Thank you so much to Net Galley and the Publisher for sending me a copy of this graphic novel! I love Jeff Lemire but just felt like this was just not for me.

I can't say enough good things about Sentient. The story is incredible, and the artwork is both beautiful and haunting. I managed to get my hands on a physical copy of the hardcover book and it is beautifully put together. Highly recommended.

6 out of 5 stars. This book has shot to my top ten for graphic novels, and there's some stiff competition up there. Where do I even start?

The story, first off. Oh, the story is So Good. I was deeply, immediately invested in these characters. The directions the story goes are both unexpected and brilliant.

The art is absolutely gorgeous. The detailed, careful linework that is deliberate and thoughtful - the watercolor shading and layering that gives the art a tactile feel - the complicated environments with strange and new architecture and machinery - I am convinced this artist grew up reading Moebius comics. There's clearly deep inspiration drawn from Moebius's work, but this artist has his own unique style as well.

The lettering (which people often forget about) is beautifully rendered. Be sure to notice how well it's done when reading these pages.

The ending actually got me choked up a little. That doesn't happen often, especially with graphic novels. I only wish this had been longer. Much, much longer. I wish this had been an open-ended series. But that could still be done - there's no reason the writer and artist couldn't collaborate on more graphic novels covering the time period between the climax and the ending.

I cannot recommend this graphic novel enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.

“Sentient” by Jeff Lemire with art by Gabriel Walta is a science fiction graphic novel that explores themes of survival, family, and what it means to be human.

An isolated spaceship full of colonists suffers a separatist attack that kills all the adults on board. The survivors are a group of children who are left alone with the ship's AI, Valerie. They must learn to take care of themselves, keep the ship operational and find a way to reach their destination. Suspense is introduced when outside characters call the AI in to question with motives that may or may not be suspect.

Lemire is known for stories like this one and this is no disappointment. The level of tension and suspense kept me wondering until the end. The artwork by Gabriel Walta is rich and atmospheric, and it perfectly complements the story's tone. In the deluxe edition, there were added alternate covers, character design and pages of the art and script as it developed.

Anything Jeff Lemire does is any instant purchase for me personally, and this was another winner. His stories are always wonderfully laid out, and the artwork on this one was also stellar (pun intended).

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Sentient is a graphic novel by Jeff Lemire. The writing and art style are stunning. I like the character designs, concept art, and the never-before seen script excerpts.

Description: "When a separatist attack kills every adult on board a colony ship in deep space, it is up to VALARIE, the on-board A.I., to help the ship's children survive. But as they are pursued by dangerous forces, can Valerie become more than what she was programmed to be - a savior to these children? Sentient was nominated for a 2020 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series."

I have read several of jeff lemeres other books and I have found them all interesting, and this one does not disappoint. Artwork is great as per usual and I was entertained through the reading experience and will pick uo the physical copy.

Sadly I had technical problems with this graphic novel. I couldn't open it in the Netgalley app and don't know how to transfer the file, it's too late now to download it again

This was interesting to say the least. The artwork was great and the concept made you think, I’ll definitely be looking into picking more of this authors works.

Oooo, this was good! Not perfect, but really good nonetheless. A separatist attack on a small ship heading from a ruined Earth to a colony planet leaves all the adults (about 10) on board dead, and now the children (about 10 kids, ages 5-10) must learn to run the ship. The ship's A.I., VAL, begins training the children on how to do things on the ship, in case something happens to her, and becomes a mother figure to them. When they investigate an old S.O.S. signal at a refuel station, the proverbial poo hits the fan, and VAL and her young crew are put to the test.
The story is pacy and tense, and hits a lot of feels: there's the trauma and grief of losing loved ones, made more horrible by the violence that killed them here; the forced growing up that these kids have to do, and the gentleness VAL shows in guiding them through it; the struggle VAL has trying to balance taking care of and protecting the children with trying to adhere to her mission protocols, whether she has to or not. There were small things that niggled at me - could VAL not lock a door, for instance - but nothing big enough to lower my rating. The art was great, really set the mood, and conveyed the emotions well. I'm definitely recommending this!
This deluxe edition includes over 70 pages of bonus material: cover gallery, concept and progress art, script excerpts from the first issue, and more; Lemire and/or Walta fans will love it!

#Sentient #NetGalley

Really enjoyed this comic on AI systems, and how we as humans can feel connected to them.

The art is beautiful, and the story has many turns that kept me on the edge. Will definitely be picking up more Jeff Lemire.

When a nutjob compromises one of the rare colonising spacecrafts fleeing a dying Earth, the situation has the unfortunate outcome of all the adults being killed off, with the few kids on board and Valarie the AI all alone to fend for themselves – what's more, no contact can be made for a year with anyone else due to the ship being in a dark, signal-free zone. That doesn't mean they're entirely alone, however…

Despite being feminised, the voice of Valarie is definitely one too close to a certain other one, refusing to open doors, especially when the kids decide they have missions to undertake elsewhere, such as on a handy refuelling station. There's another problem with her, too, in that she's so much more than just the programming. Any time she needs to present as a bot, she does – and any time she needs to present as a lethal bit of humongous robotics descending from the ceiling and emerging from any off-screen angle, she can. There's one thing where the ship is a womb-like mother for the kids, and another for when she's a womb packing its own surgical tools.

That does, however, remain a minor if obvious flaw – these pages are very readable, and the whole thing engaging and meaningful – and definitely fun. So while the ending is rushed the speed of the rest is most welcome, the on-the-sparse-side script flowing really nicely, and bringing us gutsy yet relatable kids. It's no classic, but there are far worse ways to spend an hour than with these pages.

