Soma

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Pub Date 25 Feb 2025 | Archive Date 5 Feb 2025

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Description

Maya is a comic book artist in the middle of a creative crisis. She’s constantly stressed about deadlines and feels like she’s not doing the type of work she loves. In between trying to fight her writer’s block and doling out advice to her best friend on how to finally land a date, Maya receives an unexpected visitor: Soma, an extraterrestrial alien who crashlands in Maya’s living room. Soma delivers a message to Maya, warning her that an alien invasion from his own kind is fast approaching, and he needs her help to stop it!

From writer Fernando Llor (Ojos Grises, Subnormal: Una Historia de Acoso Escolar) and writer/illustrator Carles Dalmau (Lucid Lucy, Cult of the Lamb) comes Soma, a science-fiction adventure about creativity and companionship during times of peril.

Maya is a comic book artist in the middle of a creative crisis. She’s constantly stressed about deadlines and feels like she’s not doing the type of work she loves. In between trying to fight her...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781637156124
PRICE US$19.99 (USD)
PAGES 288

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Average rating from 138 members


Featured Reviews

Soma was a blast! It follows a young comic book artist, who is stressed about meeting her deadlines, when an alien crashes into her living room. This graphic novel was so much fun! I loved the parallels between the stories that Soma is illustrating and the one she gets to live in the real world. The aliens designs were super cute, and the colors throughout this book were soo pretty!

Thanks to NetGalley, Fernando Llor, and Oni Press for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

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4,25 ⭐️
Soma was a cute and fast paced adventure! The art was beautiful and so does the story honestly. Plot wise nothing we haven’t seen before and yet, it works!
I loved the characters so much, all of them, from the primary to the secondary ones!
I also loved the Cult of The Lamb reference (if I didn’t imagine it but knowing they the artist on this worked on the game I bet I didn’t) anyway, I highly recommend this comic to everyone who loves sci-fi adventures with a cute little yet fierce alien!

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The art in this is absolutely insane! The imagery is so visually so drawn in such a cool style. The color palette alone is a reason to read this! There’s also a really cool plot about a comic artist struggling with the content she needs to create and then aliens invade. Take as old as time lol. Soma is funny and weird and exciting. Highly recommend!

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Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the press service.

Maya is a comics author going through a burnout and tired of always doing the same kind of stories. On a morning, she meets with her best friend Juu in order to give him some advices on dating life. Later on the same day, she hears a strange noise coming from her living room. But she wasn’t expecting to find an octopus-shaped creature landing on her floor. After helping it, the little creature links with her to warn her about an alien invasion from it’s own kind which will cause the end of the world. Will Maya be able to help her new partner in order to save the world ?

Soma is a sci fi comic book which I really enjoyed reading. It’s a one shot story about creativity and the importance of timing up during apocalypse. The events take place in one day. The story is interesting and the drawings, from the chara designs to the scenary, are very impressive. Definitly recommend it !

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and once more I give thanks to Oni Press for knocking it out of the park with this years offerings.

In Soma we meet Maya who is going through a lot of existential angst in her job. She’s a comic book artists who is finding the run of the mill story arcs that she has to illustrate so frustrating and just can’t find the time to do her own work.

The stories she has to do are so clichéd, each one has and alien invasion or kaiju appear and the main character defeats them… for this to happen all over again.

Maya also has to keep boosting Juu’s confidence about dating, placate her mother’s expectations, and deal with writer’s block. The normal run of the day stuff for all creatives.

Then lo and behold there’s an alien invasion and Maya has to save the world… Tripods though?

I loved Carles Dalmau’s work in Cult of the Lamb which I’d just read recently and those reds and oranges find another life in this angsty actioner.

Maya is great as the saviour and Soma (the alien) works really well in a redemption arc, love some of the side stories, especially the doomsday church and the D&D kids.

