Ok, kids, I really liked this one! The art is gobsmackingly gorgeous, and has a Moebius vibe to it. The landscapes of post-apocalyptic France are just stunning, and the characters look great. I enjoyed the story too- I liked that it didn't give us a full explanation of how the world got to the point it's at, rather it gave us what the current inhabitants know of their world, while hinting at things for the reader. This method is satisfying to me; I don't like to know too much, I feel more "in the world" if I only know what the characters know. Here we have the small nation of Pan fighting back against the more powerful nation of Fortuna to avoid getting colonized, and to win their freedom, Pan must win a Celestial Mechanics tournament, which is basically amped up dodgeball. Of course, a hero rises up, someone who can be the symbol of the revolution. Is the story terribly original? No, but it's a good story nonetheless. The world building is well done (by my above standards), the characters fairly fleshed out, though more explanation of the game and its rules would've been nice. I'd give the story 4 stars, but this book gets 5 stars overall because of that sweet, sweet art! Just beautiful.

#AsterofPan #NetGalley

I loved the art in this book, which reminded me of Moebius with its detail and style. The characters are full of personality, depth, and also quirks. I like the balance of adventure and struggle in a time of limited resources. There are the usual selfish and demented future people, but there are a few generous and positive people as well.

A comic taking place in 2068, in the post- apocalyptic society of Pan.
The people that survived are now trying to stay alive pla ting rice and scavenging among the ruins of a destroyed civilization. Until one day a powerful, technologically advanced Federation forces them to take part in a game to save their lives.

This comic was definitely entertaining and I absolutely loved the outcast Aster for just being her. I will continue with the series because the ending screamed for more! The art style is definitely beautiful (I mean look at the cover??). A comic that I really enjoyed and would reccomend 🙂

Thank you to Europe Comics for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Aster of Pan: Vol 1’ written and illustrated by Merwan. It was translated from the French by M.B. Valente and published in November 2019.

In the year 2068, the post-apocalyptic society of Pan is based in the Fontainebleau forest, on the outskirts of what was once Paris. They survive by growing rice and scavenging. Their existence comes under threat from the powerful technologically advanced Federation of Fortuna. They force Pan into either submitting to Fortuna’s rule, or to try to best them in a game known as Celestial Mechanics.

In order to win this game Pan’s only hope is Aster, a hot-headed girl who had refused to follow their rules, was outcast and dubbed as “un-Pan”.

This was a great deal of fun with some strong world building. I adored Aster from her first appearance waking in her tree house home with a rumbling tummy. Then she and her friend, Wallis, have some adventures including being chased by a bear. Later on, when the crises with Fortuna occurs she becomes part of Pan’s team. They cross the Deepwater to the neutral country of Ceres to take part in the Celestial Mechanics. The other team are formidable opponents compared to Pan’s rag-taggle one.

I liked the style of Merwan’s art including the muted colour palette that I felt suited the post-apocalyptic scenario.

I rather wish that Europe Comics had retained the original one volume format rather than splitting it into two and ending this on a cliffhanger that more than hints of Aster’s origins even if she’s clearly oblivious.

Hopefully, I will read Vol 2 in the future and discover the outcome for Aster, her friends, and for Pan.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Hmmm… A fantasy about a post-Apocalyptic world, that hits all the common beats, like salvage hunts and fighting over the food rations, and even manages to throw in some dodgeball, but doesn't quite hit the mark, whether with the novel/dodgeball or with anything else. The other aspect of it all is the back-story, with not only the convoluted family in charge but our heroine's own past to also be explored. Some aspects of it I quite liked, but in the end it boiled down to simplistic one-side-versus-the-other drama, and the way the underdogs managed to give such an account of themselves at the dodgeball was a bit naff, too. Still, what is also naff, is the way this publisher has split this title, which was a perfectly sensible two hundred pages, into two smaller chunks – it's traditionally been the French originators who give us things in too many bite-sized bits, not the other way around. A slightly generous three stars.

Aster of Pan is a gorgeously illustrated volume with almost dream like textures. The world building is a standout here as the story drip-feeds details and rules of this brave new frontier.

8/10
Enjoyed it thoroughly -yet not my favourite for the year.

Recommend for Gr. 7+

I very much enjoyed Aster of Pan, since it's a dystopian comic with sports! The comic is set in 2068 after contamination has made many of the places inhabitable. Now the land is flooded and there's hardly any place to grow foods. The city of Pan survives by growing rice and it's raided by pirates all the time until the neighboring city of Fortuna demands foods for protection. Pan's last choice is to take part in an old ritualized game known as Celestial Mechanics that is a lot like... dodge ball! Our main hero is Aster and girl living in Pan, but not from Pan herself. I really liked the setting and how the story unfolds slowly. I really loved the pondering between Aster and Wallis and them wandering around so that we see the world. The rhythm is great, deliciously slow and beautiful.

The art is just perfect with blending watery colors, the scruffiness and the feeling of spring. Merwan manages to draw the games so that it looks like everything is moving, which is important when you draw sports. The characters have facial expressions and the world looks so interesting! I so want to know what happens, since this is something different and you cannot really have enough sports comics (that aren't sports comics per se), haha.

Received an ACR from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was very funny ! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I loved the art <nd the coloring and the plot was interesting enough for me to want to know how this history ends. Really recommend it.

"Aster of Pan" has great artwork and story throughout. I'll definitely be recommending this to patrons.

