Ariel Schrag, _Part of It_

I READ A couple of the high school memoir volumes (Definition and Potential) years ago, but I had, I'm sorry to say, more or less forgotten about Schrag until I saw one of her pieces in Best American Comics 2018. She's better than ever--older and wiser, I suppose, but also much more  in control of her line and her narrative pacing.

Part of It is a collection of shorter pieces, created over several years. All of them are based on episodes from her own life, some from childhood and adolescence, some from her early 20s--thus, before or after the years covered in the high school books. Each was a delight; the blend of self-deprecating humor, candor, and insight is irresistible, especially when the drawing is as deft as it is here. But the longest, "My Trouble with Glasses" and "Kids' Korner," were my favorites--perhaps Schrag is just temperamentally most comfortable as a long-form documentarian.