The story itself is very cleverly done. You effectively become a member of the class, hearing the things Mark and Bob say to the students and looking at their actual assignments. But it isn't as dry as most other books of its kind; the class is part of an overall story, and the characters are believable and interesting. Having been a student at SCAD for the past two years, I find the portayals particularly hilarious, because each and every character has his own counterpart in every class I've taken here. My favorites are the two who think they're already great comic artists and so never listen to a word Mark or Bob say (and, of course, we get to see the assignments they hand in, which are priceless).

The art, by former students at SCAD, has its ups and downs, but overall it's a good testament to Mark, Bob, and all the other Sequential Art professors' teaching abilities. Not only is it drawn well, but it reads pretty flawlessly, something budding comic artists know isn't easy to achieve. (Although, that it reads so well is probably largely the work of Mark Kneece, the thinking man's comics writer, a bastion of intellect and savvy, and also a generous giver of A's.) In particular, Ramanda Kamarga's section is fantastic. And I have to mention the cover art, by SCAD professor Julie Collins, a great teacher, a hugely gifted artist, and a pretty cool chick besides-it's an awesome cover, is what I mean to say.