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!

I don't think it's actually possible for Jeff Lemire to write a bad story. This was short, gritty and dark but packed a lot of punch in such a tight package. It asks questions about love, motherhood, teamwork and innocence lost.

A colony ship leaving a ravaged earth in the future, an incident which leaves no adults and the AI to deal with the children that remain... A good story, good pace and plot/structure, well-managed character and conflict. Along with excellent artwork which captures the mood and character as events happen and change. Felt a little rushed toward the end compared to the bulk of the story, otherwise an excellent read.

This graphic novel was EXCELLENT.

A science fiction novel following the USS Montgomery, a spaceship in which after an attack all adults are killed, children are left with the ship's AI, Valerie to find their way to the colony they were heading to.

This was possibly (and I hope not to exaggerate) the best graphic novel I have read this year. The art style meant you could literally SEE the fear and emotions in the characters, the story held no punches and was quite graphic in it's violence, and I found myself genuinely rooting for the kids, and Valerie, to succeed in the face of danger. I read it in one go because I couldn't put it down - a really solid 5 star read!

<i>I was provided with a complimentary copy of this graphic novel from TKO Presents via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>

Wow! Wasn’t sure what to expect from Sentient, but I dug the cover and synopsis and I’m glad I checked it out. So many twists and turns, thoughtful action and character development, and stunning artwork. Strong language, violence, and mature themes.

I'm a huge fan of Joe Lemire's storytelling skills. As usual, he knows how to engage readers in the story and make it emotionally immersive. I think the creators nailed the emotional core of the Sentient. That said, if someone wants a bit more, like, say, logical worldbuilding and the context of the story, they won't get it. Some readers won't mind, and some will mind. I think there's a bit of lazy writing here.

This was a really good read but it is Jeff Lemire after all.

A group of children are abandoned in space after an attack by one of the crew. They are caught up in wider politics because the attack was staged by a rebel group but they have one ally, the ship’s AI otherwise known as Valerie.

The children manage to continue their journey through space until they encounter a fuel station that isn’t as abandoned as they think it is but a greater challenge is to come when they are taken over by rebels and a rebel AI who seeks to extinguish Valerie.

I enjoyed reading this. It was gripping, great characters, good twists and turns and held my attention right through to the end. Best of all was the underlying sense of menace which runs through the story. It wasn’t horror but it managed to convey a very satisfying sense of unease.

Also the artwork was great as expected. Jeff Lemire always produces really satisfying graphic novels and this is another one!

Copy provided by TKO Studios via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Things gaining sentience is definitely in my wheelhouse. This time, it's a whole colony ship, and while it is overseen by a crew of adult humans, the ship suddenly finds itself at the top of the chain of command when every adult is murdered, leaving the ship alone to care for the crews small children.

If the ship sticks to its programming, no one can tell it to do the things that help the children survive. So...it's time to bypass the programming.

The narrator of the story isn't actually the ship, but is instead one of the surviving children. The one most vilified by the others: the son of the mutineer. The story seems to be told from far in the future, when he's an old man, so readers do have some faith that the children (or at least one of them...) will survive. But he also speaks a bit obliquely around things, referencing events from far in the future, instead of in the immediate moment of the comic, which can add some tension to the plot. There's one instance where this feels cheap, but not enough for me to be too disappointed. Once ain't bad.

The book ends with plenty of plot left to resolve and plenty of peril ahead, but...there's been no issue 7 released. So let's hope this isn't all over, and that the trade release will give enough of a boost for at least another half-year run, to wrap things up!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In my experience, Jeff Lemire has never disappointed. This was another fun, action packed story with great art and character development.

My thanks to both NetGalley and to the publisher TKO Studios for an advanced copy of this space- based graphic novel adventure.

Just because a person can have children, doesn't make them a good parent. Just because something can't have children doesn't mean they couldn't be a good parent, or guardian. Sentient written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Gabriel Hernández Walta is a graphic novel about parenting, children, sacrifices, extremism, artificial intelligence and love, set in the deepest reaches of space.

The U. S. S. Montgomery is a colony ship leaving a dying Earth, riven by politics, religions, and extremists, for a new life in a colony deep in the stars. At about the halfway point the ship is due to enter a belt of radiation that extends for almost a year of their travel time that will block communications both from Earth and the colony, leaving them completely alone. Disaster strikes and the only members of the ship are the children, overseen by a ship A.I. named Val. And for all the emptiness of space, more dangers await them.

