‘Lupina Book One: Wax’ Review

Writter: James F. Wright / Illustrator: Li Buszka / Colors: Bex Glendining / Ink: Ariana Maher / Legendary Comics YA In Lupina, a young girl battles both the grief of a family lost to seemingly senseless violence and real-life monsters. All while traveling across the land with her wolf guardian. Lupina is a tale of self-discovery and vengeance that transcends both the mystical and the corporeal worlds that our protagonist inhabits. A Personal Note I have mentioned in previous articles that graphic novels helped ignite my love of reading. They allow for a different kind of digestion of narrative fiction. As I’ve gotten older, I am aware that my attention span has greatly decreased. However, graphic novels allow me to remain immersed in a story from cover to cover. From Legendary Comics YA, a four-person creative team brings a new fantasy comic to life that adds a magical twist to the run-of-the-mill coming-of-age story in Lupina. What I Enjoyed The artwork in Lupina is gorgeous. The beginning is endearing enough; a mother comforting, protecting, and later sacrificing her life to defend her youngest will pull the heartstrings of any reader. I enjoy how the fauna play such a large role in the story. The large wolf, Coras, is super cute and provides ample amounts of comfort to the protagonist. This comfort feels like a necessity, considering how tragic the opening of the story is. I love how protective she is over Lupa. This trope never gets old (think Avatar: TLA’s Appa and Lege…