Many Deaths of Laila Starr

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The Many Deaths of Laila Starr was mostly uninteresting reading with little happening story-wise and a lot of pseudo-spiritualist pontificating. And just to reflect for a moment on the arc as a whole: Laila and Darius had great character arcs told through some of the most stunning lines and colors I've ever seen. Told across five issues, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr has an engaging, episodic narrative with each issue comprising its own arc within a larger story.

We weren't really given enough time to get attached to either one of the main characters, and I didn't really find myself caring about what happened at all. The reason is that someone is about to be born, Darius, that is going to grow up and invent immortality for humanity. A disinterested young woman named Laila Starr reclines on the ledge of an open window several stories above.

It’s through these little, affirming details that the team manages to surprise the reader, despite the seemingly cyclical nature of The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr. I wasn’t taken with Filipe Andrade’s goopy, funhouse-mirror-style art though I liked the colourfulness of the comic overall.

He takes cultural ideas and beliefs, combs through them for universal experiences and sentiments, and gives them a voice that's wholly unique and maybe a little transcendent. Filipe Andrade is throwing it down, its a beautiful looking book on every page, and like the best of any year, it's kinda of its own vibe, and I strongly suspect might be rewarded with award nominations for his work next year. It was also about Darius Shah and the many other people who touched her and his life, and how it all intertwined to create a story that flowed freely. And whilst the art was more scribbly than I would normally prefer, the colours complemented the style quite nicely. Or how Death keeps coming back in the same body of Laila Starr instead of reincarnating in a different body instead?Rigidity is internally represented by the frequent inclusion of Mumbai’s skyscrapers—even the gods work in a silver tower. I love how as story moves, Laila learns lots of valuable lessons about mortal life and at one point she even forgets what she wanted to do. and artist Felipe Andrade deliver this incredible story set in Mumbai, playing with Hindu mythology through characters that are fun and comical enough to keep the otherwise heavy, existential themes of the graphic novel from dipping into melodrama.