THE LION OF RORA review

(Review by Melody Werner)
The Lion of Rora is a 2015 historical fiction OGN published by Oni Press. Co-written by husband and wife duo Christos Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage, illustrated by Jackie Lewis. It is a 300-esque (albeit less repellent) tale following the Waldensian uprising of the 17th century, led by the book's namesake, Joshua Janavel. Despite being a fine book overall, it suffers from feeling like a second-rate version of similar tales.

The black and white artwork by Lewis looks solid, but lacks any sort of wow factor or style which would make it spectacular. Like, it definitely is good, but it's not as stylistically bold as art by Clayton Crain, Noelle Stevenson, Vera Brosgol, Alex Ross, Frank Cho, Faith Erin Hicks, Ivan Reis, Mike Mignola, Sean Phillips, Brian Hurtt, Andrew Aydin, Mike Del Mundo, Lee Bermejo, Sean Gordon Murphy, Marc Rosete, etc.. It's nice and functional, but outstaged by many others and not exceptional. The sequential flow is smooth as silk. The cover artwork is unimpressive, but the print quality and cover design are undeniably dank. If you want a graphic novel with a fantastic feel and overall polished look, Lion is that a thousand times over.

Compared to March (the watermark for historical fiction comics (even tho March is technically an autobiography)), TLoR is a pretty barebones historical retelling. The narrative is extraordinarily cliché and framed in such a bland way, which makes it hard to get invested in the story. It's not bad or mediocre per se, but it's nowhere near exceptional. It seems like the Waldensians have a more interesting story to be told after the events of the book. It's not nearly as informative or interesting as its betters. Without the historical context, it is still a patently serviceable book. The "characters" are all instantly forgettable, with no complexity. The dialogue and narration are solidly written. It is smoothly paced, with little in the way of filler.

The Lion of Rora is alright, but it just left me wanting to read others in its fields, comics that are categorically superior. Nothing elevates it beyond being purely adequate. If you're looking for some emotional or grand epic, you can safely skip it. However, if you just want a straightforward, short read that will introduce you to a fascinating people who are buried in the annals of history, then TLoR'll do ya' fine. The Lion of Rora gets a 7/10 from me.

Decent

Summary:
In every way, this is a thoroughly okay read, but its problem is never going beyond that. The art is good, not great. The story is fine, but not extraordinary. The dialogue is solid, but not as masterful as Barbarian Lord or March. It's a perfectly acceptable hour or so's read; to be forgotten in time, much like the Waldensians it follows.