For some reason I really needed this one. Great spare Americana art. ( )

it's alright, definitely not required reading for scott pilgrim fans or anything. cute.

A teenage girl, Raleigh, accompanies three other 'friends' as they make an endless road trip from the USA to Canada. The text is a waffly, angsty teen diary, which is appropriate but annoying at times. Raleigh is self-absorbed and anxious to a high degree. Her thoughts turn over and over. Gradually Raleigh and the reader gain some insights into the lives of these four teenagers. ( )

I'm not really a fan of the maudlin teenager stuff, but the cat thing peaked my interest. It's an ok mix of that, but not great. As a sidenote, sometimes it seems hard to tell if some teenagers are severely depressed or just being teenagers. ( )

Lost at Sea is the first original graphic novel by [a:Bryan Lee O'Malley|16807|Bryan Lee O'Malley|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1211297899p2/16807.jpg]. This is my favorite graphic novel of his because Raleigh, the main character, is the most likable main character and the one I related to the most. Katie from [b:Seconds|18630542|Seconds|Bryan Lee O'Malley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399502867s/18630542.jpg|17378014] is closer to me in age, but, man, some of her selfish actions made her so unlikable, that it also made her someone I couldn't relate to. Scott, from the [b:Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life|29800|Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim, #1)|Bryan Lee O'Malley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348109012s/29800.jpg|30220] series, is the least interesting in that cast of characters.

Raleigh, just graduated from high school, goes to California to find her soul, which she says was stolen by a cat. While in California, she meets three people from her high school who are heading back home, and she gets a ride back. Lost at Sea is about the road trip, their high school experiences, and Raleigh's life before she lost her soul. The three people who give Raleigh a ride home are fleshed out, but don't take attention away from Raleigh's journey.

It's a pretty simple story, but a story told well. Raleigh has no friends and is very awkward, on account of the lost soul and the ending of a relationship with a boy in California that started online . Lee O'Malley is great at writing awkward characters, and I'm glad Raleigh is both awkward and likable. The artwork is not quite up to what it is in his later works, but it is still that recognizable style seen in Scott Pilgrim and Seconds.

For fans of [a:Bryan Lee O'Malley|16807|Bryan Lee O'Malley|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1211297899p2/16807.jpg]'s work, I would highly recommend this title. For newcomers to his work, I would actually start with Scott Pilgrim and come back to this book later. Some gorgeous desert imagery, a likable and awkward protagonist, and some interesting side characters. ( )