Review of Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story by author Lauren Myracle, Illustrations Isaac Goodhart
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story is a DC graphic novel aimed at the young adult audience. It is the story of how a young Mr. Freeze met the woman of his dreams and ended up on the path to Gotham notoriety. We’ve seen his origin story before but this goes even further back to the beginning.
Victor Fries (not yet Mr. Freeze) is a young scientist, just starting his career and full of ambition. Nora Faria is dying. She has a disease that is incurable and she is fully aware of her fate. But when she meets Victor she can’t help but want that first love that everyone else seems entitled to. Shouldn’t she get to experience this in her short life?
Victor and Nora fall for each other swiftly with Victor unaware of her fatal condition. Before they are able to exchange I love yous Nora confesses that they will not get a long life together. But Victor quickly comes up with a plan in order to avoid heartbreak.
As any DC fan already knows, Victor freezes his beloved hoping for the day that a cure will be discovered and he’ll be able to awaken her and continue their life together. Mr. Freeze is always a tragic and sympathetic figure. His story often has the most heart out of any of the standard Gotham villains. Even if it is rarely if ever done well on screen. (The Gotham TV show comes to mind, they got so much right but failed on this one. But I stand by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze being the best part of that otherwise awful movie).
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story is a sweet origin story. It focuses on the romance with no mention of Batman or the larger Gotham underworld. This is Victor and Nora’s story, intimate and unconcerned with anyone else.
Well, almost. Nora’s parents really don’t like the idea of her going through heartbreak right before she dies. They want to shelter her, and Victor, from having to experience this pain. Love always ends in pain but no one should be denied it. Even brief and fleeting love is worth every second. Victor is just unable to understand that and will hold on long past what is healthy.
My only complaint is that I would have liked more backstory or development for Nora’s character. She really isn’t much more than dying girl. When she is interacting with Victor she doesn’t seem to understand or appreciate all of his science and research work so I’m not sure why it is that they’re supposed to click so well. I guess it’s just young hormones.
This happens a lot in these kinds of stories. We’re supposed to root for the characters just to root for the characters. I was never convinced that these two were the perfect ones for each other. I could just as easily believe that Victor would be able to move on after Nora’s untimely death and find love again. But, where young adult and soulmate books are concerned many readers are content to just have faith that the author knows something we don’t know. Even though it’s their job to tell us.
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story is another addition to the sick kids in love genre, a very popular genre of doomed romance for the younger generations. Although it’s a bit trite at this point it’s well told and sweetly entertaining, these kinds of books are why I keep returning to this emotionally manipulative genre time and time again.
This book is perfect for young adult readers looking for a doomed love story. Yes, we all love those. Sometimes the happily ever afters just feel too fake. It’s comforting for us to know that even couples completely in love don’t always get their perfect ending. As sad as that is.
4/5 snowflakes ❄❄❄❄
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