I originally received an e-ARC of the tenth anniversary edition of Lola: A Ghost Story, but somehow managed to not get to it. Thanks to my trusty library card, I've finally had the chance to read it.

J. Torres offers up a beautiful story about a boy with the ability to see and speak to the dead and various monsters from Filipino folklore. When his Lola passes away, Jesse visits the Philippines with his family for her funeral, and is terrified of the beings that haunt him, including his deceased young cousin, but Jesse was terrified of his Lola who had those same powers and fears others will fear him. It's a beautiful story about grief and family, while also offering up some great spooky elements from folklore. Elbert Or's art is lovely, it really enlivens the story and is easy to follow. I do wish the story had been like twice as long, but I definitely enjoyed it as is.

I would definitely recommend checking this out. I look forward to reading more from both the author and artist.

This tenth anniversary reissue from J. Torres and Elbert Or explores grief through family and folklore, as young Jesse travels back to the Philippines with his family after his Lola (grandmother) has passed away.

Jesse begins to see strange apparitions, which he learns is also a gift his Lola had, and has perhaps passed down to him, despite being afraid of her as a young child. The visions create a bond between the two and help Jesse deal with his grief.

The book's soft sepia tones bring Jesse and his family to life while lending a dreamlike quality to the story as Jesse navigates his family's traditions and culture.

For fans of the animated films Coco and Over the Moon.

* I was provided with an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This comic was very enlightening and spooky at the same time. It explores the different types of ways people grieve over a loved one and it shows how people can have different memories of the deceased compared to another person. That means they have different perceptions of how the person was like when they were alive. This comic also introduces us to the Filipino culture and their scary superstitions. The artwork was very creepy and also educational as I like learning about different cultures and their stories. My only criticism was, I wish it was longer and we got to spend more time with the characters. I couldn't sympathise with them because I don't know them well and by fleshing the story out, we could also learn more about the culture. I did overall enjoy my time reading it, I just wished it was longer.

It is a book based on a kid who visits his native country Phillipines with his family. There his cousins and uncle tell him stories about local ghosts and legends.
He is there to attend funeral of his grandmother Lola.
We come through various things he sees as he sleeps alone in his room.
He also gets belongings and toys of Lola.
It is a simple cute story.
I liked uncluttered simple artwork and short captions.
It is an easygoing read.
I liked the difference in the comic when we compare it to caption packed and congested comics we usually see.

This was...fine? That feels like such an non-descriptive and unhelpful word, especially for a review but I feel like it’s the one that fits it most accurately.

I guess, from what I knew of/about the book, I was expecting a bit more emotional depth but it felt very surface level. In fact, everything felt very surface level. I also feels like it suffers from a synopsis that describes it to be something it’s just...not.

But overall, the art was fine. The story was fine. There was nothing that really stood out as especially good or especially bad. It was just..fine.

Lola: A Ghost Story is not unlike many other ghost stories centering around family; the main difference being the focus on Filipino lore. For that alone, the book is worth a purchase, as many children are still unfamiliar with ghosts and other lore from other cultures.

Jesse has inherited his grandmother’s ability to see ghosts. When his grandmother dies, his family travels back to their home country of the Philippines. He revisits some of his memories of his grandmother and his cousin, who died when he was a kid.

I didn’t know about this Filipino folklore before reading the book. There were some creatures in the graphic novel that were so creepy. There were some that were used as explanations for birth complications, and those “creatures” targeted pregnant women. All of the different kinds of creatures were listed in a glossary of these creatures at the end of the book.

This book was also dark at times. I found the ending really creepy.

This was a great, ghostly graphic novel!

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Lola: A Ghost Story' by J. Torres with illustrations by Elbert Or is a graphic novel about a young boy with a gift that his grandmother have, but it probably doesn't feel like a gift.

Jesse travels with his family back to the Philippines for the funeral of his grandmother, or Lola. She was an unusual woman who could see the dead. Her grandson Jesse discovers he has the same gift, when he begins seeing his dead cousin. The cousin has a task for him to do, but is it a trap?

I liked this story of family and ghosts. The story builds nicely, and I liked the included glossary of the different types of ghosts and monsters in the culture. The art is nice too, but I wish that it had been full color.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A nice enough little graphic novel. The illustrations are colorful, clear and the font is easy to read and follow.

I learned a few things about Philippine mythology and legends which was nice.

There wasn’t much of a plot other than that and what plot there was didn’t really amount to much or get me engrossed.

