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Legends of Halahala
Timeless, silent tales of love, adventure and obsession.
Legends of Halahala is a dark, comic ride through a mythical world, and through different periods in its history – from the long-gone Oberian Age to the dystopian era of dome-cities. Appupen's distinctive art and his quirky engagement with worlds real and imagined mark him out as one of the great myth-builders of our time.
Legends of Halahala is a dark, comic ride through a mythical world, and through different periods in its history – from the long-gone Oberian Age to the dystopian era of dome-cities. Appupen's distinctive art and his quirky engagement with worlds real and imagined mark him out as one of the great myth-builders of our time.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 31, 2023
Legends of Halahala is an Indian graphics novel which contains 5 short and uniquely dark stories, all conveyed to the reader with nothing but Illustrations and sketches.
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I got to know about Legends of Halahala from a good friend Gorab whose review propelled me to pick this book!
The author/illustrator Appupen has done an exceptional job at the art that he has produced. The book is visually stunning with beautiful artworks and different color schemes for every story.
Also, all the visuals are quite smart to give full context to the user. There aren't any speech bubbles since nobody talks in the book! It's all conveyed by powerful strokes of the illustrator.
The central plot of all the stories is more or less LOVE and it's variations. Love in times of turmoil or Love for oneself. Love for the world or Love for your partner.
Below is a summary/explanation for every story below. Please refrain for going any further since it might include potential spoilers.
1. Stupid's Arrow - (or Cupid's arrow ??) - A Prince and Princess (supposedly) from two different kingdoms falls in love but are separated and the bridge between them is burnt.
To send out a letter to her, the prince sends out an arrow across the valley. Unfortunately, the arrow strikes the Queen and a raging war starts between the two kingdoms. The war ends with everyone being dead but the prince and princess reuniting.
Love stands above all? - Maybe that was Appupen's message here.
2. The Saga of Ghostgirl Part 2: Legacy - Now, I've got no clue why this is Part 2 and where is Part 1. In this story, a young boy and his parents are rescued by a Ghost girl from monsters. This part is shown in strokes of black and white. Later starts a bit of a yellow tone art wherein the boy is an adult now and continues the legacy of the Ghostgirl which is depicted by him crossdressing and waiting at the top of a building waiting for a call? That's my interpretation. Maybe he is part 2, the legacy?
3. Oberian Dysphoria - This was an extremely colourful, picturesque and one of a kind story which is probably in a world unknown to the current world. An orbish animal gets separated from his orb-ish partner. Throughout the story, he looks for his partner but to no avail and finally invokes a dragon that can be controlled via Control panel too!! This was extremely unique and unbelievable. In the end, he finds his partner who has secured a new partner for herself in the midst however she accepts both of them and the story ends!
Love has no boundaries? One can have multiple partners and all can be happy?
4. 16917P's masterpiece - 16917P was also mentioned in the Ghostgirl legacy story however i have no clue how they're connected. Infact, this one went over and above my head. Our guy falls in a sewage pit or something and he creates a masterpiece to get out of it. In the end, he doesn't.
5. The accordion manoeuvre - This is super crazy! A little girl prays to a goddess for a beautiful body with wholesome breasts and she gets it. She gets extremely famous primarily due to her enormous breasts and soon she pledges her Left breast for World peace. Hold on, the crazier part is yet to come. One fine day he left breast decides to jump off of her and bounce away! A reward is being declared and an Explorer recovers it, gets the reward and then decides to do an Accordion Manoeuvre wherein he grabs the breast and runs away! Maybe the world peace lies in him? or did the lady disrupt the world peace due to the enormous breasts that the left boob decide to run away? LOL crazy story brings crazy interpretations.
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It's a crazy book but recommended for most comic fans for it's artsy illustrations and steaming plots.
Ps. Thanks Gorab for introducing this to me!
----
I got to know about Legends of Halahala from a good friend Gorab whose review propelled me to pick this book!
The author/illustrator Appupen has done an exceptional job at the art that he has produced. The book is visually stunning with beautiful artworks and different color schemes for every story.
Also, all the visuals are quite smart to give full context to the user. There aren't any speech bubbles since nobody talks in the book! It's all conveyed by powerful strokes of the illustrator.
The central plot of all the stories is more or less LOVE and it's variations. Love in times of turmoil or Love for oneself. Love for the world or Love for your partner.
Below is a summary/explanation for every story below. Please refrain for going any further since it might include potential spoilers.
