Battling Boy: The Rise of Aurora West

Summary: Aurora West is a typical 15-year-old girl trying her best to become the monster-killing hero that her father wants her to be. Haggard West is the hero of Acropolis, who battles monsters that plaque the city. He trains his daughter to fight the monsters, so that she can take care of herself and if anything should happen to him, she'll be able to continue his fight. However, unlike her father, who sees monsters as bugs that need to be exterminated, Aurora wants to understand who the monsters are and why they exist. Aurora has an inquisitive mind, so much so that despite her father's warnings, she researches and investigates in order to help find the answers to her questions. Through her research, Aurora finds that the monsters may have a connection to her past, which may help her and Haggard win their war. Though they have different philosophies, the two continue to fight side by side eradicating the monsters and facing off against one mean-multi-tentacled-machine-gun-wielding monster named Medula. Yes, it's that exciting!

Reference: Petty, JT; Pope, Paul; Rubín (2014). Battling Boy: The Rise of Aurora West. First Second. New York, NY.

Why I picked this up: I had read other reviews about Battling Boy, Paul Pope's previous graphic novel, which all gave very positive approvals for it. I haven't read that one, just yet, but I knew that The Rise of Aurora West novel was connected to that story line. So, I decided to read this one first and if I liked it, then I'd read Battling Boy and the other stories that were planned to follow these two.

Why I finished it: I was hooked from the very first panels. From the start of the novel, the action comes at you and seldom relents. The characters of Aurora West and her father, Haggard, are without a doubt intriguing, reminding me a little bit of the Kick-Ass characters, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl and, of course, Batman and Robin. They're your archetypal characters of the wise elder and the naive learning child. Yet, Petty and Pope do a great job of creating interesting characters, whose fallibility and weaknesses are clear to see, characteristics that are believable and real...well, as real as comic book characters can be. Anyways, the story and the characters made the novel difficult to put down and because of my enjoyment of the novel, I've ordered Battling Boy and I can't wait for the following stories.

Recommendation: Definitely comfortable reading for your living room leisure.

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