OneMetal.com REVIEW:
Lola: A Ghost Story

Few people experience true encounters with the strange stuff of myths, but Lola endured her supernatural gift of recognizing demons and otherworldly signs from birth to the grave. When a boy named Jesse and his family travel to his parents’ home in the Philippine countryside to attend his grandmother Lola’s funeral, time around the farmhouse—haunted with anecdotes from the woman’s surreal life—reveals that there’s more than one extraordinary gift in the family. Paranormal exposure riddles Jesse’s everyday youth. From chats with his late cousin to hearing monsters scurrying about the woods and spying rotting corpses littering public locations, his days are filled with the unsettling.

Lola: A Ghost Story, a sepia-toned graphic novel releasing tomorrow from Oni Press, simmers down to a story of mourning and remembrance. Jesse rediscovers comfort and friendship in his cousin Maritess, and together they brave the ghosts and goblins that surround them. Labeled as a middle level read, writer J. Torres admirably construes death not as a terrible occurrence to be feared, but rather a time of celebration that strengthens our belief and compassion for each other. Indeed, Lola: A Ghost Story depends on the reader’s ability to trust in a world of make believe and folklore; accepting Lola’s and especially Jesse’s brushes with the unnatural as more than an “overactive imagination” means overcoming the universal trial of losing a loved one. Torres’ book provides solace for those in grief and reassures those who are yet unfamiliar to such personal devastation. The result is a graphic novel both heartwarming and inspiring.

On the technical side, Lola: A Ghost Story doesn’t come with a few problem areas. While Elbert Or’s artwork stands as endearingly simple, his tendency for over-exaggerated character expressions can push the limits of tolerance. The book itself leaves the reader hanging, somewhat promising a follow-up story that expands on a crucial aspect of Jesse’s coming-of-age struggle of growth and self-acceptance. Even for a mere ninety-some page read, the graphic novel speeds by too quickly and would have been better off planned as a single-work tale. Branching off into other avenues is where Torres’ otherwise lovely book weakens and disappoints.

Bottom Line

Though a potentially beloved graphic novel about death and what it means to those still alive, Lola: A Ghost Story—both simple in visual style and in its well-woven message—crumbles as it strays from its original intent. This is definitely one book that shouldn't have a sequel in mind.