And into the night they go...

not in a depressing way though, just in an 'it's inevitable cause the Earth rotates' kinda mood.

The Dead of Winter- Like all graphic medium, this piece is successful because of the subtlety in which it is executed. The tone is revealed through the style and characteristics of the art, as opposed to just word choice. Whether it's the abortionist non-chalantly whistling while performing his due diligence, or the casual way the sister's arms are drawn as they carry on normal conversation following the procedure, we have a clear picture of how well Lily is taking this, or seems to be. Throughout, and especially during the dream sequence and closing panel, the eyes are what sell the soul and emotion of the character, allowing the author to be minimal with words without underselling the gravitas of her dream epiphany. In my opinion, the story ends hopefully, as she kisses her baby goodbye, and walks back inside with a slight smile and engaging eyes.

Caring for Your Introvert- The piece turned me off with the opening lines of rhetorical questions. Leading into the second paragraph it took a supreme act of will to not read it like a super cheesy late night infomercial, where-in caring for my introvert could also lead to the procurement of a Snuggie, free of charge. This wouldn't be so problematic if it didn't conflict so harshly with the tone of the rest of the piece, which I thought was well served by the rhetorical questions. The prose was informative without being dry. Overall, I enjoyed reading this piece, but I would personally rework or cut entirely the opening paragraph.

A Yo-yo Going Down...- Mr. Conroy's passion for the physical manifestation of abstract mathematical theorum in the operation of a yo-yo is a remarkable way to open this essay. It works excellently in that grey area between non-sequitir and directly related to the story as a whole. Mostly, it serves to pull the reader into his style and tone, as well as give a peek inside the adolescent mind before delving into the story as a whole. Maybe it's because I read this following the painful intro of 'Caring for Your Introvert', but this stood out as a great juxtaposition of a great opening.