For Lola, It’s the End of the World as We Know It

Lola XOXO #1
Published by Aspen Comics
Story and Art by Siya Oum

The post-apocalypse setting seems to have come back in full swing, and Lola XOXO seems to be another entry into this vast sub-genre. No, this book does not breathe new life into said setting, but this does provide an entertaining enough ride.

Our protagonist, named Lola (that wasn’t too difficult), was left in a state of shock and panic in the early flashback pages. A horrific set of attacks to cities all over the United States are alluded to. All the while, Lola, who was on a trip from Los Angeles to N.Y. to visit her grandparents, is stranded at an airport in the Midwest, worrying about the status of her parents and other loved ones. She comes across the only adult kind enough to look after her, a man named Conrad. Not much is given in the way of specifics of the attacks. But as we flash forward to an adult Lola, she is part of Conrad’s group of nomads, doing their best to sell goods, buy supplies and stay alive in this disheveled world devoid of any of the comforts of modern society.

Oum definitely pays homage to several classic films and TV series without being blatant about it. The relationship between Lola and Conrad definitely echoes that of Josh Nolan and Irisa Nyira on the Syfy network show Defiance. There is unfortunately not much but surface-level depth given to the rest of the supporting cast, and the threat at the end of the book felt a bit too convenient to set up dramatic tension between Lola and her surrogate father. But the story gave me enough to come back for more.

The art was clean and character acting was solid. Unfortunately, that is the biggest issue I have with the book, everything looked a bit too clean. The environments didn’t have the necessary amount of grit and grime, which maybe a stylistic choice by Oum, to separate this book from the rest of the post-apocalypse pack. That may be all well and fine, but it’s the actual characters that make this problem stick out like a sore thumb. Oum evokes a style which is somewhat a mix of Michael Turner, Marc Silvestri with a dash of J. Scott Campbell. All solid artists, but when doing a story set in such a setting, having every single character look like an underwear model (the problem with 97 percent of programming on the CW) really detracts from the type of story she’s trying to tell.

Overall, this book warrants another few issues just because the lead character is likable enough, as well as being a strong female lead written by a talented female writer (too few in the industry) and I want to ride along for Lola’s journey to find her real parents. — 3.75 out of 5.