This is a review of BOTH The Rise of Aurora West and The Fall of the House of West, and so under a spoiler tag.

I really think these could have been one novel. I understand why they're not, because it would have been huge (and that's always a deterrent for middle readers), but there's so much going and and it's crammed so full of action and history that if you don't read them back-to-back you risk feeling a little confused.

It seems readers who got the ARC also got these in black and white, and I'm disappointed this wasn't changed for the published version. Aurora talks about being able to tell Sadisto's gang apart by the color of their cowls, and I had no idea what she meant until Battling Boy, which was actually in color. Since this books is small (less than half a sheet of printer paper), the black and white line drawings were too busy and confusing. Medula's design is great, but she has so many tentacles that they can get lost in the background. And, again, I couldn't tell anyone in Sadisto's gang apart, so they deaths of the individual members were lost on me until they said specifically who was killed.

The characterization of Aurora and Haggard is a bright point, though. Morally complex, full of believable anger over their mother's/wife's death, justifiably angry at the monsters, they sometimes make reckless and irresponsible decisions. They underestimate the monsters and allow their biases to get in the way, but they're trying their best and they're all Acropolis has.

I was a little disappointed that Haggard didn't die at the end of the second one (it IS called The Fall of the House of West, after all!), but it sets it up to happen in Battling Boy, so I guess it's OK.

Morally complex characters and no sexualization of the (two) female superhero(s) make this a great addition to the heroic graphic novels, but the small stature and the confusion of the black and white inkwork make it hard to read and follow. ( )

Entretingut. Funciona bé.
Llàstima de l'edició. El dibuix del Sr. Rubín no llueix. ( i m'ha fer plantejar seriosament tornar a l'oculista) ( )

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. ( )

As a parent, I can relate. :)

Of course I can. Everybody's given up. A city without children is a city without hope. You don't get to my age without realizing that everything you sweat and bleed to build will be dust and forgotten in a few years.

And the only things you can make worth something are your children. You put everything into them. Realize you never really loved anything until they came along.

Your whole life and some monster takes it away just like that. And the 'hero' who's supposed to protect the things you love is...worthless. Just another man.

( )

The Rise of Aurora West by Paul Pope is a prequel or companion piece to Battling Boy and The Death of Haggard West, two graphic novels I haven't read. I read book three as part of the CYBILs.

So bear in mind this "review" is one written on an incomplete understanding of oeuvre. Many of my objections probably stem from those gaps. According to the blurb, it's actually a prequel, but I have a feeling that most of the stage was set with the previous books.

Aurora West is learning how to fight along side her father to defend the city from monsters. They live in a city that at one time was normal — meaning it was like our world, full of mundane routine, various forms of entertainment, and things in between. Now though, the city is in ruins and over run with monsters. Therefore Aurora's life is one of training and fighting and wondering what happened to her mother.

The latter half of the book is focused on Aurora trying to track down the truth behind her mother's death. In this regard, I was reminded of Generator Rex, where Rex is trying to understand what happened to parents and how their research was responsible for the event that changed the world.

Now Aurora's superhero / scientist father is apparently Acropolis's best bet for defeating the monsters. But he's presented as a bit of a blowhard. Maybe he's trying to protect his daughter, or maybe he's just an ass. His barrel shape character design and tendency to lecture, though, made me think of Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom).

Anyway, I wasn't blown away with the female hero in training. It was disappointing that her reason for becoming on was because of her mother's tragic death. That's too often the motivation for young women to rise above the "gender norms" to become something strong or heroic. ( )