The Many Deaths of Laila Starr

by Ram V, Filipe Andrade (Illustrator)

Overview

Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality, which means the avatar of Death is out of a job... or is she?

Harvey Award Winning Book of the Year 2022

"It’s funny as hell. All the right kind of Douglas Adam’s vibes."—Brian Michael Bendis

"It's beautiful and funny and full of style. A terrific #1 issue that shows off a whole world and cast that I loved."—Joshua Williamson

"Ram V at his very, glorious best, and Filipe Andrade's artwork is stunning. Just an excellent, excellent book."—Dan Watters

"unquestionably brilliant"—Major Spoilers

"This is a masterpiece."—ComicBook.com

"showcasing just how far and wide the realm of comic books and storytelling can and should be."—COMICON

"an iconic, seminal comic that will be remembered for some time."—Black Nerd Problems

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? A powerful new graphic novel from award-winning writer Ram V (These Savage Shores, Swamp Thing) and Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel) that explores the fine line between living and dying through the lens of magical realism. Collects The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1-5.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684158058
Publisher:	BOOM! Studios
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Series:	Many Deaths of Laila
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	123,566
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Ram V. is an award winning author and creator of comics & graphic novels such as Grafity’s Wall, These Savage Shores, & Blue in Green. Since publishing his first book in 2016, Ram’s work has gone on to garner critical and popular success and multiple awards. Apart from creating original work, since 2018 Ram has also written for iconic characters & titles at DC Comics and Marvel. Filipe Andrade is an artist from Lisbon, Portugal. He has collaborated and published with BOOM! Studios, Marvel, MTV Networks, Riot Games, and more. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr comic series launched as Ram V.’s highest selling original series in his career by 200+%.

Editorial Reviews

11/29/2021

The opening pages of this dynamically drawn but unevenly scripted graphic novel by V (Grafity’s Wall) and Andrade (the Rocket Raccoon & Groot series) brim with explosive energy before losing momentum. Mrs. Shah, in labor and trapped in a Mumbai traffic jam, screams at her husband over the phone. A disinterested young woman named Laila Starr reclines on the ledge of an open window several stories above. And “in a high place, far beyond mortal clouds,” the goddess Death prepares for an uncomfortable meeting with her boss. These three story lines collide when Laila leaps, Shah gives birth to her son, Darius, and Death is unceremoniously fired—because Darius is destined to discover immortality. But Death, now in the resurrected body of Laila, sets off to eliminate Darius, only to be hit by a truck, then resurrected again. Laila and Darius meet at intervals throughout his life, which unfolds through a series of staid recaps. Darius tells Laila of recent events, most of them tinged with loss and guilt, and, predictably, Laila/Death starts to respect the sanctity of human life. The sudden shift in pacing kills the narrative momentum, even if Andrade’s kinetic art captures both the busy chaos of Mumbai and meditative moments alike. But despite cool art, these mortal and immortal characters don’t live up to their promising start. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A fantastic premise, heady ideas, and absorbing art"

Entertainment Weekly

"Wonderful magical realist tale"

Variety

★ 11/04/2022

One Wednesday afternoon in late December, the Goddess of Death is summoned to a meeting with her supervisor. He informs her that a child named Darius has just been born in Mumbai, and that since he's fated to unlock the secret of eternal life, her services will soon be unnecessary. The supervisor presents this as happy news, but Death isn't ready to retire. She travels to Earth and takes over the body of recently deceased twenty-something Laila Starr to prevent the newborn from rendering her obsolete. Author Ram V (These Steady Shores) concocts an array of quirky and/or macabre obstacles and incidents to hinder Laila's progress, forcing her to spend decades enduring the various pains and pleasures inherent to mortal life. Meanwhile, she watches Darius mature from a lonely boy into a world-famous scientist with a loving family, only to lose everything and end up an isolated hermit, and begins to wonder whether it's the inevitability of death that gives life meaning, or the experience of being alive in and of itself. VERDICT A passionate and refreshingly unsentimental fable that suggests every aspect of the human experience is vital and worthy of celebration.

Library Journal