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Spera
Spera: Ascension of the Starless, Vol.1
The Starless Queen is plotting an invasion of Spera, and has sent the merciless General Zeal to secure its capital. Unfortunately for her, the Queen's obsession with killing Princesses Pira and Lono--her only daughter, and the last link to a conquered kingdom--has resulted in the pair learning of her plans through captured scouts. What began for the princesses as a hunt for treasure is now a perilous journey to warn the Speran King, leading Pira and Lono up a monster-infested mountain, through a village populated For new fans, this volume provide a great jumping-off point to start fresh within the world of Spera. For returning fans, it’s the start of a grand, new adventure, bigger and more dangerous than ever before, with all your favorite characters!
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
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96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 6, 2015
It's great to see the story accelerating in this volume. After the first volume, it kind of seemed like everything with Pira's mother had been forgotten. Which is a shame, because it's an interesting story, and it gets even more so here. The Starless Queen was already an intimidating antagonist, and adding General Zeal to her side simply makes her more so. I also liked that Yonder and Chobo are effectively removed from the table. I like them as characters, but they're incredibly powerful, enough to drain some of the dramatic tension out of the battles. And I still like Pira and Lono best, so it's nice to see the book kind of return to its roots by putting them front and center.
The art remains a bit hit or miss, but it's closer to consistent, I think, than in any other volume. I like the idea of rotating artists in theory, but in practice the story flows better if the styles are at least remotely similar to one another. And it helps that I didn't hate any of the art this time around, too.
It looks like Tierney is going to keep Spera going at one volume a year. I'm not saying that I want him to rush things, but at this rate it's going to be a very long time before we get any sort of resolution. But yes, I will wait, and read my one volume a year, and hope for more, for about as long as Tierney wants this to go.
The art remains a bit hit or miss, but it's closer to consistent, I think, than in any other volume. I like the idea of rotating artists in theory, but in practice the story flows better if the styles are at least remotely similar to one another. And it helps that I didn't hate any of the art this time around, too.
It looks like Tierney is going to keep Spera going at one volume a year. I'm not saying that I want him to rush things, but at this rate it's going to be a very long time before we get any sort of resolution. But yes, I will wait, and read my one volume a year, and hope for more, for about as long as Tierney wants this to go.
March 28, 2017
Little bit of a confusing story line though that can be chalked up to my inexperience with graphic novels. Amazing diverse and inclusive cast, brilliant storyline of two adventurer princesses trying to stop a war before it begins.
December 17, 2020
Lono and Pira have always been adventurers. But now things are ramping up and becoming more dangerous as war approaches.
I feel like the adventures of these characters have always been fun and lighthearted for the most part. But now Josh Tierney has Pira's mom preparing for war on Spera, and it just increases the tension of the series overall. Where before, it felt like a lighthearted comic strip adventure book, now it feels more like an actual graphic novel, with a very streamlined plot driving the book forward.
The art still rotates from artist to artist, who again deliver on every level, but since the stories are more "issue" based, the artists have a longer tenure than previous volumes. Where in previous volumes one artist would be responsible for 5-6 pages, now we have 15-20 pages per artist. Which is not bad, but it cements the artist and book further into feeling like a comic book, instead of a collection of stories like the previous 3 volumes.
This book was a lot of setup, but still super fun. Cant wait to see how the story plays out in the next volume.
I feel like the adventures of these characters have always been fun and lighthearted for the most part. But now Josh Tierney has Pira's mom preparing for war on Spera, and it just increases the tension of the series overall. Where before, it felt like a lighthearted comic strip adventure book, now it feels more like an actual graphic novel, with a very streamlined plot driving the book forward.
The art still rotates from artist to artist, who again deliver on every level, but since the stories are more "issue" based, the artists have a longer tenure than previous volumes. Where in previous volumes one artist would be responsible for 5-6 pages, now we have 15-20 pages per artist. Which is not bad, but it cements the artist and book further into feeling like a comic book, instead of a collection of stories like the previous 3 volumes.
This book was a lot of setup, but still super fun. Cant wait to see how the story plays out in the next volume.
May 1, 2023
Not sure how I feel about each chapter having a different artstyle, ranging from super-detailed to no-background-colour, but the story is cool enough.
Bit confusing? Yes, but that's okay, I still want more.
Bit confusing? Yes, but that's okay, I still want more.
October 6, 2018
Good volume.
