Another perfectly written graphic novel and I loved it. My favourite thing about graphic novels is of course the art. This was amazingly well done and I loved it. I devoured it in one sitting which is honestly pretty rare for me these days since I do struggle with tackling what I read these days but this was perfect so credit to the author for bringing me back to my love for reading and having that feeling of enjoying a book so much you read it in one sitting. 5 out of 5 stars of course!

General Impressions

I picked this up without knowing the slightest thing about it other than it is sci-fi and I was getting some Aurora Rising vibes from it so that was enough for me.

I was a few pages in when I realized that I was going to have a lot of reasons to like this book: the art looked great, the plot was interesting and I had no idea where it was headed and I desperately wanted to know.

Then everything went wrong.

We follow two characters in the military: a woman who has a desk job and a man who piloted space ships, who meet at the end of their missions for some downtime.

This is a story set in the future where androids exist to do all sorts of menial or boring jobs and yet, all those androids are PoC.

Soon after that, the female character has to be given a medical exam by a middle-aged, overweight doctor, who looks like the definition of a predator and of course, she has to be drawn completely naked. On two separate occasions. How would the readers get any excitement in this story otherwise?

The plot is good, but not good enough for me to let go of that or how we are supposed to root for a romantic hero that tells the woman several times that she looks like a man and should try not to.

Seriously, what the hell?!

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for gifting me this DRC

Rating: 2/5

I loved this, space opera is at it's heart vast and all encompassing, but at it's core, all about the personal element, the lives lived and lost over the incomprehensible backdrop of the universe.

This story very much has not forgotten that truth, a soldier, a 'navigator' returns to earth after dangerous missions, only to find that things have changed, not just for him, but for the world. Into this is introduced another soldier also returning from weary service, and together they explore the depths of the heart and soul.

This could easily have been another "Enders Game", but ended more with the feeling of "Contact" and all the emotions that went with that. All the way through the story, the character has powers they cannot explain, powers that others want them to use for their purpose, and it's only at the end, when someone shows them that power is not only in the use of it, but in the relinquishing of it, that they may be free to choose for themselves, something that they truly want.

Loved every second, devoured it within an hour, Would highly recommend.

So there's a meet-cute in an artificial resort run for military leaders and suchlike, people engaged with the current intergalactic war at the fringes of the solar system. He is a navigator with nasty nightmares of being absorbed by a Venom-like splurge of dark matter, while she has just amassed enough time to stop there. Despite the drone spies, and the creepy GP, and her grassing on both him and the doctor to the other, they connect – and suddenly go on the lam. However, even down dark and dingy New York alleyways there are still people watching them – and hoping one of them is not exactly as they seem...

One thing evident from this was that it was a pleasure to read a sci-fi comic that was a stand-alone. There were times I wondered if we would get through it all, but there is no 'part one' attached to this as far as I can see. Another thing evident was that the gaze was very much male, and it's not only the creepy doctor who likes goggling at her while she's naked. But more importantly, I found this really quite enjoyable – not completely taxing, nowhere near a hundred per cent convincing, but good fun, with a premise the creators get quite a lot out of, come the conclusion. It's a space opera with no battle action, it's a character study with singular characters, it's a future-scape where we don't care what year we're in... It's a pleasant genre piece that ultimately shouldn't be exclusive only to sci-fi readers. I can't pretend it would win any awards anywhere, but it was certainly well worth the short spell of time taken with it. A strong four stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Man Who Invented the World by Rodolphe and Bertrand Marchal is an adult science fiction thriller that will appeal to fans of Valerian or Saga: the graphic novel series. The story revolves around a man named John and a woman named Charlene. John is suffering from PTSD nightmares after encountering a horror in the depths of space. One day, he meets his new neighbor, Lieutenant Charlene Barrymore, a programmer for the Army Intervention Mission. She's blond and pretty, and she's intrigued by the man living next door. Why are they suspicious of each other? Is their country club planet a paradise or a prison? And what happens when they leave together?

Overall, The Man Who Invented the World is an action-packed blend of science fiction and thriller is a dash of romance. It will appeal to readers who enjoy tragic heroes and superhero comics. One highlight of this book is the art. The characters are drawn well and the colors are bright enough to draw the eye without being corny. I took off 1 star because the ending felt rather anticlimactic. Although it was a nice culmination of John's journey, I felt as though the climax was not very visually interesting. In addition, some would say that this graphic novel is rather short. It's 86 pages instead of the standard 120. To be honest, though, I actually didn't notice. The story felt complete as is. If there is a sequel, I would be interested in reading it. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of graphic novels in general, you can check out this book, which is available now!