Adora and the Distance is a beautifully written fantasy from comiXology Originals.
It’s a fantasy, and it’s so much more. Told as a Hero’s Journey, is the story of Adora, a young girl adopted by a Lord, who lives a life of routine. Until one day that routine is interrupted by a dream that foretells of a horrible ending. You might ave read a story like this before; a young kid finds out they are the chosen one and has to fight an evil in order to save the world. it’s a really popular storytelling tool. Adora and the Distance uses it in a way I’ve never seen before.
In an effort to avoid spoilers, I won’t mention the ending, merely that it is not what I expected, and it made me tear up. What I will talk about is the richness of the story and the art. It is diverse and gorgeous and heartwarming. it is also full of death and grief and it will tug on your heartstrings. Like Frodo, or Katniss or Dorothy before her, Adora’s journey is helped along with a group of people sworn to protect her, to teach her, to help however they can. Of course not all of them survive, becasue it is not a true Hero’s Journey without pain.
Her companions and the characters she meets along the way are pretty well fleshed out and it adds to her to help make it a great read. And it really is a great read. The story flows well and it pulls you in. The settings, as many as there are, are each beautiful in their own right, even when they’re a bit terrifying. Even the length, a whopping 107 pages, isn’t a deterrent against this graphic novel. As a middle grade graphic novel, this is a perfect offering. It’s got heart, and a few scares, and a delightfully unexpected ending.
I really think Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kristantina and comiXology hit it out of the park with this story. Adora and the Distance released on June 15th on comiXology.