A riveting read that kept me glued to it for the evening.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved this!!
It deserves so much more than five stars. 10 wouldn't be enough.
I loved it.
The two main characters in the story are incredible, and they are normal people, with everyday dilemmas, which makes it easy for us to relate to them. (Even more so if you understand the life of a freelancer, because I personally saw myself in it, and it was so funny and right on point). The characters demonstrate and gain strength and resilience throughout the book and surprise us with their willpower and resistance. So throughout the story it is easy to gain affection for them and awareness of the situation they are in, in which we see the ups and downs of the decisions they have to make. It is really good!!
The story is fantastic and evolves calmly into the plot, which is something absolutely great and I loved every bit of it.
And the drawings!!! They are beautiful and absolutely magnificent. Its expressions, lines and strong colors reflect the entire atmosphere of the story and easily demonstrate the characters' states of mind.

It was truly a wonderful read, and without a doubt a must read.
And the end pages give us a huge understanding of the book process.
And are so good!!

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This was a really excellent comic! I loved all of the different art styles and interweaving stories. It definitely pulled on my heartstrings! Please, please, please read it because it's so so good

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I was pleasantly surprised! Graphic novels are usually a hit or miss with me, even though I adore reading them. It's just that they're often so quick that I don't form attachments to the characters. This time, however, I did.

Soma is about Maya, an artist, who is going through a burn out. One day she gets an unexpected visitor: an alien warning her about danger. Together they try to save the world. Meanwhile Maya's friend Juu tries to survive with people he found on the street.

First of all I want to point out the AMAZING art that pulled me in from the first second I opened the book on my Netgalley shelf app. I am absolutely amazed by the talent. And everything looked beautiful put together. The style, the colors... everything. It is safe to say I found the art a masterpiece.

I really enjoyed the story as well. It immediately interested me while it normally takes me a couple of pages to get into a story. It was a perfect combination of humor and seriousness. It was fast-paced, but not too fast, you could still keep up with what was happening. I also adored the characters and started rooting for them.

You know what, I think it is safe to say this is the best graphic novel I have ever read. (And yes, that means higher than my previous favorites: Heartstopper). Obviously it's a different genre with this being sci-fi, but still.

I am VERY excited for this being released on February 25th and I am definitely going to try to get my hands on a physical copy. I can't wait to see other people reading it and share my love for it.

Thank you to Netgalley and everyone else who made it possible for me to read this ARC. I am incredibly grateful to have been able to read this absolutely masterpiece.

Due to the fact that I have Goodreads as an android app, I'm not able to share a link to my review. I did post this on both Goodreads and Storygraph and am planning to post on social media as well soon.

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What a wonderful comic! If the story sounds even remotely interesting to you, you should pick this up and be prepared to get blown away by the wildly expressive characters, beautiful art, and the clear mastery of visual design on display here. Seriously, I could rant about the color usage for another paragraph, it is that impressive.

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This was such a fun and fast-paced graphic novel!

I loved the artwork so much, and the colours were so bright and eye-catching. I really enjoyed the premise of this one and really loved these characters, especially Maya and Soma! I found myself so invested in this story that before I knew it, I was at the end and wishing for more!

This beauty is out 25TH February and is one I definitely think people should pick up and enjoy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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You ever find yourself reading something you can connect to? The one you don’t forget. I loved this adventure and zipped through it. Rarely do I reread but I know this one will be read many times.

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This graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and is unputdownable! This cute but action back story is perfect for anyone looking for their next favorite graphic novel! Despite this graphic novel being 270 pages it felt like such a quick read! probably because it was so fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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Soma was so unexpected. I'll admit I thought it was going to be a slice-of-life story about a cartoonist, but what I got was so much more exiting.
The characters incredibly real but remain fun, loveable and cartooney in the best way!
The art is out of this world, a fun mixe of manga and cartooning. The colors pop off the pages and explode all over the place.
I enjoyed the story, the people and the art, so so much! I'll be looking for more from Fernando Llor, that for certain.

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I can only imagine the inspiration I might feel if an alien named Soma crashed into my apartment while I was having trouble writing. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

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I had no idea what I was getting into when I requested this graphic novel, nor when I picked it up. I thought the cover looked interesting and I'm sure I read the blurb of what it was about-I vaguely remember it being about a comic artist but that's about it. If you're a fan of one shot, off the wall, type of comics like Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley then it's pretty safe to say you'll enjoy this one. An overworked comic artist has to talk her anxious, doom-dwelling friend off the cliff before a first date, and then things start to get weird when aliens invade. It has that Scott Pilgrim wacky energy and humor and was a pretty enjoyable read. It's completely unserious and enjoys it, and it's only one volume which is hard to find.

