THE RISE OF AURORA WEST (BATTLING BOY PREQUEL) BY PAUL POPE, J.T. PETTY, & DAVID RUBIN: GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW

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5 star rating
 
The Rise of Aurora West
Batting Boy
By Paul Pope, JT Petty, David Rubin
ISBN#9781626720091
Author’s Website: http://paulpope.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro

the-rise-of-aurora-west-battling-boy-paul-popeSynopsis:

The extraordinary world introduced in Paul Pope’s Battling Boy is rife with monsters and short on heroes… but in this action-driven extension of the Battling Boy universe, we see it through a new pair of eyes: Aurora West, daughter of Arcopolis’s last great hero, Haggard West. A prequel to Battling Boy, The Rise of Aurora West follows the young hero as she seeks to uncover the mystery of her mother’s death, and to find her place in a world overrun with supernatural monsters and all-too-human corruption. With a taut, fast-paced script from Paul Pope and JT Petty and gorgeous, kinetic art from David Rubin, The Rise of Aurora West (the first of two volumes) is a tour de force in comic storytelling. (Goodreads)

Review:

Aurora West is in the rise to become the next hero Arcopolis needs, and she demonstrates it as she grows through the first volume from a teenager, trying to fit every class into her tight schedule, to a teenager with her mind set on trusting her instincts in finding the truth behind her mother’s death, punishing the bad guys, and bringing justice to the citizens hurting for their loss.

I found the story to be interestingly appealing! It starts a simple way; a girl trying to do her math homework, but all she can concentrate on is the monsters she fights every night alongside her father, the famous, Haggard West. Then the story begins to unfold, and the mystery and thrilling action we are used to in a hero comic, starts to make its appearance.

A change we see in Aurora, is in her clumsy way; we see her making mistakes while training, and then, fall while jumping on rooftops. But once she understands that her memories could be a big clue in solving the puzzle they face, her mentality changes and we see her become a combination of the team her parents were; brains and strength.

I am, definitely, very much in love with this novel. Just as I liked the story, the illustration doesn’t stay behind. It is detailed, especially in the flashback scenes where the background is packed with special ‘cameos’, not to mention one or two literal images to express words said. Creativity points for the authors!

By the end of the story, the reader is left with unsolved mysteries and questions, which we can only hope will be answered in the second volume, The Fall of the House of West, which the soul title is enough to keep the reader on the edge of their seats.

The Rise of Aurora West is the graphic novel to keep an eye out for. It has strong willed characters and story. I recommend it to all the comic readers looking for something refreshing, and those making a transition to this type of genre.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*