I feel there are other graphic novels, such a Bryan O’Malley’s Seconds, which explore ghosts and supernatural in a much more intriguing way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

"J. Torres and Elbert Or celebrate 10 years of Lola: A Ghost Story, the critically-acclaimed graphic novel that explores family, grief and Filipino folklore in an all-new edition that includes a revised ending and updated illustrations.

Jesse didn’t really know his Lola (the Tagalog word for grandmother), but he remembers that she tried to drown him as a baby. Strange stories surround Lola: she had visions, she fought off monsters straight out of Filipino folklore, and, according to some, she may have even seen ghosts. Now Jesse is struggling with the same visions Lola had, but Lola's not around anymore, and the rest of his family are too tied up in their own personal demons to help. Personal demons that Lola might have helped with, if she were still alive. As Jesse explores his new abilities, he realizes that he might be the one who needs to step into that role - and that helping others might just help him, too."

So many things here I love, but most importantly, ancestral ghosts!

I found the cultural background of this graphic novel really interesting but overall it didn't grip me as much as I anticipated.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about Jesse and his grandmother, Lola. Jesse sees supernatural things, and so did Lola. So when she passes away, he must deal with his own grief as well as the supernatural events that keep happening around him. I really liked learning about Filipino ghosts and legends, as well as the truly creepy atmosphere of this book! I only wish it had been longer!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I really liked the art and history of this graphic novel but the stories themselves were very open ended and jumbled? im not sure if this was because the formatting of the ARC but other than that it was great

This was simple and nice. I kind of wish there was more to the story overall, but I still had a good time reading Lola

I was disappointed in this story. From the intro, I expected more depth to the tale and kept waiting for it. I never felt engaged with the characters, even when it seemed I was supposed to be feeling something. It's fine, just not something I'd recommend to anyone.

Graphic novels have become another way to pass down folklore in a visually captivating manner. As they are stereotyped as silly comics the reality of the medium is intense facial expressions, wide range of emotions including pain, and my personal favorite thought out color choices. While I turned from page to page eagerly I never settled into the book. I don't believe I was supposed to. Jesse our main character is on edge so often you find yourself nervously along for the ride. Which is why I suggest you read this twice. Death, family, anxiety, ghosts; it all comes down to are you willing to brave accepting who you are to feel relief from pretending? Children ages 11 and up will enjoy this Filipino ghost story.

I kept wanting for more when I finished up reading this amazing graphic novel. It seems like a memoir somehow. It only talks about a particular holiday kind of visit that was happening in the story. I love how innocent the whole story was! It is told from a child's perspective regarding urban folklore kind of stories especially the main character's grandmother, Lola (it means grandmother in Tagalog) based in the Philippines. It's an interesting narration with sight pleasing vivid illustrations in neutral hues of brown-grey white shades (first of its kind for me and I don't think I will read something like this in the same colour hues ever again!).
I love how alive the characters were and I came to know a bit about the way families are in the Philippines alongwith some of their traditions. I wish it was a bit more detailed in either the art or the dialogues.

It was a pretty good read.

Thanks #NetGalley for the copy of the book #Lola

Lola by J. Torres, 102 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Oni Press, 2020. $13.
Language: PG (1 swear, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Back in the Philippines for his lola’s (grandmother’s) funeral, Jesse is unsettled to be visiting again. No one knows that Jesse takes after his lola, that he inherited her gift. Jesse would be happier without it, though -- to him, it feels like a curse.
Having personal experience in the Philippines, I love how this book stays true to the culture there and includes words and illustrations that give good insight to the setting. Story-wise, I think the title and cover are somewhat misleading because, while Jesse interacts with ghosts, he does not see his grandmother’s ghost as I expected. Apart from the initial confusion, the story was alluring, and it was fun to learn about Filipino mythology.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A creepy graphic novel about a young boy going back for his grandmother's (Lola's) funeral. Lola had a gift of seeing the dead and the weird. Poor Jesse seems to have inherited his gift (?). He does not want it and does not want to tell anyone what he can see. On the trip back for Lola's funeral, he sees his dead cousin, Jon Jon. and is able to restore a little peace to Jon Jon's parents by finding a lost toy. Sweet, right? But the end had me saying WTF?? I need more! What happened at the airport?

I liked this. It's a bit slow to start, but by Act II I felt engaged with the story. The art style is not really my cup of tea; cute expressions though.