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A Sci-Fi Adventure Bursting with Art and Emotion

Fernando Llor’s Soma combines creativity, companionship, and chaos in a visually stunning graphic novel. The story follows Maya, a comic artist battling burnout, whose life is upended by an alien crash-landing into her home. As Maya navigates this surreal adventure, the narrative cleverly weaves her internal struggles with the unfolding chaos.

The characters, especially the quirky Maya and the lovable alien Soma, shine through, but it’s Carles Dalmau’s artwork that steals the spotlight. With vivid colors and dynamic styles, the visuals enhance the story's humor and emotional depth. The story has great originality, even familiar sci-fi elements feel reinvigorated by its unique execution. Ideal for fans of innovative storytelling and stunning visual art.

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Soma is really well written! I loved the illustrations, the details, the work gone into the story in general!

I love Juu and Maya!

The world goes under an alien attack, one of the aliens crashes into Maya's living room and she decides to look after it and heal it as it was injured. This comic has funny parts, such as the salt and some comical quips along the way.

An enjoyable read and will look for more by the same artist!

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What if a burnt out comic artist was put in charge of saving humanity from an alien apocalypse? This book enchanted me immediately upon opening it. The manga-inspired art style, the vibrant colors and backgrounds, the charming characters- everything about Soma has made it a new favorite for me. I’m typically not much of a sci-fi reader, but I was HOOKED by the story and the incredibly relatable protagonist, not to mention all of the silly folks we meet throughout the journey! I loved every part of this book and genuinely cannot wait to recommend it to everyone who will listen.

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4.5 ☆

Soma is a story about Maya, a comic book artist, who hits a creative block. She's struggling for inspiration and is fighting against timelines, when an extraterrestrial crashlands into her living room. Soma comes with a warning that an alien invasion is coming and he needs her help to stop it.

Let's start by saying, I loved it! The art-style was just beautiful, filled with vivid colours and full of energy. There were several pages throughout that were so visually stunning that I stopped reading and just took everything in.

The protagonist (Maya) was very relateable and I loved the subtle humour her character brought throughout. The pacing was good; it was fast-paced and tense in parts, but the story was long enough to handle everything happening without it feeling rushed. I enjoyed the addition of the comic books Maya was working on at the beginning of the novel, although there was a little bit of jumping between stories which could be confusing, but I enjoyed the extra 'mini stories' within the main one.

I really enjoyed reading this, and I've already recommended it to my Daughter (she's 15). Although it's a familiar theme (an alien invasion), the story and the perspective felt fresh and new and different and the whole book was visually beautiful.

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This was such an interesting read, the art was stunning, the plot was fun, and it had an original feel on a typically overdone story line.

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"Soma" is a graphic novel written by Fernando Llor and illustrated by Carles Dalmau. The story follows Maya, a graphic novel artist who feels stuck and burned out, with little time to do anything other than illustrating. When an alien crashes into her apartment, she must help them stop an alien invasion and the potential destruction of the Earth. I enjoyed the interactions between, Soma (the alien), and Maya as they face danger to get to the alien ship and stop the destruction. The story is dark at times, but Llor uses humor to lighten up the mood. A suggested purchase for graphic novel collections for adults/new adults.

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Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this title for review!

This was possibly my favorite read of the month. It follows a full-time comic artist named Maya who is going through the motions at her job and reaching an artistic block. She rarely leaves the house except to check in on her best friend Juu and his constant romantic woes. One day a strange little creature crashes through her living room window and thus begins a journey between Maya and the little intruder, Soma, who team up together to save the world from alien invasion. The perspective shots, the colors, the animated expressions and fluid motion between the panels, every part of this comic is so well illustrated and was genuinely inspiring to read. The message itself was also a sweet one by the end. I would highly recommend it to fans of choose your own adventure stories, or general fantasy fans.

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