indeedithappens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Stalking, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
mariocomputer's review against another edition
4.0
There are quite a lot of things I love in this comic. The art is outstanding. Aurora is a great character - plucky teenager poking her nose where she shouldn't. It has a kind of Batman feel to it at times. I'm holding back from giving it 5 stars until I read the second volume, because I have an idea where it's headed in terms of the theme of the monsters - her father is constantly saying the monsters have no moral compass, and there is nothing wrong with killing any of them and you shouldn't feel any remorse, but the way the monsters behave seems to contradict that opinion - but of it turns out the monsters are just evil and that's that, I'll be a lot less satisfied with the story than otherwise.
nkives's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, and much more than Battling Boy. This one seems to tell much more of a story than Battling Boy did. I still look forward to reading the rest of both series though.
cpiemontese's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
radicaledwardiv's review against another edition
3.0
The Rise of Aurora West is the prequel to the Battling Boy series. I really love Paul Pope's energetic style but in this format it sometimes gets a little lost. I would have loved to read this in color like Battling Boy. I love how the colors pops and make the action even that much more vibrant. Also this book is a little smaller than Battling Boy.
Besides the slight readability issues I have with the book, that the overall story is great! Love that the stories female protagonist has her chance to shine and learn about her backstory. I can't wait to see where this goes!
Besides the slight readability issues I have with the book, that the overall story is great! Love that the stories female protagonist has her chance to shine and learn about her backstory. I can't wait to see where this goes!
leslie_d's review against another edition
3.0
Having read Paul Pope’s Battling Boy, naturally I was eager to seek out The Rise of Aurora West. We’d met Aurora West in Battling Boy as the recently orphaned (before our eyes) daughter of Arcopolis’ Science Hero Haggard West. The Rise takes us back to a time where Pope and Petty can flesh out a bit more of the mystery not only behind the up-and-coming hero of Aurora West, but the arrival and rise of the supernatural monsters terrorizing the city. You read with dread their development of a weapon to take down the elder West. The most compelling mystery for Aurora, of course, is the death of her mother and whether her imaginary friend was really all that imaginary–or harmless.
The ass-kicking adventures are tempered by familial implication and what a violent life-style costs. Haggard had to come to his own decisions about the monsters that haunt them, Aurora must as well. Haggard is driven by the desire to protect his daughter and avenge his wife. How might the ending of Rise and the events of Battling Boy affect the nature of Aurora’s own career as a hero of Arcopolis?
While the characterization in Battling was sound, it was good to learn more about Aurora’s background as well as become more familiar with her own Ms. Grately. Too, Rise sets up intriguing story lines for the next volume and the next issue of Battling Boy adventures. Rise functions successfully as a prequel, but it is a complex novel in its own right–one that would be a shame to miss.
Now for the art. I hadn’t thought nor expected a different illustrator. David Rubín is obviously talented, but I prefer Pope’s rendering of Aurora and company in Battling Boy. The smaller size to the novel was nice. It made me think Archie over epic fantasy superhero, but I was less taken with the aesthetic. The black and white befitting the size. And for a narrative told from Aurora’s POV, a shift in artwork suits the shift in mode.
Rise isn’t the current adventure, but a story of what was going on before Battling Boy arrived on the scene. In a genre that frequents artistic collaborations for design purposes or necessity, I should have better anticipated another hand. Rise sets itself apart from Battling in a good way, and an important way. You’ll want this volume (the first of two) for your collection–just adjust another expectation: that the volumes are not going to fit uniformly on the shelf. Not that Aurora could fit uniformly on a shelf somewhere. Watch out female comic book heroes.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/comics-no-sleeping-beauty/
The ass-kicking adventures are tempered by familial implication and what a violent life-style costs. Haggard had to come to his own decisions about the monsters that haunt them, Aurora must as well. Haggard is driven by the desire to protect his daughter and avenge his wife. How might the ending of Rise and the events of Battling Boy affect the nature of Aurora’s own career as a hero of Arcopolis?
