Stargazer: Volume 2

by Von Allan, Sam Boswell (Editor)

In the concluding volume of STARGAZER , Marni, Elora, Sophie, and their new-found robot friend finally reach the distant tower they spotted earlier in their adventure. Expecting to find help at the tower, the girls are stunned to discover that it is not only old and heavily damaged, but also very clearly abandoned. As the friends are dealing with their disappointment and starting to plan their next move, they suddenly find themselves surrounded by an odd assortment of little creatures, similar to the robot. While not necessarily the help the girls wanted, the silent but friendly alien friends are nonetheless welcome companions. Once inside the ruined tower, the girls make a few discoveries, ranging from curious to downright ominous. While Elora goes off on her own, looking for answers to her own questions, Sophie and Marni are convinced that many of the answers they need can be found on the upper levels of the tower, on the other side of a long-ago landslide of rubble and boulders. With the return of the monster that threatened them at the start of their adventure, the girls must unite to face their fears and fight for their lives. Can the power of friendship and imagination get them safely home? And does their magical quest have a fairytale ending?

Von lives in Ottawa, Canada, with his writer/editor geek wife, Moggy, and their rescue husky dog, Corbin.

110 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2011

About the author

Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for Star Wars: A New Hope. The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes and, consequently, spent a lot of time in the worlds of comics and wrestling. And, to be perfectly honest, what comics and piledrivers didn't teach him, science fiction did. He worked at a small independent bookstore in Ottawa for many years, all the while working on story ideas in his spare time-- eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life.

Von currently lives in Ottawa, Canada, with his writer/editor geek wife, Moggy and their husky dog, Corbin.

Von was recently featured in the documentary film I AM STILL YOUR CHILD written and directed by Megan Durnford (http://iamstillyourchild.com) and produced by Katarina Soukup of Catbird Films (http://catbirdfilms.ca). His artwork was also featured in a CBC Arts video profile at http://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists...

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the conclusion to Stargazer volume 1. Marni, Lora, and Sophie are trying to find their way home but can they survive while fighting a monster? Read and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good graphic novel with amazing artwork and a pretty good storyline. I got this one and stargazer volume 1 for free at http://www.vonallan.com and they were both a pretty good read for an ebook graphic novel. Definitely check them out.

[Geoffrey Dow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls, the monster and the Artifact!



More than a year ago I reviewed the first half of what I thought then was a "gentle" children's adventure, Stargazer, by Ottawa indie cartoonist Von Allan. I bought the concluding sequel back in December if memory serves, but circumstances didn't see me get to it until now.

A black and white comic book featuring three pre-pubescent girls in the role of unlikely heroines, Stargazer features a Magic Doorway in the tradition of Alice's rabbit-hole and Narnia's wardrobe (and the Starship Enterprise's warp drive, for that matter).

But what seemed a "gentle adventure" in its first half, proves to be a considerably more spicy brew in its second. What seemed to be turning into an exercise of that hoary old "And then she woke up!" cliché becomes something very different — and very memorable — by the time the story is over.

A little rough-hewn, Stargazer nevertheless has considerable virtues. This story of friendship and loss just might be a gateway drug to comics for that young boy or (especially) girl in your life — but keep a kleenex handy. My full review lives on my site, ed-rex.com/reviews/books/stargazer_volume_two.