Slow Start, Goofy Twist, But Still Fun

We open in a sort of agro-post-dystopian community. Our two main characters poke around scavenging for old tech. Nothing much happens, but the characters and the setup are fairly interesting and you get a sort of bucolic adventure vibe. I suspected something along the lines of the discovery of some amazing dangerous tech, or the like. SPOILER. Wrong. A more advanced surviving civilization shows up and wants to absorb our guys. They resist and call Shenanigans, which means the two civilizations must form teams to meet and play Dodgeball. Yeah, actual school yard Dodgeball. I kid you not.

This volume ends on a cliffhanger. More Dodgeball yet to be played. No idea where this is going to go. But you know, our heroine, Pan, is a bit dense but sort of engaging. The drawing is fine and fully complements the story. There are some clever bits and some decent dialogue. It's all pretty mellow and laid back. Maybe something more dramatic and compelling will happen. Maybe not. Maybe Pan will trick the other guys into whitewashing the neighbor's picket fence. Either way, I'm sort of curious how this will play out, so I'm still along for the ride.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A strong 2 stars with an additional one based on concept and story potential. This is just the first instalment so much of the future plot has to be laid out to propel the story forwards.
Based in an isolated community that survives on its rich harvest of rice; they have no real strength other than their sense of community and hard work. They struggle with incursions from pirates but generally survive on trade through scrap metals and just about hold their own.
Then a neighbouring community tries to muscle in an offer an alliance and provide freedom from pirate attacks and for their protection they just want 25% of the rice harvest.
The council meet and although powerless to overcome their advances evoke an ancient right to judgement by a sporting trial.
They are naive and probably made matters worse as if they do not prevail their tribute rises to 50%.
The drawings are well supportive of the text as they create images of these post apocalyptic landscapes. There is enough for a continuing story with backstories for Aster and Juba. It struggles hopefully just because it is the first instalment and it would be my hope that things progress well in future comic books.
A dystopian scenario is an ideal backdrop for the basic story laments here that we can identify with in either history or modern day politics. So I am glad to say future episodes will be welcome by me and if they realise the foundation set here it will become a quality and much talked about graphic novel series.

I really loved the art style in this one. It felt both futuristic and vaguely ancient, like aliens had found old cave paintings and created an entirely new story from it. (It makes sense if you read the comic, I swear).

I was truly interested by the story, although a little confused by the plot. It tended to jump around quite a bit and went a little over my head. I can say, I was fascinated the whole way through.

So we start out in a Dystopian world with a scrappy girl, Aster, who is an outside and hits of romance with her best friend and I am thinking this could be pretty good. Then it gets REALLY stupid really fast. Enter rich assholes from another country, who want to enslave the well-meaning but starving people of Pan and we learn that the way the two countries will decide their fate is... dodgeball.
Also the "twist" foreshadowed at the end could not BE more obvious. Plus it would be one thing if Aster was adorably clueless but somehow her cluelessness makes her come off as an idiotinstead of endearing. Hard pass on this series.

This graphic novel has great artwork and layout.

Pan is a post-apocalyptic society living in a desolated area just outside of Paris. Food can be scarce, but there seems to be a steady supply of rice, enough to get the attention of pirates, who regularly steal the rice.

The storyline is great, interesting, fast moving and full of surprises as well as great dialog. We find out who is related to whom, changing possibilities and Arbitration by Celestial Mechanics. The people of Pan need to win this game or else submit themselves to be subjected to Federation of Fortuna forces.

Highly recommended.

I did receive an ARC of this comic in exchange for a honest review.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!

There was nothing at all wrong with this graphic novel except for the fact that not much happened. The characters were interesting enough and I loved the idea of the game. Very middle of the road for me, but I think the premise is a promising one. Now that the background/world building has been established, I reckon the next installment could be much more exciting. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it!

I really liked this. The artwork and the colouring are beautiful - it was so easy to follow and get what was being portrayed. The characters were fleshed out and the plot was interesting. My only major criticism was that it ended very abruptly. If this is a series then I look forward to continuing.

The first half of this book was 2 stars, and the second half was 4. At first, I felt like the author did a poor job of introducing us to the world of the novel (and I still think it could have been better done). Then the book took a wacky but super fun turn, and now I'm (im)patiently waiting to get my hands on the next one.

This is really cool intro to a sports dystopian comic about dodgeball. I really liked the characters and the art style a lot.

3.7 out of 5 stars

Artwork
The art was very fun and easy to read but I did want for more large dynamic illustrations, especially when it came to the games. Illustrations are one of the most important aspects to me in a comic and those I loved the images I do wish for moments of breaking the frame structure and playing a bit more with the composition of the whole page. I did enjoy how this comic in particular uses smaller frames to be able to establish the story/actions more. The images of fallen Paris were also incredible!

Story
The story was very interesting and the rules and laws of the land seem very compelling too. The surprise of what game ended up being the one to try a save Pan was great. I definitely had a laugh out loud moment. There was also a good amount of secret histories within this story which I enjoy, but I wish some of the secrets/history were still unknown. The ending disappointed me a little bit. It seems as if it was really obvious the family connection. Maybe, in the next volume, they'll play with that so I'm still hoping the outcome won't be so easy.

Characters
LOVE the diversity!! But I only wish that Aster could be a bit smarter at times as a kickass girl. Many of the side characters were very funny. The character development was quick as most comics are but I still thought this volume was a great introduction. I hope the next volume dives deeper into who they are and what they want.

I would definitely recommend this series!

A rich, post-apocalyptic feast for the eyes! Get to know some of the rejected inhabitants of the fantastic Pan society, including scavengers and farmers, all dealing with the aftermath of great destruction. Bonus: dodgeball!