While the characterization in Battling was sound, it was good to learn more about Aurora’s background as well as become more familiar with her own Ms. Grately. Too, Rise sets up intriguing story lines for the next volume and the next issue of Battling Boy adventures. Rise functions successfully as a prequel, but it is a complex novel in its own right–one that would be a shame to miss.
Now for the art. I hadn’t thought nor expected a different illustrator. David Rubín is obviously talented, but I prefer Pope’s rendering of Aurora and company in Battling Boy. The smaller size to the novel was nice. It made me think Archie over epic fantasy superhero, but I was less taken with the aesthetic. The black and white befitting the size. And for a narrative told from Aurora’s POV, a shift in artwork suits the shift in mode.
Rise isn’t the current adventure, but a story of what was going on before Battling Boy arrived on the scene. In a genre that frequents artistic collaborations for design purposes or necessity, I should have better anticipated another hand. Rise sets itself apart from Battling in a good way, and an important way. You’ll want this volume (the first of two) for your collection–just adjust another expectation: that the volumes are not going to fit uniformly on the shelf. Not that Aurora could fit uniformly on a shelf somewhere. Watch out female comic book heroes.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/comics-no-sleeping-beauty/
mountsleepyhead's review against another edition
3.0
The story does a good bit of world building and and character development in service to the Battling Boy series, but David Rubin's cartoony art, while actually pretty good, feels like a TV movie to Paul Popes gritty blockbuster. More important is that it's really nice to read the origin story of a young lady badass!
library_hungry's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know why I took so long to read this book; it was really excellent. (Really, I think it was because the trim size was so small and I was worried my squinty eyes couldn't take it.) The character art was great, and while I sometimes had trouble following the action scenes--especially when they involved monsters, which were weird and confusing-looking--the story pulls you along clearly enough.
The most amazing part was the relationship between Aurora and Haggard. This is the story of a daughter/sidekick starting to become her own hero, and the relationship between Aurora and her father is so complex. He's her teacher, and he's strict. But he's also fair, and he's the best at what he does, which means she learns every minute. He shows her a great deal of respect, and he clearly loves her more than anything in the world--but he's also very distant in many ways, and clearly damaged by the loss of Aurora's mother. The balance with which he's treated--respect and constructive criticism--is really what makes the book for me.
The most amazing part was the relationship between Aurora and Haggard. This is the story of a daughter/sidekick starting to become her own hero, and the relationship between Aurora and her father is so complex. He's her teacher, and he's strict. But he's also fair, and he's the best at what he does, which means she learns every minute. He shows her a great deal of respect, and he clearly loves her more than anything in the world--but he's also very distant in many ways, and clearly damaged by the loss of Aurora's mother. The balance with which he's treated--respect and constructive criticism--is really what makes the book for me.
elevetha's review against another edition
3.0
A father and his daughter, battling monsters and on their way to avenging the death of Aurora's mother. The story was enjoyable, if not terribly original by any means, but I liked the relationship between Aurora and Haggard.
The art is definitely not the worst I've seen. It's mostly not so bad, though there are a fair amount of of cringe-worthy panels. Most notably, the proportions for Aurora as a child were awful and somewhat grotesque. Additionally, Ms. Grately's design is very odd: she's a big masculine lady.
Will be checking out [b:The Fall of the House of West|23310706|The Fall of the House of West|Paul Pope|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420944532s/23310706.jpg|42864828].
The art is definitely not the worst I've seen. It's mostly not so bad, though there are a fair amount of of cringe-worthy panels. Most notably, the proportions for Aurora as a child were awful and somewhat grotesque. Additionally, Ms. Grately's design is very odd: she's a big masculine lady.
Will be checking out [b:The Fall of the House of West|23310706|The Fall of the House of West|Paul Pope|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420944532s/23310706.jpg|42864828].