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High School Comic Chronicles
Definition
by Ariel Schrag
10th anxiety in excess and frustration to the fullest. Definition is the tale of one girl's plow through this tumultuous year. Ariel Schrag has been critically acclaimed for her work in Definition . Jennifer Joseph of The Bay Guardian said, "Schrag's perceptiveness and incredible eye for detail make Definition brilliant. Rarely have I seen such substantial work come from a person of her age." Maggie Overfelt from The Minnesota Daily said, "it's impossible to put down."
10th anxiety in excess and frustration to the fullest. Definition is the tale of one girl's plow through this tumultuous year. Ariel Schrag has been critically acclaimed for her work in Definition . Jennifer Joseph of The Bay Guardian said, "Schrag's perceptiveness and incredible eye for detail make Definition brilliant. Rarely have I seen such substantial work come from a person of her age." Maggie Overfelt from The Minnesota Daily said, "it's impossible to put down."
Paperback
First published February 17, 2003
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175 people want to read
About the author
Ariel Schrag
25 books235 followersAriel Schrag was born in Berkeley, California. She is the author of the novel Adam, and the graphic memoirs Awkward, Definition, Potential, Likewise, and Part of It. Potential was nominated for an Eisner Award and Likewise was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Adam was made into a feature film directed by Rhys Ernst and produced by James Schamus’s Symbolic Exchange. Schrag wrote the screenplay. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival, a Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Directing at Los Angeles Outfest, and was nominated for a GLAAD award for Outstanding Film -- Limited Release.
Schrag was a writer for the USA series Dare Me, based on the Megan Abbott novel, the HBO series Vinyl and How To Make It In America, and for the Showtime series The L Word.
She has written comics and articles for The New York Times Book Review, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, USA Today, and more. Her original art has showed in galleries across North America and Europe.
Schrag graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English Literature. She teaches the course Graphic Novel Workshop in the writing department at The New School and has also taught classes at Brown University, New York University, Butler University, and Williams College.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Adam was made into a feature film directed by Rhys Ernst and produced by James Schamus’s Symbolic Exchange. Schrag wrote the screenplay. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival, a Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Directing at Los Angeles Outfest, and was nominated for a GLAAD award for Outstanding Film -- Limited Release.
Schrag was a writer for the USA series Dare Me, based on the Megan Abbott novel, the HBO series Vinyl and How To Make It In America, and for the Showtime series The L Word.
She has written comics and articles for The New York Times Book Review, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, USA Today, and more. Her original art has showed in galleries across North America and Europe.
Schrag graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English Literature. She teaches the course Graphic Novel Workshop in the writing department at The New School and has also taught classes at Brown University, New York University, Butler University, and Williams College.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 7, 2022
#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)
From the November 1998 edition with a theme of "Women in the Comics":
INTRODUCTION
This month's column reflects on the depiction of women in the comics. From the selections below, you'd have to generalize that women are either whup-ass, big-breasted superheroes and villains or confused bisexuals.
Yeah.
I'm sure these stereotypes are going to bring in that mainstream female audience the comics industry has always wanted . . .
But, hey, I review what is produced, not what should exist. And some of these comics ain't half bad.
FROM THE BACKLIST
POTENTIAL #1-3 (Slave Labor Graphics)
DEFINITION (Slave Labor Graphics)
Potential.
Rarely has the title of a book been more fitting. POTENTIAL is packed with potential. It's got a long way to go, but this book has the potential to be the launching pad for a highly promising new talent in the comics field.
POTENTIAL and DEFINITION are the semi-autobiographical comics of writer/artist Ariel Schrag. In POTENTIAL, Schrag chronicles her 16th birthday and her Junior year of high school. It's the sequel to her graphic novel, DEFINITION, which tells the story of her sophomore year of high school.
In DEFINITION, Schrag (the creator) lets the reader into the world of an amazing high school adolescent and her varied obsessions. Ariel (the character) follows and emulates her favorite rock star, Gwen Stefani of the band No Doubt. ("Definition angel.") She lives for the orderly world of her Advanced Placement Chemistry class. ("Definition clean and pure.") She revels in a favorite phrase shared with her friends. (Definition definition.) And she struggles with her own sexual identity as she tries to choose between bisexuality and lesbianism. (Definition nudity and sexual content make this book inappropriate for children.)
