I write a lot of book and comic reviews on Bizarre Brunette. I like sharing what I like to read, and as a comics fan, I like finding new series. After many years of writing reviews, I feel that I have solidified my rating scale, so when I say I rate something three stars, I know what that means. I wanted to share more about how I review and rate all the content that I read.

As far as my scale, I follow a 1-5 with one being “I did not like it” and five being “This is amazing, and it’s the best thing I have read”. This aligns with Goodreads, as they use a five-star scale in reviews. I considered changing this to a 1-10 rating, but that feels overwhelming. 1-5 is a good base, and it feels more concise. With books, any book that I rate five stars is a book that I finish, and I feel a sense of euphoria. This is a book that I want to immediately call my friends and tell them to read this book, so I can talk about it with them. This is a book I will want to re-read in the next few years, and I will buy future books from the author.

If I rate a book four stars, it means that I liked the book, but maybe there was one thing that I didn’t like. Something is holding me back from the five-star rating. It could be the writing, the characters, the setting, or if it took me longer to finish the book. If I rate something three stars, there are a few significant things that I didn’t like about the book. It could be that it didn’t feel memorable, or it didn’t stand out to me. If I rate something three stars, I contemplate whether I need to continue the series or own the book if I end up buying it. If I rate a book two stars, it’s usually a book that I had trouble reading. I may have put it down several times before finally forcing myself to read it. It could be a book that I didn’t look forward to finishing. If I rate a book one star, it means that I struggled to find one thing I liked about it. Finally, I do not rate books that I DNF (did not finish). Some may disagree with me, but I feel it’s unfair for me to give a rating to a book that I didn’t finish.

For comics, there isn’t much of a difference except the fact that comics obviously have art. For me to rate a comic five stars, I have to love the art. If the art style isn’t for me, that does make a difference in how I rate a comic. Additionally, any comic that has a convoluted story or a story where I have to constantly go back a few pages, so I don’t get lost, will lead to a lower rating. I like comics where I can read them, follow along with the story, and become entranced with the art on each page.

Another important element in comics and rating comics is how badly I want to read the next issue. If I read a comic and I couldn’t care less about reading the next few issues, that will lead to a lower rating. I can tell when I like a comic because I tend to visit my local comic book store more often, so I don’t miss an issue. I may even check out Midtown Comics’ website to order the back issues I missed. I try to give a comic series five issues before deciding to continue the series. I think it takes a bit to develop a story in comics, and I like to be fair in my assessment.

It’s not like any of this is unique, as I think a lot of book or comic reviewers do something similar. I hope this provides context the next time you read a review of mine!