1. Stupid's Arrow - (or Cupid's arrow ??) - A Prince and Princess (supposedly) from two different kingdoms falls in love but are separated and the bridge between them is burnt.
To send out a letter to her, the prince sends out an arrow across the valley. Unfortunately, the arrow strikes the Queen and a raging war starts between the two kingdoms. The war ends with everyone being dead but the prince and princess reuniting.
Love stands above all? - Maybe that was Appupen's message here.
2. The Saga of Ghostgirl Part 2: Legacy - Now, I've got no clue why this is Part 2 and where is Part 1. In this story, a young boy and his parents are rescued by a Ghost girl from monsters. This part is shown in strokes of black and white. Later starts a bit of a yellow tone art wherein the boy is an adult now and continues the legacy of the Ghostgirl which is depicted by him crossdressing and waiting at the top of a building waiting for a call? That's my interpretation. Maybe he is part 2, the legacy?
3. Oberian Dysphoria - This was an extremely colourful, picturesque and one of a kind story which is probably in a world unknown to the current world. An orbish animal gets separated from his orb-ish partner. Throughout the story, he looks for his partner but to no avail and finally invokes a dragon that can be controlled via Control panel too!! This was extremely unique and unbelievable. In the end, he finds his partner who has secured a new partner for herself in the midst however she accepts both of them and the story ends!
Love has no boundaries? One can have multiple partners and all can be happy?
4. 16917P's masterpiece - 16917P was also mentioned in the Ghostgirl legacy story however i have no clue how they're connected. Infact, this one went over and above my head. Our guy falls in a sewage pit or something and he creates a masterpiece to get out of it. In the end, he doesn't.
5. The accordion manoeuvre - This is super crazy! A little girl prays to a goddess for a beautiful body with wholesome breasts and she gets it. She gets extremely famous primarily due to her enormous breasts and soon she pledges her Left breast for World peace. Hold on, the crazier part is yet to come. One fine day he left breast decides to jump off of her and bounce away! A reward is being declared and an Explorer recovers it, gets the reward and then decides to do an Accordion Manoeuvre wherein he grabs the breast and runs away! Maybe the world peace lies in him? or did the lady disrupt the world peace due to the enormous breasts that the left boob decide to run away? LOL crazy story brings crazy interpretations.
----
It's a crazy book but recommended for most comic fans for it's artsy illustrations and steaming plots.
Ps. Thanks Gorab for introducing this to me!
May 22, 2023
I'm glad to see the first Indian silent graphic novel. A collection of 5 short stories expressed only via art frames - no words.
Not all stories are straightforward. If you can, try catching a hint from their titles!
Needs your patience toread between the lines grasp the ideology and its symbolism.
Themes:
1. Stupid's Arrow - A classical cliched love story - prince of green kingdom falling in love with princess of orange. Then a war is waged due to a stupid's arrow. Representation of Orange triangles vs Green rectangles was nice.
2. The Saga of Ghostgirl. Part2: Legacy - Begins similar to Batman's story. Except for a heinous devilish creature, a transvestite superhero and some weird twists. On second glance, you'll find the 16917P referenced! What's with the title? Couldn't understand the idea behind this story.
3. Oberian Dysphoria - Love story among bubbly boomer like creatures from another world. Didn't get the point of this one either.
4. 16917Ps Masterpiece - Dystopian theme. A man trying to create his mark on this world trying to refute oblivion. Dark graphics.
5. The Accordion Manoeuvre - Most baffling! A girl prays to a deity to grant her beauty. Wish granted. A model's body. She pledges her left breast for world peace! (What?) Then the breast abandons her by jumping out of her body and rolling away fast. As if this wasn't crazy enough, it reappears in a different circumstance!! And a few other things which I'll avoid in case I throw up accidental spoilers. In case there are any!!
Was that some symbolism on the world peace? Again no idea!!
Couldn't fathom the title. Looked it up to find it’s a bone healing technique by alternating distraction with compression. So the left breast going away and coming back signifying world peace had something to do by connecting the title and the theme?
Overall:
I wish someone educates me on this one!
Recommended if you like enigmatic intelligent narration.
Not all stories are straightforward. If you can, try catching a hint from their titles!
Needs your patience to
Themes:
1. Stupid's Arrow - A classical cliched love story - prince of green kingdom falling in love with princess of orange. Then a war is waged due to a stupid's arrow. Representation of Orange triangles vs Green rectangles was nice.