And of course, you can pay well over the odds for 2022's 250pp deluxe edition, which has the full breakdown of the first issue, from roughs to final inks and Lemire's script. If that justifies the ridiculous cover charge I'll be very surprised, but it's an option. Yet when the vanilla earlier edition seems perfectly fine enough, though, it's not the best option.

Sentient
By Jeff Lemire, Gabriel Walta and Steve Wands

I’ve been a fan of Jeff Lemire for many years as well as TKO comics. They are a smaller publishing house but get fantastic talent to create books of all kinds of genres.

Lemire has been a hot or lukewarm writer for me. He’s never disappointed me and most often exceeds my expectations. In this case he was good but not great. There’s some issues with the plot but I can see how my mood might affect my reaction. The story deals mainly with a cast of children and a ship's AI system. At times the AI doesn’t seem like it has full control of the ship which goes against what is stated and other times certain children do not act their age. These points are easy to overlook if you can.

Gabriel Walta is a new illustrator for me, but I enjoyed the very sparse style. It remained clean and only enhanced the story instead of distracting me.

It’s a good Sci-fi adventure if you can sit back and enjoy it for what it is. If this is your first foray with TKO comics give another book a try. They are a seriously awesome publisher.

This is not a very long graphic novel, but it is certainly a potent one. The story is quite straightforward but coupled with the haunting art - it packs a punch. We begin our journey partway through that of the people in the book. They have already been on their way for a while and are reaching a point of no contact with the home planet. It is a crucial moment, and it reveals to us the divisions that have formed about the 'colonization' of planets and the rules that govern things.
There are only children left on the ship, and the AI decides to care for them all. It toes the line between what it is supposed to do and what it wants to do. The latter not being part of its programming.
The children are to face several hurdles, one being within their own ranks. They are not completely mature, even with the situation and the way they handle things. At the same time, they do rise to the occasion, and we see what that eventually means for all of them.
This version is a complete narrative, and I was glad to have a satisfying end to the plot. I have not read the author's more popular book Sweet Tooth, but I have watched the show on tv. The author does focus on emotions a lot, even in places where one assumes no emotions should or would be present. The illustrator has done a brilliant job of keeping the situation stark while being active at the same time.
I would recommend this book to fans of both Sci-fi and Graphic Novel fans. If I get the chance, I would love to read other books by the author.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This was a cool graphic novel, a sci-fi space adventure with lots of blood and gore. This was definitely on the more serious side and had some very sad moments as well. Sentient centers around a group of kids trying to survive in space after all their parents are killed with nothing but each other and their ships AI to guide them. Sentient was full of action and, like I said before, some tragic moments as well. Lil and Isaac are the stories two main protagonists and it seems that their story will continue in future volumes as well. I look forward to seeing what comes next in the world of Sentient!

An intriguing concept with great work from Lemire and Walta but a little disappointed with the jump forward/end of the last chapter.

This was a different read. I've been trying to mix up the order of genre books read. While enjoyable, there were times I felt uncomfortable. I tried to imagine the situation these characters are in. And wondered if I would do the same as they did. It was an emotional, read and the art just helped me enjoy the story all the more.

When a terrorist attack kills all adults on board a spaceship taking colonists to a settlement across the galaxy, the ship's AI must become the caretaker to the children left behind. It's a promising premise and the first chapter captured my imagination. I was moved as the children said goodbye to their parents and released them from the ship. However, I felt the overall execution was lacking. I was left with questions about the motivations of the terrorist group and their AI, and I felt the pacing that was excellent in the first chapter became uneven as the story unfolded. The artwork was good and I liked that the colonists were representative of a diverse population. I wanted to like this story, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I was cruising NetGalley for new stuff to read, and came across Sentient (Deluxe Edition) by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Gabriel Walta, with letters by Steve Wands. The names drew my eye immediately, as I know Lemire's writing from following up the legendary Hawkeye run by Fraction/Aja/etc., and Gabriel Walta's art from The Vision. The resulting comic is a slick sci-fi adventure adventure that could be pulled from our own Earth's future.

Sentient begins with us on board the USS Montgomery, a colony ship with a small group of officers, scientists, and their children. The perspective switches between two pairs - Officer Wu and her daughter Lil, hugging and talking about Lil's birthday, and Officer Kruger with her son Isaac. Their relationship is clearly more serious but even with that, she seems stressed. The reason why becomes clear, and leaves the children fighting for survival aboard the Montgomery, with only the ship's Artificial Intelligence, Valarie, to keep them safe.

Lemire is not one to overwhelm a page with words. He seems to know exactly how many are needed, and allows the art and lettering room to fill the pages. Walta's art is always full of curves, with the Montgomery itself being bulbous grey metal. It clearly looks like a ship rushed into production on a dying Earth. The colors are muted, gray with some muted green from the uniforms worn by most of the crew. It makes the blood stand out all the more.

The children are well written. I'm reminded of Sosuke in Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, or Satsuki and Mei in My Neighbor Totoro. Things are bleaker here, but in all cases the children seem like children - capable of more than you think, but with the big emotions that are so hard to deal with.

I enjoyed Sentient a lot. It's definitely worth seeking out if you've enjoyed Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta's other work. It's available in multiple forms, with the "Deluxe" hardcover edition being linked above. That includes more than 70 additional pages of script and art pages showing the process of creation. For just the story, your simplest solution is the Kindle/Comixology link to get the TPB digitally. Happy reading!