I wasn’t taken with Filipe Andrade’s goopy, funhouse-mirror-style art though I liked the colourfulness of the comic overall. Indian mysticism is nothing if not colourful and I liked that reflected in the visuals. And, even if Ram V’s writing continues to leave me unimpressed, his observation of why funerals are so ritualised because it’s the one aspect of death we have control over, is a pretty smart one (unless he’s just repeating something someone else said). This is what I have learned in all my years, Laila Starr. We are strong, all mortal things. We live because we truly desire to. Do you understand? Each heartbeat, every breath— is a rejection of death». Struggling with her new-found mortality, Laila has found a way to be placed in the time and place where the creator of immortality will be born… Told with the tone of a fairy tale or fable, this story strikes me as something Neil Gaiman could have written, though he might have side-stepped the chapter narrated by a cigarette. And he probably would not have side-stepped the advancements or changes in the world that should be evident in a timeline that runs all the way up through the 2080s.

The premise is very interesting and unique as it’s about the God of Death being fired as someone who invents immortality is born. I found the writing to be excellent and there is a flex of their strength and confidence in their writing skills in some issues where you’ll have side characters such as; a cigarette box narrating some of the events and for these bits to be massive highlights of the book overall. I also enjoyed the story being told and the themes that can be extracted including the moral of it, too. Death is the scariest concept to me and I think of frequently on a daily basis so parts of this book made me very depressed and miserable. However, the ending was really beneficial for coming to terms with your mortality which I appreciated as I’d be a waterworks mess if not. (Not a bad thing as I like sad art, just describing my thoughts and feelings about this book). All in all if you’d like to read something that discusses mortality or uses Hinduism in a fun way similar to how Greek and Norse mythology are used in today’s popular culture, then this is a great book. It’s a really good read. I love how as story moves, Laila learns lots of valuable lessons about mortal life and at one point she even forgets what she wanted to do. Each issue teaches us some lessons and small things about life. Also the ending of this story was beautifully done. Ram V's writing is very smooth, pacing is amazing and artwork is very colorful and unique which captures the atmosphere of Mumbai perfectly.Laila Starr” is so many things at once that if you don’t read it in the right headspace or you rush through it, it becomes a little forgettable. Instead, take your time, and savor the art, the writing and, well, everything else — the graphic novel has a lot of things going on. However, “Laila Starr” is more than the sum of its parts; its sleeper diasporic cultural references, gorgeously fluid art and Hindu mythology-inspired storyline work to create something bigger. In teaching an immortal being what it means to die, the anomalous graphic novel series gives readers a new lens on living.

I'm ugly crying so badly I can't even properly type a review. This series gave me goosebumps from start to finish, and it's so well-written, and the artwork is simply stunning, and the characters are all so well-built, I feel like it's going to be a while before I find such a beautiful story again. Beautiful, poignant, indie comic about questioning the meaning of defying death. The art is very unique and gorgeous. My attention slipped a bit for a moment in Darius' adolescent years, but the beginning of this story and the end are very strong. I like the message that, for some, chasing immortality leads to missing moments with the people that make life meaningful to begin with.

It starts with the goddess of death removed from her job and sent down to earth for her to find a man named Darius who finds the cure to death..Immortality. And bonded with a mortal named Laila Starr we follow her journey as she meets this man at various points of his life and I love how each issue she dies and after many years is resurrected by Pranah (God of Life) but meets Darius and how he blames her when they meet in his adult self but right in the end, the convo they have and the revelations that happen change them and the story comes full circle and its one of the most beautiful endings ever. I think when you read a lot of something, lets say a comic series or comics in general, you get to a point where you have to step out of the inertia of it all and start looking for comics that at the very least have a purpose for existing beyond simply continuing the machine of serialized comics, and most I find do not so when the ones that pop up do they should be recognized. I now have a poet to look up and read, and the end of a story that was so brilliantly unhinged that I am not upset we did not get a fairytale ending. The moral is a nostalgia from my childhood where every tragedy had a lesson. This story begins with setting the premise perfectly. As Laila (death) starts to live in human body, she gets indulged in pleasure of mortal life. Because she was death, now she can also see ghosts, spirits and even hear the crows which makes her life more unique. We also get to know life of Darius in various stages. Laila meets him many times, sometimes without knowing him. The most interesting thing about each issue is that each time Laila meets Darius, two incidents happens and the way they happen was so interesting to see.