2. The Saga of Ghostgirl. Part2: Legacy - Begins similar to Batman's story. Except for a heinous devilish creature, a transvestite superhero and some weird twists. On second glance, you'll find the 16917P referenced! What's with the title? Couldn't understand the idea behind this story.
3. Oberian Dysphoria - Love story among bubbly boomer like creatures from another world. Didn't get the point of this one either.
4. 16917Ps Masterpiece - Dystopian theme. A man trying to create his mark on this world trying to refute oblivion. Dark graphics.
5. The Accordion Manoeuvre - Most baffling! A girl prays to a deity to grant her beauty. Wish granted. A model's body. She pledges her left breast for world peace! (What?) Then the breast abandons her by jumping out of her body and rolling away fast. As if this wasn't crazy enough, it reappears in a different circumstance!! And a few other things which I'll avoid in case I throw up accidental spoilers. In case there are any!!
Was that some symbolism on the world peace? Again no idea!!
Couldn't fathom the title. Looked it up to find it’s a bone healing technique by alternating distraction with compression. So the left breast going away and coming back signifying world peace had something to do by connecting the title and the theme?
Overall:
I wish someone educates me on this one!
Recommended if you like enigmatic intelligent narration.
October 28, 2017
No words, not even a single one! Yet, the stories were mostly fluid. I did not like all the story though. But, at least two I very much liked. Artworks are quite unique, and quite fascinating at times. Each story has different art style. So, there is a little bit enjoyment for every kind of comics lover.
If you want, just go ahead and try. And discover for yourself.
If you want, just go ahead and try. And discover for yourself.
April 21, 2014
The original review of this book is posted on my blog...
To read the original review of this book, click here...
April 9, 2018
Well it's a silent-comic book so the only quote I could churn out from the engrossing artwork of this funny book. "Help" "Help" "Help
A collection of five stories; funny, bitter, mythical & definitely dark.
Tale One- Stupid's Arrow, a tale of love that sprouts between the Princess & Prince of two kingdoms. It's Romeo And Juliet gone topsy-turvy. Has water-colour effect and uses basic colours in pale tone
Tale Two- The Saga of Ghost Girl, part 2: Legacy, is a Batman story gone really freaky with monsters and I loved the use cross-dressing imagery! Sketched as if done with Charcoal, later when the boy grows up its done with yellow as base colour.
Tale Three- Oberian Dysphoria, a sweet love story between two really weird creatures, how they fall in love, get separated and the quest of purple creature's to get back to its yellow winged lover. (Just read!) pictured in vibrant colours & drawn television cartoon style.
Tale Four- 16917P's masterpiece, this was grim, it's a dome city, where no light enters and flesh-eating worms walk around. It's creepy, the artwork was darkest of all. It was like a re-rendition of Old Man And The Sea mixed with Myth of Sysiphus with a bag of dystopian literature at its core.
Tale Five- The Accordion Manoeuvre, it's a play on Hollywood Western Stories, a little girl prays to The Divine Lady Mayareh. The goddess grants her a Barbie doll body with two amazing breasts. She pledges her left breast to world peace, and the left tit rolls away, hence begins humanity's obsession with aka boobies. The colour theme was yellow with pen sketch.
I knew about Appupen, but never read his #books. In the comic festival I didn't get a slot for his workshop and when people were discussing his books in the seminar, that triggered me. I had to read him.
Man he is good, with hardly ten words printed, he presented a visual delight of Stories. Halahala is his fictional realm & apparently, the first book Moonward speaks of this very land. Since I don't know about art style much, all I can say his style is very thought provoking with great themes to back them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2021
The first thought I had after finishing this graphic novel was- boy have I discovered someone, can’t wait to tell my friends. Turns out I’m hella late to the party and Appupen is already a well respected graphic novelist with a loyal fanbase, who somehow flew under my radar. But tell his laurels I shall.
Set in his fictional world of Halahala, this book contains 5 stories from various time periods within that universes’ timeline, with each story not only varying in genre- ranging from noir-superhero to historical-romance to dystopian sci-fi, but also in completely different art styles and colouring techniques.
The artwork is almost painter-esque over comic-esque, if that makes sense? Point is the art along with the eclectic panelling was the second biggest highlight for me in the novel.
Whats first you ask? The fact that the entire book is a silent graphic novel. Appupen has crafted each story relying solely on the merits of his visual storytelling which is pretty darn concise and clear, with each panel flowing into the next with ease- a feat that needs to be singled out.
But like with most anthology collections, there are hits and a few misses. Out of the 5 stories, 3 were good (with stories 1 & 4 being my personal favourites) and 2 of them were kinda mid, one of which I sort of forgot as soon as I finished the novel.