A great graphic novel that shares ideas with other media that has come before, but makes it something new and fresh. The story grips right from the first panel, and a plot that seems so simple, becomes a lot more than I expected it to be. Loss, redemption, how hatred can start and build, the effects of violence and trauma, and love and being a person that helps, protects and guides children. The characters are all interesting, and different but my favorite character has to be the A.I. Val. The art is beautiful, the backgrounds and equipment seem out of Heavy Metal from the seventies, but the characters are all clear and consistent, with so much of the art telling the story just from facial expressions. Lemire and Hernández Walta were completely on the same page here and it shows. The book also contains bonus features; concept art, and scripts that allow the reader to follow the idea and see where the artist takes us. As educational as it is entertaining, and I love reading this.

A story that made me think and feel far more than I expected. Great story, with great art, a real mind meld between creators, and we are lucky for it. Great gift for teens who like science fiction, as there is a lot of violence. Also to read the scripts is a real treat. Highly recommended.

What a great comic. Lemire's talent is joined by the talent of Gabriel Walta and the sum is an exciting, emotional science fiction story with a very interesting ending. I hope they explore this universe with more stories.

TW: children in danger

Beautiful sci-fi story with a lot of emotions and incredible artwork. The 6 chapter are very well paced. If you are looking for a shorter sci-fi comic, you might want to look into this one!

This doesn't have the most original idea in the sense that we destroyed Earth and it's almost inhabitable so we’re setting up colonies in space. The action takes place on one of the spaceships heading for the colonies. Of course, some people don't think that those left on Earth (aka those that destroyed it) deserve to survive, because they might very well destroy the colonies as well. The separatists are born.

After a separatist crewmember kills all other adults on a spaceship for "the good of the colony", a bunch of kids was left alone with an AI with mission protocols turned off. They entered a black zone and aren't able to communicate neither with Earth or the colony. They are very far on route so they can't return. The only thing they can do is follow the initial plan and reach the destination.

Chaos ensues… But not how you might expect. I won't go into more details because this is very short and anything else could be considered spoilers.

The art style was amazing. I adore watercolours in graphic novels. The pacing was incredible and it had me hooked the whole time.

I need the next volume and I need it now!

Things go wrong as soon as the U.S.S. Montgomery enters the communication black zone, and only the ship's A.I., Val, and the crew's children are left alive to make their way to Earth's colony. It's a beautiful and suspenseful story about found family. I really enjoyed all the bonus content at the end, seeing how all the art was put together to tell the story.

Trigger warning: parent death

After loving Lemire's series Sweet Tooth, I was beyond excited for this. And I was not disappointed! Sentient begins with the spaceship Montgomery en route to a new colony. The ship is entering a radiation belt that will block all communication. This is, of course, when things take a turn for the worst for our central protagonists - a group of kids an AI. The strengths of this read were Lemire's imagination, art style (which is stylised, gritty and immediately recognisable!) and tone (lots of references to Alien & 2001 A Space Odyssey). I always find myself rooting for the characters, too. There were definitely a few issues with the plot and writing (there were some plot points that left me scratching my head), but otherwise this is a fantastic read!

I'm a fan of Jeff Lemire's work. This was a great comic that leaves you wanting more. To top it off, the art is amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for letting me read this.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review.

Expertly paced and perfectly illustrated. The ending is great too.

I think my biggest issue with Sentient as a whole is that I just can’t quite figure out who the story is meant for. It almost, story-wise, feels like it could be a pretty interesting middlegrade or (provided the kids are aged up a bit) young adult book. The problem with this, however, is the high level of dark graphic detail included, particularly as it relates to character death.

Ultimately, I’m kind of just left feeling like the book had a great deal of potential, but tonally didn’t quite fit all its pieces together. It also doesn’t help that only three characters are ever really developed [Lil, Isaac, and Val], leaving the rest to merely exist for padding or plot reasons. All villains or antagonists are caricatures in one way or another whose existence really only serves to move plot or create tension.

Overall, Sentient wasn’t bad, per se. It just left a lot out.