There’s a lot of distrust in today’s world. Maybe we have access to too much information, or maybe we’ve just heard too many horror stories to allow us to willingly give up our trust in others. Author E.B. Roshan taps into this theme with a sci-fi twist in her graphic novel, Lava. Below is my review of the book and interview with E.B. Roshan about her work.
Lava plot summary
Kone is a doctor on Davrim who is assisted by his team of robots. His mission is to bring quality medical care to the planet, but its citizens are not convinced that he’s there with good intentions. Things get worse when Kone treats the daughter of an important citizen named Brim, and there’s an unfortunate side effect to his treatment.
In retaliation, Kone’s work is destroyed, and he’s driven from his clinic to the Cold Flow to wait for ride off of Davrim. In the meantime, the fire funnels, a type of volcano, are ready to blow, and Kone races back to Davrim, hoping there will be a place to him to escape the smoke and fire.
Kone fears the townspeople locking him out of safety, but he has nowhere else to go. And he hopes for them to grant him mercy and allow him to save his life and maybe even give him another chance to right his wrong.
The story
Lava is a tension-building tale that mirrors today’s differing opinions of modern medicine. A revolving door of information, opinions, and mistrust are standard these days, and it’s easy to see those parallels on Davrim. Only Roshan takes no concrete side. Instead, she gives the reader reason to support Dr. Kone and his well-meaning ways while understanding the point of view of the citizens and their unwillingness to play guinea pigs to Dr. Kone’s medical treatments.
Alongside this species conflict is nature picking the wrong place and the wrong time to unleash its fury, mirroring the tensions and explosion of opinions and emotions. This brings literal action and danger to the story that elevates it to another level.
The story is very short. It can be read in a matter of minutes, and it gets its point across within those pages. I do feel that it could have been fleshed out more, but it is able to tell its story from beginning to end while leaving open the chance to continue the story in a future issue.
I also like that it is dialed back on the sci-fi. Other than the illustrations and names, it really tells a very grounded and topical story that leaves you thinking about what you would do if you were Dr. Kone or Brim.
The characters
The characters in the story are very three dimensional and carry the story along with their internal and external dialogue. Dr. Kone is literally drawn as more human but also very different from the antenna sporting citizens of Davrim. This physical difference helps to create a separation and otherness between Kone and his patients.
I like that Dr. Kone is very humble and determined, yet he’s a bit of a pushover. He questions his actions and is never really given the chance to correct his mistakes. However, Brim is surprisingly understanding once given the chance to reflect on his initial actions, despite Dr. Kone giving him no evidence to begin to trust him, other than his earnestness and obvious determination to help Brim’s daughter.
I do wish that the daughter played a larger part in the outcome of the story. The robot assistants also could have provided another layer to the larger message, other than as pawns in the bigger picture.
The message
The message of this story really made me think. I love the ambiguity of the resolution and the fact that nature essentially took its course, both among the characters and the fire funnels. Sometimes there’s no clear-cut answer or action that can be taken to affect an outcome. What happens happens, and you can only learn from the mistakes and carry that knowledge onto the next conflict.
My recommendation
I recommend Lava to anyone looking for a short but sweet graphic novel with a sci-fi spin that balances action with a moral message. While it could be longer and more fleshed out, what’s there is good and is complete enough to be considered a full story while allowing the reader to fill in the blanks of their own reflections, experiences, and opinions.
My rating
An interview with E.B. Roshan
How do you come up with titles for your graphic novels? At what point do you name your stories?
Well, so far I’ve gone with a “four letter word” title for each one…a single word that captures an important feature of the story. Since a volcanic eruption plays a major role in this story, Lava seemed like a good title. I think I came up with the title when I was still mentally planning the story, but I don’t remember for sure.
How did you come up with the designs for the characters?
Drawing…LOTS of drawing. I fill pages and pages sketching characters before I come up with a design that I like and seems to fit the character. The non-human characters are the most fun to draw, but a “humanish” character like Dr. Kone Zeby is definitely easier.
Did you have a particular character whose dialogue you most liked to write?
Maybe not one singular character, but I enjoyed creating the dialogue between Kone and Brim, and how their misunderstanding really drives the plot of the story.
If you could have a job on Davrim, what would it be?
If I lived on Davrim…well…I’m not sure many people would voluntarily live there, but if I did, I think I’d want to be on the Volcano Watch team.
Who do you most want to read this story?
Obviously I most want my own kids (plus nieces and nephews) to read it, but if other kids (and adults) enjoy it too, that would be great!
Have you ever seen a volcano in person?
No, I never have, but that would be very cool!
What’s the best compliment you’ve received from someone who has read Lava?
I’ve had reviewers say a lot of nice things about this story in particular…one early reader, though frustrated by Kone for obvious reasons, in the end conceeded that he was, despite flaws, “a good egg.” So that was nice.
Will we see these characters in any future stories?
This particular comic is intended to be a standalone, so maybe…but probably not.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Lava here, and help support local bookstores!
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