Regardless, I’d recommend you to check this out for the approach it takes in silent storytelling and for the artwork. Will be checking out more in the Halahala universe, that's for sure.
Set in his fictional world of Halahala, this book contains 5 stories from various time periods within that universes’ timeline, with each story not only varying in genre- ranging from noir-superhero to historical-romance to dystopian sci-fi, but also in completely different art styles and colouring techniques.
The artwork is almost painter-esque over comic-esque, if that makes sense? Point is the art along with the eclectic panelling was the second biggest highlight for me in the novel.
Whats first you ask? The fact that the entire book is a silent graphic novel. Appupen has crafted each story relying solely on the merits of his visual storytelling which is pretty darn concise and clear, with each panel flowing into the next with ease- a feat that needs to be singled out.
But like with most anthology collections, there are hits and a few misses. Out of the 5 stories, 3 were good (with stories 1 & 4 being my personal favourites) and 2 of them were kinda mid, one of which I sort of forgot as soon as I finished the novel.
Regardless, I’d recommend you to check this out for the approach it takes in silent storytelling and for the artwork. Will be checking out more in the Halahala universe, that's for sure.
May 12, 2019
I first came across George Mathen's (Appupen) work as a member of the Rock band "Lounge Piranha". Their CD artwork was distinctive. Since then Appupen has completely gone into Visual art. His distinctive artwork can be seen in the series "The Dystopian Times" and "Brainded India" online.
Appupen creates dystopian world full of intrigue and gloom. Each of the 5 stories explores a different comic art styles (colorful, charcoal sketched, Noir etc). The artwork is brilliant but some of the stories fail to enthuse. His visual style is very distinctive. The stories are also social satire on the state of the world and the tales are ironic/tragicomic. Overall a fantastic read.
Appupen creates dystopian world full of intrigue and gloom. Each of the 5 stories explores a different comic art styles (colorful, charcoal sketched, Noir etc). The artwork is brilliant but some of the stories fail to enthuse. His visual style is very distinctive. The stories are also social satire on the state of the world and the tales are ironic/tragicomic. Overall a fantastic read.
December 31, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed the dystopic notes of the graphic novel. But loved how Appupen conveyed it without words. The visuals were quite a treat to the eyes as well. Sad that it took me a couple of years to get around to reading this book.
The Saga of Ghostgirl was my favorite, followed by The Accordion Maneuver. Though understandable why Stupid's Arrow gets pride of place as the first short. Heh.
The Saga of Ghostgirl was my favorite, followed by The Accordion Maneuver. Though understandable why Stupid's Arrow gets pride of place as the first short. Heh.
April 27, 2024
Legends of Halahala by Appupen is an interesting and exciting graphic novel. The stories have everything for a perfect read from satire to dystopian. The graphics were nice. The plot has been written brilliantly keeping in mind the modern day world. Definitely, the book deserves 5 stars.
Read more on https://bibliophileverse.blogspot.com...
Read more on https://bibliophileverse.blogspot.com...
January 1, 2021
Wordless, magical stories of love. Color and art is amazing and unique.
December 26, 2021
3/5 for the stories
4/5 for the artwork
4/5 for the artwork
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February 28, 2023Legends of Halahala by Appupen (2013)
April 6, 2023
It was good and entertaining. The stories were of course a bit predictable. The artwork was amazing. My first read by the author and I am amazed how I missed such a well known work previously.
June 7, 2023
A wondrously creative celebration of 'how one thing leads to another'.
Wordless, yet so memorable!
Wordless, yet so memorable!
November 21, 2023
3.5 stars
October 14, 2025
So funny…crazy illustrations
November 26, 2025
An anthology of graphic shorts by Indian artist Appupen. The Accordion Manoeuvre reminded me of something from Heavy Metal magazine.
December 27, 2013
Playful, whimsical and a little twisted, Appupen's wordless tales gain most of their momentum from a quirky, vital visual style. He is at his best when he dispenses with anthropic characters and depicts the doings of zany imaginary characters in a lovingly detailed fantasy landscape. Very silly stuff and you'll want to go back and study the pictures again and again.
August 11, 2013
Oberian Dysphoria is good in a cute way. Rest of the stories didn't do much for me. The best part is the bunch of recommendations at the back from The New Rock Times, Supa Kola Book of Records, The Daily TOI, The Halahala Observer.
March 24, 2014
I liked most of it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews