Laila Starr by Ram V

Yesterday, I posted my Laila Starr by Filipe Andrade. Today, it's the turn of that other co-creator of the best book of 2022: writer-artist Ram V. I was lucky enough to meet with & talk to him at Paris Fan Festival 2023 earlier this month.

Despite his impressive rising star over the last few years, it was ironic to see how little people there were at his table. I could just walk up to him, have a chat & show him my small "Many Deaths of Laila Starr" collection - including some single issues & the deluxe hardcover signed by Filipe Andrade, but also some early promo material that I got gifted by Filipe. Ram was happy to sign all of it.

Thanks to the lack of a queue, he offered to create a quick sketch in my book. Before he could start, however, I asked him if he could do it on paper. The goal is to frame it side by side with Filipe's, and Ram said: "Mine won't be anywhere as nice as that one". I definitely beg to differ.

Firstly, he sketched a rough figure in purple pencils & created the base layer. Then he took a pen and started inking the figure, bringing Laila to life & adding details here and there. I'm happy I went with the paper option, as he did spend quite some time on it.

Regarding our chat - we mainly focused on the effects of "Laila Starr" on both myself & my girlfriend. It's best said this way: she hardly reads comic books & the times she finishes a story are even fewer. When a comic makes her cry - then you know it's a really strong story.

We shared that with Ram & he smiled: "it's the weirdest compliment I have been getting all day: "you made me cry!". But he definitely wasn't bothered by that - and it's great to see his creator-owned books get so much love and attention.