Graphic Novel
📝 First Impressions
What caught my attention first in Ora 12 was the visual side of the book. The drawing and overall graphic presentation are easily its strongest elements, and they gave the story a distinctive identity from the beginning.
The concept itself also had potential, but the storytelling did not work quite as well for me as the artwork did. The scenario felt much less polished, and that imbalance became noticeable quite quickly: visually, the book made a strong impression, while narratively it felt as though the ideas had not been developed with the same level of care.
Considering that Alexandra Gold handled the project largely on her own, I still think the result deserves credit for ambition and effort. But my first impression was very much that Ora 12 would have benefited from stronger writing support, especially when it came to shaping the story and giving the narrative a clearer structure.
💜 What I Loved
The strongest part of Ora 12 for me was definitely the artwork. The drawing style, the visual composition and the overall graphic presentation gave the book personality and made it stand out much more than the story itself.
I also appreciated the ambition behind the project. Creating a graphic novel is demanding because the visual and narrative sides have to work together, and there is clearly a lot of effort behind what Alexandra Gold created here.
The atmosphere also benefits from the artwork. Even when the story felt less convincing to me, the visual side kept the book interesting and gave it a distinctive tone.
For me, this is one of those cases where the illustrations carried a large part of the reading experience, and they are the main reason the book remained memorable.
🤔 What Didn’t Quite Work for Me
The main weakness of Ora 12 was the writing. While the visual side felt confident and carefully put together, the scenario did not feel equally strong.
The story seemed to need more structure, clearer development and stronger pacing. Some ideas were there, but they did not always come together in a way that made the narrative feel fully convincing.
For me, this was the point where collaboration could have made a real difference. Alexandra Gold clearly has a strong visual sense, but the book might have benefited from working with someone focused specifically on the script and narrative construction.
The result is not a bad graphic novel, but it does feel uneven: visually impressive, narratively much less polished.
👥 Who Would Enjoy This Book?
Ora 12 will probably work best for readers who are drawn first and foremost to the visual side of graphic novels.
The artwork is the book’s strongest element, so readers who enjoy discovering distinctive drawing styles, independent projects and visually driven storytelling may find a lot to appreciate here.
It may also appeal to readers who are interested in Romanian graphic novels and in seeing what a creator can build largely through their own vision and effort.
Readers who need a very tightly structured plot or especially strong scriptwriting may find the story less satisfying, but those who are happy to engage with a graphic novel primarily through its visual identity may enjoy it much more.
💭 Final Thoughts
Ora 12 left me with very mixed feelings. Visually, it has a lot going for it. The artwork is distinctive, the presentation is strong, and there is clearly a great deal of creative effort behind the project.
Where it lost me was in the storytelling. The script did not feel as developed as the visual side, and that imbalance made the whole book feel less effective than it could have been.
I still admire the ambition of creating a graphic novel with such a strong personal visual identity, and I think Alexandra Gold’s strengths are very clear on the page. With tighter writing and stronger narrative structure, this could have been a much more complete experience.
As it stands, Ora 12 is a visually memorable graphic novel with an interesting foundation, but one that, for me, needed a stronger script to fully deliver on its potential.
✨ The BookFairy Verdict
Ora 12
📖 Book Details
Title: Ora 12
Author: Alexandra Gold
Genre: Graphic Novel
Language: Romanian
Original Publication: 2017
Publisher (later edition): Pavcon
Pavcon Edition Published: 2019
Collection: Romane Grafice #1
Pages: 60
Format: Paperback / Full-colour graphic novel
ISBN (Pavcon edition): 978-606-9057-29-2
Edition Owned: Romanian edition
Ora 12 first appeared as a complete graphic album in 2017, after earlier episodes had been published online; the later Pavcon edition was released in 2019.
