Haven

by Leonardo Ramirez, Davy Fisher (Illustrator)

The Dante family line has been in the fires of an ancient war between humanity and the nine circles of hell for generations. As a self-proclaimed “Aristocracy” the circles have now set their sights on the one chosen to fight the raging war … Haven Irena Dante. But soon after the tragic death of her mother, Haven endures the vile theft of her innocence and disappears. No one has seen or heard from her in two years … until now.

Somehow she has been changed. And when all nine circles of hell conspire to recreate their realm on the surface there is no one that can stop them. No one, that is, except Haven.

Steeped rich in history, Haven races at the speed of thought into the realms of action and adventure with fantasy and horror while seizing the places where pain can fuel staggering powers and generational wars are fought to the death.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

90 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2010

About the author

Leonardo Ramirez is an American science fiction and fantasy author of Puerto Rican descent. He is also a screenwriter, singer and a martial artist with a 4th degree black belt in Karate and a brown belt in American Bushido Kenjutsu which is the study of the katana (samurai sword).

From his humble beginnings in Bronx, New York, he’s bootstrapped his way into the hearts of science fiction/fantasy readers—young and old alike. As a husband and father, his family is his first joy.

As a child, he’s lived through the hardships of extreme poverty and homelessness in a single-parent home. But these have only brought him to recognize the strength of family and the faith in God that keeps them bound together in love.

This is truly a man who understands that life is for the living and he helps every one of his readers live life to the fullest through the wonderful adventures of his written worda!

He also has a soft spot in his heart for people who are hurting. These can be kids who have had to grow up in a single-parent family as was the case in the popular steampunk kids’ series, "The Jupiter Chronicles". It can also be young girls who have suffered an assault like Haven did in "Haven of Dante". Those are the kids and adults he wants to speak to share his message of hope.

Leonardo Ramirez lives with his wife Kristen, their daughter Mackenzy and their two dogs, Duchess and Tinkerbell in a small suburb of Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Sudipta Saha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much said in too few words. Incomplete ending. Average artwork. Vague concept. Poor characterization.

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Friday to everybody!! I don’t know if it is just me or what, but this week seems to have an extra day or two in it. My Hawaiian shirt has been ready to be worn since Wednesday but I digress. The reason I mention my general funk is that I was lucky enough to run into Leonardo Ramirez here in cyberspace. He energized my day and week. I already had a post ready for today, you can see that later on today, but his enthusiasm and the quality of his work spurred me on to the double post today.
Haven is an interesting story. Here is the backstory straight from graphic novel:” The Dante family line has been in the fires of an ancient war between humanity and the nine circles of hell for generations as a self –proclaimed “Aristocracy”. The circles have now set their sights on the one chosen to fight the raging war…Haven Irena Dante. But soon after the tragic death of her mother, Haven endures the vile theft of her innocence and disappears… no one has seen or heard from her in two years. Until now…”
I was not just surprised but am very grateful I was given the opportunity to get a read in on this story. I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline, the heroine is enjoyable and easy to identify with, and overall the graphic novel is of a nice quality. Action, snappy dialogue, good bad guys, a backstory that will keep on giving us story after story, this has it all. The artwork by Davy Fisher is an excellent complement to the story, infusing the dialogue with an incredible energy. Fisher’s color palate is unique and vivid, I for one was drawn into the entire graphic novel.
Haven is a nice independent departure from the usual Marvel/DC stable of characters. I make no comparisons because of the simple fact that this truly stands on its own and has excellent content, artwork, and dialogue. One cannot ask much more from a graphic novel. Leonardo Ramirez has created an unusual, fun, and exciting world in and around Haven. Join the fray and pick it up, enjoy the ride.
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[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Haven to be a fun read. It was fast pace story with a gripping tale. The artwork was decent but nothing to write home about. My only complaint is that I think the story developed too fast in some areas. This could have been alleviated by adding some more detail and lengthening the story.