Lion of Rora

Jackie Lewis is a comic book creator from Atlanta. Growing up, she spent most of her time drawing monsters and building forts in the woods. Now, she's thrilled that she gets to draw both of those things professionally. Jackie's published works include Merry Men, The Lion of Rora, and Play Ball.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY --This historical adventure by married comics veteranwriters Christos and Ruth Gage pulls from the real-life struggle of theWaldensians, a pre-Protestant religious sect in France that was often inconflict with the Catholic Church. Depicting events from the early 17th Century,the story follows farmer Joshua Janavel, who through circumstances out of hiscontrol becomes the leader of his people in rebellion, as the French governmentbears down on them with the intent of ripping their religion apart andslaughtering as many of them as they can while doing so. Well-researched andrealized, the struggle of folk hero Janavel to save his people takes on theflavor of a Robin Hood adventure, without becoming too fantastical orunbelievable. Some dramatic action and dialogue falls into adventure-storyclichés, but that doesn't take away too much from the larger story'simpact, and such attention given to an off-the-beaten path moment from historyis certainly welcome. Lewis's art has historical detail with a clearstorytelling style. A further-reading section offers plenty of areas forinvestigation.