Coming April 2021: THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR via BOOM! Studios
The story was written by Chris Doucher, Editor-in-Chief, Writer and Comic Panel Moderator for GeekNerdNet. (Image credits to: BOOM! Studios)
Cover art by superstar artist, Filipe Andrade. (Image credit: BOOM! Studios)
Late last week, BOOM! Studios announced their soon-to-be-released (April 2021) title: THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR, from the superstar creative powerhouse team of Ram V (Swamp Thing, Blue in Green) and artist Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel). The story is set in Mambai, and it takes place just as humanity is on the cusp of its greatest discovery: Immortality. Because such a seismic life shift is about to occur, someone needs to be held to account. This is why the avatar of Death is fired. Seriously, that right there is all I need to be convinced I want to read this book the moment it hits shelves.
Okay, back to the story. What will the former avatar of Death—now living out what could be her final moments in the body of twenty-something, Laila Starr—do to stave off her newfound mortality? You’ll just have to pick up this book and read it for yourself. Speaking of the book, let’s have writer, Ram V, give us a bit more insight:
“THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR is a strange, funny, odd and occasionally morbid comic about death, love, innocence and the human condition. Where I come from, gods are flawed, perhaps more so than people. Life is an endless cycle of trying to get things right, and death? Death is only the beginning,” said Ram V. “Judgments are few and far between and all things are rife with contradictions as they should be. So Filipe Andrade and I would like to welcome readers to this near-future Mumbai, this immensely beautiful mess of human lives where a god must first contend with death...many deaths, before she may begin to understand a thing or two about life.”
All right, one final note before I throw it to the official press release below: Call your local comic shop today and have them put this fantastical new series on your pull list. And, check out this wicked cover art gallery for THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR, by featured artists (L to R): Filipe Andrade (x 2) | David Mack | Anand RK
Check out the official press release right here:
Ram V & Filipe Andrade Debut
Brand New Series THE MANY DEATHS OF
LAILA STARR with BOOM! Studios
Discover a Thrilling and Powerful New Original Series from the Acclaimed
Comics Creators in April 2021
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 22, 2021) – BOOM! Studios today announced THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR, a new original series from acclaimed comics creator Ram V (Swamp Thing, Blue in Green) and superstar artist Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel) that explores the fine line between living and dying in Mumbai through the lens of magical realism, available in April 2021.
With humanity on the verge of discovering immortality, the avatar of Death is fired and relegated to the world below to live out her now-finite days in the body of twenty-something Laila Starr in Mumbai. Struggling with her newfound mortality, Laila hatches a plan and soon discovers a way to be placed at the time and location where the creator of immortality will be born . . . But will Laila take her chance to permanently reverse the course of (future) history, or does a more shocking fate await her within the coils of mortal existence?
Ram V is an award-winning author and creator of comics and graphic novels such as Grafity’s Wall, These Savage Shores, and Blue in Green. Since publishing his first book in 2016, Ram’s work has gone on to garner critical and popular success and multiple awards. Apart from creating original work, since 2018, Ram has also written for iconic characters and titles at DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment.
"THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR is a strange, funny, odd and occasionally morbid comic about death, love, innocence and the human condition. Where I come from, gods are flawed, perhaps more so than people. Life is an endless cycle of trying to get things right, and death? Death is only the beginning,” said Ram V. “Judgments are few and far between and all things are rife with contradictions as they should be. So Filipe Andrade and I would like to welcome readers to this near-future Mumbai, this immensely beautiful mess of human lives where a god must first contend with death...many deaths, before she may begin to understand a thing or two about life.”
Filipe Andrade is an artist from Lisbon, Portugal. Andrade studied sculpture in Lisbon's fine art university. He has collaborated and published with BOOM! Studios, Marvel Comics, MTV Networks, Riot Games, Passion Animation Studios and more. Aside from his personal work, he has also collaborated with Auéééu Theatre Company since 2014. You can find his work @filipe_andrade_artist.
“THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR is a story about love and connection, but also about the beauty and cruelty of it,” said Andrade. “Ram writes beautiful words touched by a mystic and exotic perfume. I want to transport and involve the reader in this trippy and vibrant world.”
THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR #1 features main cover art by series artist Andrade and variant covers by famed illustrator David Mack (Cover, Jessica Jones), and acclaimed artist Anand RK (Blue in Green).
“From the fantastical realm of the gods to the bustling streets of Mumbai, Ram and Filipe have crafted an arrestingly modern world for a story about the oldest mysteries of humanity,” said Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Get ready for a darkly funny and complexly layered new series as you discover the inexplicable life and MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR!”
THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, includingBRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Faithless by Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet; and Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Atreides from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Jordie Bellaire and David López; Firefly from Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma & Daniel Bayliss; and Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers series from Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, and Francesco Mortarino.
Print copies of THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR #1 will be available for sale in April 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
For continuing news on THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.