Have A Rating System?

In simplest terms, our rating system is meant for comparison with other reviews, both other reviews we publish of other comics and reviews written by other sources.

No, one review can give you, the reader, a perfectly complete picture of a comic. Therefore, we encourage our readers to read as many other reviews as possible to develop an informed decision about whether or not a comic is worth your time.

When you read multiple reviews from this site, you develop an understanding of what aspects of a comic matter and which ones don’t. In effect, you learn our perspective.

When you read reviews of the same comic from other sources, you get a more complete picture of what different reviewers think of a comic. Hopefully, you’ll like our opinions the best. 😉

This Is Our System

The Line Between Art and Writing

Comics at their best are a perfect combination of writing and art. It doesn’t make sense to have an over-simplified rating system that neglects the different areas that need to be done well to make a high-quality comic. Therefore, we split it down the middle and then split again for each area.

Ratings are a 10-point system.

Writing/Story = 5 points

Art = 5 points

How Do We Rate Writing?

Story/Plot/Structure

Does the comic tell either a complete story or, at least, a complete chapter? Does the progression of the plot make sense? Are there major plot holes?

Emotional Resonance

Did this comic make you feel something? Do the characters and events create a lasting impact?

Dialog

Do the characters sound natural? Are their conversations meaningful to the story or is a lot of pointless chatter?

Pacing

Is it a page-turner? Are pages bogged down with tedious scenes that took forever to read through or did the comic zip by so fast it feels rushed?

How Do We Rate Art?

Pencils/Inks

Arguably, one of the most important duties on a comic (besides the story) is Penciling & Inking. We look for cleanliness in the lines. Energy (both physical and emotional) in the characters’ faces and bodies. And we look for dynamic panel composition.

Color/Shading

Color is the mood-setter in a comic. It takes the place of the musical background in a film, so it warrants its own point because it can play directly into the emotional resonance in the writing score.

Lettering

Letters are the words we read and the sound effects we can’t hear. The best compliment we can pay is to enjoy a comic without noticing the lettering the letters at all because they fit so naturally and organically into each panel. Font choice and balloon placement are key.

Cover Art

We’re a big fan of covers and the part they play in properly marketing a comic (read our opinion piece: What Makes A Good Comic Book Cover? to find out how important covers really are to us.) A good cover can make a comic collectible all on its own. A bad cover can hurt a comic, so we felt it needed to have its own point.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. Honesty. Consistency. Transparency.

Now you know how we score the comics we review, and we hope this makes for a more enjoyable reading experience going forward.

If you have any questions about this article, our reviews, or anything we do, visit our Contact page and let us know what you think. We read every e-mail.

And as always… Have a Great Day!