Archival Quality

by Ivy Noelle Weir, Steenz (Illustrator)

Overview

After losing her job at the library, 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?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620104705
Publisher:	Oni Press
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	236,603
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 16 Years

About the Author

Ivy Noelle Weir has been writing stories for her entire life, and her essays on art, pop culture and librarianship have appeared in a variety of outlets. In addition to her writing, Weir is a visual artist and former librarian who studied photography at Parsons the New School for Design, art history at Goddard College, and holds an MLIS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. A native of Philadelphia, she currently works in publishing and lives on a crooked old street in an apartment full of Halloween decorations with her partner and tiny dog.

Steenz is an illustrator from St. Louis, MO. According to her mom, Steenz has only ever answered "an artist" when asked what she wants to be when she grows up. Here we are, years later. Steenz spends a lot of time watching reality TV, eating pizza, working at Lion Forge and drawing comics. She can officially call herself a professional artist. Steenz lives with her fiancé, Keya, and her cat, Marko. Steenz is short for Christina.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2018
After losing her job as a library assistant, Celeste Walden scores another one as an archivist at the Logan Museum, a strange old building that once served as a sanatorium. Haunted by a long-dead patient, Celeste, who struggles with depression, is certain that there is something malignant in the museum’s history, bringing stress to her relationships with her boyfriend, Kyle, and new coworkers, Abayomi and Holly. Weir and Steenz, newcomers to comics (and former librarians), create a slow-burning paranormal mystery set against the backdrop of mental health stigmas and treatment. The many unknowns surrounding the museum are intriguing, but Celeste’s investigation has little momentum, and the secrets she uncovers come so abruptly and late in the story that it diminishes their impact—readers are essentially kept in the dark until all is revealed in one fell swoop. Steeenz works in a chunky cartoon style that helps temper some of the horrors of mistreatment that Celeste pieces together, and the dull red and brownish hues that settle in around everything at the museum are a rich metaphor for the depression that Celeste battles daily. Ages 13–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

02/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Desperate for a new job, Cel accepts a position as a live-in overnight archivist at a museum of medical history, despite reservations. When a ghostly figure from the museum's past begins haunting both her waking and dreaming life, Cel is driven to help the ghost while risking her job, her safety, and her mental health. Cel struggles with depression and anxiety and has been avoiding treatment since losing her previous job. In part through her research into the loathsome psychiatric remedies of the past, Cel realizes the importance of obtaining effective contemporary treatment. This horror story is more atmospheric than gory, aside from some bloody noses, and effectively creates an unsettling mood. The rich colors, comic interjections, and expressive features and gestures of Steenz's art add levity. The art also illuminates the characters' personalities, including Cel's stylish and skilled librarian supervisor, Holly; the awkward but dedicated curator Abayomi; and, of course, Cel herself. VERDICT A character-driven, creepy, but ultimately hopeful ghost story for graphic novel collections serving teens and new adults.—Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2017-12-06
In another time and in different societies, librarians and people with psychosocial disabilities held similar positions: namely guardians of human knowledge. The author, one of the American Library Association's 2015 Emerging Leaders, reclaims this in Celeste "Cel" Walden, a woman of color fired from her library assistant job due to her multiply diagnosed mental illness. She interviews—and is hired—for an archivist gig at the Logan Museum, an 83-year-old institution housing "one of the largest collections of antique medical photographs, documents, and books," according to the museum's exceptionally groovy purple-and-blue-haired librarian, a black woman named Holly Park. With the job comes an apartment that archivists are strongly encouraged to live in due to the overnight hours. The museum also has an aloof, black chief curator named Abayomi Abiola, a history of use as a health facility of many sorts, and a mysterious board of directors…and a ghost connected to the time when the museum served as an asylum for people diagnosed with mental illness. The ghost spurs Celeste to seek justice for her and, in the process—with help from Holly and eventually Abayomi—helps Celeste seek wholeness for herself in terms of her condition. The author and illustrator bring a warm honesty, visually and narrativewise, to the characters, who are mostly people of color, as they navigate the complexities of mental illness, sexuality, love, and social responsibility. In their appealing protagonist, Weir and Steenz return both librarians and people with mental and emotional distress to their original, esteemed roles as keepers of truthful history. (Graphic fantasy. 12-adult)

Kirkus Review

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