The Rise of Aurora West — Paul Pope; J.T. Petty

The extraordinary world introduced in Paul Pope's "Battling Boy" is rife with monsters and short on heroes... but in this action-driven extension of the "Battling Boy" universe, we see it through a new pair of eyes: Aurora West, daughter of Arcopolis's last great hero, Haggard West.

A prequel to "Battling Boy," "The Rise of Aurora West" follows the young hero as she seeks to uncover the mystery of her mother's death, and to find her place in a world overrun with supernatural monsters and all-too-human corruption. With a taut, fast-paced script from Paul Pope and JT Petty and gorgeous, kinetic art from David Rubin, "The Rise of Aurora West" (the first of two volumes) is a tour de force in comics storytelling.