Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #10

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #10

Did I say last issue that the conflict between Jained and Jemer was resolved? OK, that was completely wrong. This issue deals with the consequences of Jained “killing” his sister in #9 and a bit more of the politics at play in the whole general scheme of things. I still think it’s pretty close to impossible to review what it essentially a chapter of a long book, but here I am, trying anyway. This story is really shaping up and I’ll bet there’s a second graphic novel out by now, or if there isn’t there will be soon, so you can be totally caught up. It’s $2, try and find the contact info, I dare you…


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #9

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #9

Anybody out there who’s been reading this series on a regular basis knows of the ongoing conflict between Jained and Jemer. If you haven’t been reading this series regularly, then why are reading a review for #9 anyway? In any case, this issue looks to resolve that conflict, and it does it in a pretty interesting way. Not much more I can say about that without giving a bunch away, but take my word for it. As for the series as a whole, I’ll get caught up with where it is one of these days. It has to be on at least #13 by now, as I got this and #10 at SPX ’03, and it’s the kind of thing that is definitely best read in chunks. The art’s looking better than ever and the story is completely engaging. Check it out. Seriously now, there’s a graphic novel and everything, you’ve run out of excuses. $2! Oh, and for once it’s not my scanner screwing up the sample, it’s just that the panels for the page I wanted to use drift over to the next page. It’s a nice effect, it just doesn’t translate well for a sample. Maybe I shouldn’t have used it then? Logic has no place here!


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #8

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #8

This is kind of like a review for the last three issues (6-8), so bear with me. This universe of hers is really starting to come together. The only real problem I had before was that some of the characters kind of ran together in my head, probably because I read the issues as they came out and there wasn’t enough space to properly give them each their own identity yet. These three solve that problem nicely, as chunks of time are given to a lot of the characters and I’m finally starting to get a real feel (I think) for what’s going on. A complaint, or suggestion maybe, would be to not put different storylines on the same page. #7 had a chunk where the top part would be dialogue between two characters, establishing motivation for both, while the bottom part would be two completely different characters and what they were up to. It was a bit disconcerting and I just read one bit and then the other after a while, but maybe my short attention span is the problem here and nothing else. This story takes patience, there’s no doubt about that, but the rewards for that patience are already starting to come. It’s not like I read a lot of fantasy comics regularly, but this is the best one I know of currently going. Check out her website to see what her schedule is like and get the first book to see if this is for you.


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children: Shadow of the Snow Fox Part One

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children: Shadow of the Snow Fox Part One

I already reviewed most of these issues separately (though in my usual rambling, barely-even-mention-what-the-plot-is kind of way), so I’m not going to get into too many specifics here. You already know that I like this series and, as this was the first time that I’ve sat down and read a chunk of them in a row, I have to say that I was impressed. It was obvious from the beginning that she had things planned well in advance, so it wasn’t that shocking to see how well little things fit together, or how throw-away lines were actually completely thought out and planned (the appendix to this book is a tremendous help, but not essential if you’re just looking for the surface story). What really surprised me is that while the art, and especially the lettering, got substantially better as the book went along, the actual writing was never less than stellar. It’s 1/21/04 as I’m writing this, meaning that the second book is probably either out or about to come out, so that means you can get a huge chunk all at once. This is something I’m going to have to pay closer attention to, as I’ve just discovered that the rewards are greater if you read it all in a row. It’s $14.95 and you can get it on her website.� Seriously, it’s worth a look.


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #4

April 24, 2010

 

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Raven’s Children #4

Well, this one eased my worries about keeping a consistent schedule a little. She has the writing and the art down (I think), her main problem is sticking with this and letting people discover it. The trade is available too on her website, and that collects #1-5 even though, as far as I know, #5 isn’t available. Here’s hoping that I’m wrong about that. This issue is more of the same, meaning essentially that it’s more of the story that left me wanting to just keep reading. I’m a sucker for well-written fantasy comics, what can I say? If you want my advice, get the trade. That way there’s a big enough chunk available so you can really tell what you think about it, for better or worse. Uh-oh. I just checked her website and it said that #5 was supposed to come out in May and #6 should come out this month. Now, I work at the local comic store (we’re both in Champaign, IL) and I would think that they would get it if a new one was out, but I could be wrong about that. I’ll post more here when I know it…


Lawler, Layla – Raven’s Children #3

April 24, 2010

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Raven’s Children #3

OK, let me get a few things out of the way first. Consistency is what’s essential for a series like this. Your comic can be the best thing in the world and it’s not going to matter much if people forget what happened in the last issue because there hasn’t been a new one in a year. I’m happy to say that it looks like she’s keeping a regular schedule, so no worries there. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this and am happy to say that I liked it quite a bit. The fact that I couldn’t wait to get to the next issue (hell, the next page in some cases) is about as great of a compliment as you can give to a series. The art gets better all the time and it wasn’t bad to begin with. It’s obvious too that she has this whole world already set up in her head, as the tiniest things are explained in the back of each book. It was also a good idea to explain things like that without disrupting the flow of the story. Don’t worry, she didn’t go all Dave Sim and explain the hell out of things that people don’t care about. She kept it all pretty short and pertinent. If these samples aren’t enough, go to her website. All kinds of stuff there. Hm, maybe I shouldn’t have picked the last issue to review, because now it’s going to be tough to explain what the series is about. I’ll make it vague: it’s about repercussions, ancient history, dogs, a “peace” conference, and relationships. Which barely scratches the surface, but there you go. Buy the first issues, sit back and enjoy the ride. That’s what I’m doing…