February 19, 2016
The unique, round-robin kaleidoscope of interpretation that is the Spera series continues.
Each chapter features the art (and perhaps the writing? See below) or a different artist, but continues the same storyline--a rare endeavor for a continuous published series outside of an anthology (which I suppose the Spera books could technically be classified as). While I do appreciate the variety in perspective and interpretation of the world and characters that the different artists bring--not just in aesthetic and mood but even in different interpretations of characters' skin tones, eye shapes, builds, etc--it also brings a certain level of discontinuity to the narrative.
And although the series is written solely by Josh Tierney (according to the credits in the front matter of the book anyway), the dialogue varies from good to just plain confusing. I found chapters 2 and 3 to be the most guilty of the latter; meanwhile, Sourya Sihachakr's chapter featured the most outstanding art (beautiful scenery and expressive characters reminiscent of Miyazaki's graphic novels such as Nausicaa), and had the best writing as well.
I will be continuing on to the next book of the series, but mostly just to see where Sihachakr and a couple of the other artists that I fancied take our intrepid heroes next in this quaint RPG-esque yarn.
Each chapter features the art (and perhaps the writing? See below) or a different artist, but continues the same storyline--a rare endeavor for a continuous published series outside of an anthology (which I suppose the Spera books could technically be classified as). While I do appreciate the variety in perspective and interpretation of the world and characters that the different artists bring--not just in aesthetic and mood but even in different interpretations of characters' skin tones, eye shapes, builds, etc--it also brings a certain level of discontinuity to the narrative.
And although the series is written solely by Josh Tierney (according to the credits in the front matter of the book anyway), the dialogue varies from good to just plain confusing. I found chapters 2 and 3 to be the most guilty of the latter; meanwhile, Sourya Sihachakr's chapter featured the most outstanding art (beautiful scenery and expressive characters reminiscent of Miyazaki's graphic novels such as Nausicaa), and had the best writing as well.
I will be continuing on to the next book of the series, but mostly just to see where Sihachakr and a couple of the other artists that I fancied take our intrepid heroes next in this quaint RPG-esque yarn.
June 19, 2016
This installment is starting a new story cycle after the first 3 volumes, which were one-off stories each. This one seems to form part of a several volume story.
Ascension of the Starless goes right back to the beginning, addressing the events of the very first volume, where Pira and Lono's reason for fleeing to Spera together was because Pira's mother was invading Lono's kingdom. This time our duo of heroines must warn the King of Spera of Pira's mother's imminent invasion of his kingdom. Several new characters are introduced, while favourites Yonder and Chobo also make an appearance.
So this installment promises to take Spera in an exciting new direction. The only drawbacks are that the story is quite choppy at the start, with a big jump between chapters 1 & 2. Once again the artist changes for each chapter, which is jarring, as 5 different illustrators are a lot for 1 volume, and you have to readjust to the new style each time. But fans of the story so far will be happy with the new developments in the saga. I look forward to the next volume in the Ascension of the Starless series.
Ascension of the Starless goes right back to the beginning, addressing the events of the very first volume, where Pira and Lono's reason for fleeing to Spera together was because Pira's mother was invading Lono's kingdom. This time our duo of heroines must warn the King of Spera of Pira's mother's imminent invasion of his kingdom. Several new characters are introduced, while favourites Yonder and Chobo also make an appearance.
So this installment promises to take Spera in an exciting new direction. The only drawbacks are that the story is quite choppy at the start, with a big jump between chapters 1 & 2. Once again the artist changes for each chapter, which is jarring, as 5 different illustrators are a lot for 1 volume, and you have to readjust to the new style each time. But fans of the story so far will be happy with the new developments in the saga. I look forward to the next volume in the Ascension of the Starless series.
March 25, 2015
The art for each chapter is done by a different illustrator, so you get a nice mix. The short stories at the end are great. Overall a good read, can't wait for the next installment!
August 2, 2015
Nice to start getting some more back on Pira and her mother.
February 15, 2015
Interesting how the story is starting to move and heat up. I look forward to the next volume!
December 3, 2015
I find I've become bored with this story, but I love Chobo so much. I want an all-Chobo book.
April 23, 2017
LOVE THIS SERIES!!!
So inspired by what Josh Tierney and his cavalcade of collaborating artists are doing with this series!
So inspired by what Josh Tierney and his cavalcade of collaborating artists are doing with this series!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews