The rise of Aurora West

Paul Pope

Book - 2014

Aurora West, daughter of Arcopolis's last great hero, seeks to uncover the mystery of her mother's death, and to find her place in a world overrun with monsters and corruption.

Saved in:

Children's Room Show me where

jGRAPHIC NOVEL/Pope/Battling
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jGRAPHIC NOVEL/Pope/Battling Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Graphic novels
Published
New York : First Second 2014.
Language
English
Main Author
Paul Pope (author)
Other Authors
J. T. (John T.) Petty (author), David Rubin (artist)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Chiefly illustrations.
Prequel to Battling Boy.
Physical Description
150 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm
ISBN
9781480664982
9781626720091
9781626722682
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Pope's lauded Battling Boy (2013) takes place in the monster-ridden city of Acropolis, and this prequel, featuring feisty Aurora, the daughter of Acropolis' Bruce Wayne-like hero Haggard West, fills in the backstory of the city and its monster infestation. As her father's apprentice, teenage Aurora learns fighting skills and joins him to patrol the streets and uncover dastardly plots. She is a crackerjack investigator to boot, and when she discovers a mysterious emblem that hearkens back to her childhood and her mother's unsolved murder, she follows the lead on her own and starts to learn troubling secrets about her family. Rubin has taken over art duties for this installment of the story, and the exaggerated curves and swirling lines in the grayscale illustrations are very reminiscent of Pope's own style. The trim size is small, and some panels are occasionally difficult to decipher, but fans of Battling Boy (and there are many) will be eager to get their mitts on this thrilling installment featuring a compelling teen girl hero.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up-This prequel to Battling Boy (First Second, 2013) reveals the backstories of some of the supporting characters introduced in that book. Aurora West, the daughter of science hero Haggard West, is training to be a monster hunter just like her father. While chasing down monsters that are stealing parts for a mysterious device, Aurora encounters a symbol she remembers from her past. Tracking down the origins of the symbol, she discovers that her imaginary friend from her youth was actually real, became one of the villains that she frequently battles, and may have even been involved in her mother's death. Since Aurora and her father were only briefly mentioned in the previous installment, this volume does a wonderful job of fleshing out their characters further; readers see an Aurora that's not as confident in her abilities, and a slightly jaded and darker side to her heroic father. Pope's gritty, experimental art from the original Battling Boy has been replaced by Rubin's more traditional style, giving a '60s "Silver Age" appearance to the work. Although fans will long for the old, full-colored artwork of the original, the new style works to evoke a nostalgic atmosphere. Die-hard fans of the previous work will definitely want to pick up this book, but those new to the series will want to start from the beginning of this epic sci-fi.- Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Before Battling Boy came to slay the monsters of Arcopolis, Aurora West sought out the monsters that terrorized her city and killed her mother.Growing up in the shadow of her renowned and heroic father, Haggard West, Aurora is well-aware of the scourge of monsters that have been kidnapping children from Acropolis. Under her father's tutelage, she has been accompanying him on his nightly patrols. One night, she discovers a mysterious yet oddly familiar symbol. Her investigation leads her back to the one mystery her father could never solve and nearly drove him mad: the murder of her mother. Could Aurora hold the key to unlocking this puzzle? Fans of Pope's earlier Battling Boy (2013) may be caught a bit off guard with this new offering; the art is done in black and white and drawn by Rubin, not Pope himself. Rubin's art, however, has enough of Pope's stylistic feel to give the two books series cohesion. Those looking for answers from this or Battling Boy will have to wait a bit longer; as the story progresses, only more questions are raised. This feels like a very different direction for the characters, and it's a thrilling one; expect readers to clamor for the next installments of this clever spinoff.Markedly different than its predecessor but a worthy tale nonetheless. (Graphic adventure. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.