Having spent her Sophomore defining the world around her, Ariel spends her Junior year seeking the potential that exists in everyday life. POTENTIAL #1 starts Ariel's year off with a downer as her month-old same-sex relationship falls apart. But life picks up for Ariel as she gets involved with her best friend's sister in #2. In #3, Ariel decides she must lose her virginity before her 17th birthday with the help of an old boyfriend. Even when events go awry, Ariel's youthful optimism -- her ability to see the good potential in things -- carries her through.
I want to discount the grade I'm giving Schrag's work below. In grading what has made it's way onto paper, I can only give POTENTIAL and DEFINITION a C- but these books are drawn with the wild abandon that makes me want to whip out the old "A for effort" cliche. The art is far from professional but I can see it evolving every issue as Ariel Schrag experiments with different styles and techniques. She started out with cutesy, large-eyed and small bodied dwarfs but she's slowly developing a more realistic approach that is more personal and distinctive. Her writing is frantically paced and barrels headlong through long run-on sentences but she perfectly captures and encapsulates the excitement of being a teenage girl. The happenings in Schrag's stories may seem trivial or inconsequential but the effect they have on Ariel is obviously huge.
If you check out POTENTIAL and DEFINITION, I'm sure you'll see the same budding talent that I perceive. Remind yourself that the first dozen issues of CEREBUS, for instance, looked pretty crappy and read even worse, and think of the heights it has reached.
Ariel Schrag. Definition potential.
Grade: C-
From the November 1998 edition with a theme of "Women in the Comics":
INTRODUCTION
This month's column reflects on the depiction of women in the comics. From the selections below, you'd have to generalize that women are either whup-ass, big-breasted superheroes and villains or confused bisexuals.
Yeah.
I'm sure these stereotypes are going to bring in that mainstream female audience the comics industry has always wanted . . .
But, hey, I review what is produced, not what should exist. And some of these comics ain't half bad.
FROM THE BACKLIST
POTENTIAL #1-3 (Slave Labor Graphics)
DEFINITION (Slave Labor Graphics)
Potential.
Rarely has the title of a book been more fitting. POTENTIAL is packed with potential. It's got a long way to go, but this book has the potential to be the launching pad for a highly promising new talent in the comics field.
POTENTIAL and DEFINITION are the semi-autobiographical comics of writer/artist Ariel Schrag. In POTENTIAL, Schrag chronicles her 16th birthday and her Junior year of high school. It's the sequel to her graphic novel, DEFINITION, which tells the story of her sophomore year of high school.
In DEFINITION, Schrag (the creator) lets the reader into the world of an amazing high school adolescent and her varied obsessions. Ariel (the character) follows and emulates her favorite rock star, Gwen Stefani of the band No Doubt. ("Definition angel.") She lives for the orderly world of her Advanced Placement Chemistry class. ("Definition clean and pure.") She revels in a favorite phrase shared with her friends. (Definition definition.) And she struggles with her own sexual identity as she tries to choose between bisexuality and lesbianism. (Definition nudity and sexual content make this book inappropriate for children.)
Having spent her Sophomore defining the world around her, Ariel spends her Junior year seeking the potential that exists in everyday life. POTENTIAL #1 starts Ariel's year off with a downer as her month-old same-sex relationship falls apart. But life picks up for Ariel as she gets involved with her best friend's sister in #2. In #3, Ariel decides she must lose her virginity before her 17th birthday with the help of an old boyfriend. Even when events go awry, Ariel's youthful optimism -- her ability to see the good potential in things -- carries her through.
I want to discount the grade I'm giving Schrag's work below. In grading what has made it's way onto paper, I can only give POTENTIAL and DEFINITION a C- but these books are drawn with the wild abandon that makes me want to whip out the old "A for effort" cliche. The art is far from professional but I can see it evolving every issue as Ariel Schrag experiments with different styles and techniques. She started out with cutesy, large-eyed and small bodied dwarfs but she's slowly developing a more realistic approach that is more personal and distinctive. Her writing is frantically paced and barrels headlong through long run-on sentences but she perfectly captures and encapsulates the excitement of being a teenage girl. The happenings in Schrag's stories may seem trivial or inconsequential but the effect they have on Ariel is obviously huge.
