The Rise of Aurora West by Paul Pope
Published by First Second on September 30th 2014
Genres: Graphic Novel
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
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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 comics storytelling.
The Rise of Aurora West is a prequel to Battling Boy, a graphic novel I enjoyed thoroughly last year. I was excited to dive into this book because I found myself intrigued by Aurora West and was excited to get a little more time getting to know her. I love the comedy involved in this book, there’s some great moments where corny one liners and silly moments happen among all the danger and it really pulls the story into a different category. I always loved the humor of comics and superheroes and I love that that was tied into this novel as well.
While Aurora struggles with being the daughter of a superhero, she finds that she loves being out there with him. Though there are moments where she messes up and almost gets them killed, she’s never scared off from doing it the next time. I liked the plotline and like that it was forced to be just one book because I became vested in the story of what is going on with all the monsters in this town. Usually they simply commit crime but this seems more organized and there must be a more intelligent being behind it.
The graphics are fantastic and I love the design of the monsters and the humans in this world. I’m excited to read more of Paul Pope’s work in the future because he’s captured my attention quickly with The Rise of Aurora West. If you haven’t checked Battling Boy out, you should do so as well.
Verdict:
A fully engaging graphic novel with unique and interesting characters, a gripping plot line and graphics that really impress.