A biographical comic is what you expect from Oli Smith. And it's because he does it so well. Summer Ball tells of Oli's final day in sixth form, the evening ball. He's going there to end an era, but it seems more because he wants to get another chance to talk to Pippa. I think what makes it as good as it is, is that this is a true story. With an ending that just makes you want to go back and read it all over again, it's got something special.

The artwork is back to Oli's rough brushy ink style, and it suits the piece greatly. The tone you get from the story is that the Oli in the story isn't really finding what he wanted to find at the ball, that there's something missing. His art lends to that, this jagged, rougher, quickly and more free style helps the story to give off that feeling of uneasiness.

Story wise, its brilliant. Oli paints a picture of something familiar, a feeling we've all known. Almost out of place, just like you're trying to grab something that is just out of your reach. Maybe because I'm at the stage he's writing about, it's easier to relate, but it has a universal feel to it, definately. The ending is something just upsetting and yet, fairly expected as you read through the comic. Oli manages to create a tale that almost fits the standard romance theme of a boy liking girl, not getting the girl, and finally getting her at the end. But unfortunately life isn't always like a Hollywood film, and we get it pretty hard and quick at the end.

For people that say Hazy Thursday is Oli's best comic, there's a new contender. A brilliant comic, one of the best buys of the BICS 2007 weekend, I strongly urge you to grab a copy from Oli's website.