If you check out POTENTIAL and DEFINITION, I'm sure you'll see the same budding talent that I perceive. Remind yourself that the first dozen issues of CEREBUS, for instance, looked pretty crappy and read even worse, and think of the heights it has reached.
Ariel Schrag. Definition potential.
Grade: C-
May 18, 2019
A collection of autobiographical stories from of the author’s awkward teenage years. They are a fun frank group dealing with the author’s sexuality, various creepy encounters in California, and the thrill of growing up in the latter half of the nineties/early 2000s. It deals with early seuxality and experimentation (both wonderful and terrible). Being a male, it’s interesting to see the perspective of such things from a different gender. The black and white artistic style is one of exaggeration where the emotions of the protagonist are portrayed in bombastic style. The innocent girls, not knowing or unable to change the world, are shown as wide-eyed does threatened by an assortment of ugly and scabby individuals looking to use and abuse them. A little like Red Riding Hood the world is full of wolves wishing to devour their goodies.
September 22, 2007
From my review of Potential:
"Also, keep an eye out for Potential's predecessor, Definition. While it does manage to be a quick and entertaining read, it lacks a bit of the emotional depth achieved in the Shrag's later work. Still, it’s worth finding a copy if only to get a glimpse of her sophomore year. I very much look forward to reading Likewise, the chronicle of her senior year, when it is eventually collected and released."
"Also, keep an eye out for Potential's predecessor, Definition. While it does manage to be a quick and entertaining read, it lacks a bit of the emotional depth achieved in the Shrag's later work. Still, it’s worth finding a copy if only to get a glimpse of her sophomore year. I very much look forward to reading Likewise, the chronicle of her senior year, when it is eventually collected and released."
April 13, 2015
This was a book that I read in one sitting and had to step outside to get some fresh air afterward to dispel the awkward feelings. It chronicles the author/artist’s sophomore year in high school and is packed with teenage angst and confusion that comes with the age.
I was not overly impressed with the artwork, it is not a style that I instinctually liked. It felt a bit scattered and too much packed in one frame. I gave the book a shot because it was recommended after reading some other books and the library had it in stock. Other reviews note that the artist improved significantly in her later works so I will keep an open mind if I come across them, but won’t be seeking them out.
Warning: Contains sexual content
Who should read it? Folks going through high school or want to reminisce about “No Doubt”.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
I was not overly impressed with the artwork, it is not a style that I instinctually liked. It felt a bit scattered and too much packed in one frame. I gave the book a shot because it was recommended after reading some other books and the library had it in stock. Other reviews note that the artist improved significantly in her later works so I will keep an open mind if I come across them, but won’t be seeking them out.
Warning: Contains sexual content
Who should read it? Folks going through high school or want to reminisce about “No Doubt”.
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
October 10, 2008
I think this was her first book (its been a while since I read these). Ariel Schrag wrote and drew a comic book every year in high school. It was completely autobiographical, just talking about things that were happening to her. The first couple of books, I quite liked - she is very honest and open. A little too open sometimes (you feel like she's whining, which she is), but overall a great read.
July 24, 2007
the 'definition' theme became really annoying. i could see loving this as a middle or high schooler, though. her obsession with gwen stefani was pretty funny. i'll give her next collection (potential) a try.
August 16, 2007
Aw,
this is good late comix stuff. The story of a 15 year old going to No Doubt concerts (back when they were cool), experimenting with substances, and enjoying chemistry class.
Bonus: Le Tigre mentions the author in their song "Hot Topic"... Ariel Schrag!
this is good late comix stuff. The story of a 15 year old going to No Doubt concerts (back when they were cool), experimenting with substances, and enjoying chemistry class.
Bonus: Le Tigre mentions the author in their song "Hot Topic"... Ariel Schrag!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews