The story: the god of death is let go by a corporation culture of gods. She becomes mortal at the same time a baby is born who is going to discover a cure for death. The story shows the two of them overlapping and interacting throughout their lives, and throughout the many deaths of the former god of death. I wasn’t taken with Filipe Andrade’s goopy, funhouse-mirror-style art though I liked the colourfulness of the comic overall. Indian mysticism is nothing if not colourful and I liked that reflected in the visuals. And, even if Ram V’s writing continues to leave me unimpressed, his observation of why funerals are so ritualised because it’s the one aspect of death we have control over, is a pretty smart one (unless he’s just repeating something someone else said). Okay so this is ASTONISHINGLY GOOD. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is a visual treat and emotional ride. Author Ram V. 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. Plus it is absolutely gorgeous to look at, with a sharp art style brought to life in heaping doses of arrestingly bright color palettes. When Death (visually represented as Kali finds herself laid off because a boy has been born that will put an end to death, she is sent to live a mortal life and decides she must kill him to allow death to continue. We follow Death as she finds herself without a purpose and living through several of her own deaths, and through this immortal being grappling with the emotions of those with a finite lifespan we must ultimately confront the question if death itself does have a purpose in life. I'm very happy that my first blind grab this year was this title. I don't think I've been as pleasantly surprised by a one volume story since I read Daytripper a decade ago. The first issue is fairly solid but, once Death immediately decides to about-face on the plan, the story meanders pointlessly until the very end. It’s unexciting reading for the most part and, without giving anything away about that finale, it’s unsatisfying and dripping with vapid New Age sentiment.

First and foremost, allow me to say that I really liked both the art and the POC representation that this graphic novel brings to the table. Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality. As a result, the avatar of Death is cast down to Earth to live a mortal life in Mumbai as twenty-something Laila Starr. Struggling with her newfound mortality, Laila has found a way to be placed in the time and place where the creator of immortality will be born. Will Laila take her chance to stop mankind from permanently altering the cycle of life, or will death really become a thing of the past? The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #4: 21 Jul 2021 The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #5: 11 Aug 2021 News & Features [ ] Links [ ] I thought we started out very strong, I liked the whole concept of The Gods being a sort of corporation (I LOVE Lore Olympus, and am generally obsessed with this trope), HOWEVER, I felt like that aspect of this book was extremely underdeveloped.Also, because of the repetitive nature of the story, I didn't find anything interesting or exciting in the plot.

The premise is very interesting and unique as it’s about the God of Death being fired as someone who invents immortality is born. I found the writing to be excellent and there is a flex of their strength and confidence in their writing skills in some issues where you’ll have side characters such as; a cigarette box narrating some of the events and for these bits to be massive highlights of the book overall. I also enjoyed the story being told and the themes that can be extracted including the moral of it, too. Death is the scariest concept to me and I think of frequently on a daily basis so parts of this book made me very depressed and miserable. However, the ending was really beneficial for coming to terms with your mortality which I appreciated as I’d be a waterworks mess if not. (Not a bad thing as I like sad art, just describing my thoughts and feelings about this book). Publication Dates [ ] Last Issue [ ] The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #2: 19 May 2021 Current Issue [ ] The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #3: 16 Jun 2021 Next Issue [ ] The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #4: 21 Jul 2021 Status [ ]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. Each issue teaches us some lessons and small things about life. Also the ending of this story was beautifully done. Ram V's writing is very smooth, pacing is amazing and artwork is very colorful and unique which captures the atmosphere of Mumbai perfectly.

Hermoso libro, de comienzo a fin. Te hace reir, te hace llorar, te hace querer leer poesía. Te encariñas con los protagonistas a pesar de que solo uno de los dos puede ganar. Cada capítulo es una joya en sí, incluyendo uno desde el punto de vista de un cigarrillo (!)Laila Starr” is so many things at once that if you don’t read it in the right headspace or you rush through it, it becomes a little forgettable. Instead, take your time, and savor the art, the writing and, well, everything else — the graphic novel has a lot of things going on. However, “Laila Starr” is more than the sum of its parts; its sleeper diasporic cultural references, gorgeously fluid art and Hindu mythology-inspired storyline work to create something bigger. In teaching an immortal being what it means to die, the anomalous graphic novel series gives readers a new lens on living. And now I have finished it and I'm overwhelmed with how truly beautiful this story was. Rubbery alien bodies be damned, this was PERFECT 🖤🖤🖤 Told with the tone of a fairy tale or fable, this story strikes me as something Neil Gaiman could have written, though he might have side-stepped the chapter narrated by a cigarette. And he probably would not have side-stepped the advancements or changes in the world that should be evident in a timeline that runs all the way up through the 2080s.