I have nothing good to say about this one.

A crew of astronauts is sent on a mission to Mars, and the twist is this is a reality show as well, except they don't know they are being filmed 24/7 and that there are cameras where they aren't supposed to be any. It gets even more intriguing when each one gets a message saying they have to urgently return home. Alone.

This is where the "fun" ends and the mess begins.

The characters didn't have a single personality trait, the plot was the most basic scenario you could imagine based on the summary above, the plot twist was very disappointing, and the ending was bland.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Mad Cave Studios, which provided me with an advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Based on its title and dramatic cover the 'The Kármán Line" appears to be a promising crisis in space story.
The title is taken from the actual von Kármán line, which separates the earth's atmosphere from space and is a region where neither conventional aeronautical flight or stable orbits are possible. It is also important in defining the reach of the distinct legal jurisdictions established by terrestrial nation states and International law. As such the von Kármán line would seem to be a perfect device to convey the intrigue, mystery and fear expected from a crisis in space story.

Sadly the title and the cover are the most impressive elements of this book and the book itself, which is set on a stable orbital platform, neither mentions nor is set on the von Kármán line. The story itself is poorly plotted and often incoherent to the point that it never manages to reach orbital velocity.

The story barely maintains structural coherence. Character development is also nonexistent and motivations are poorly explained and not very believable. It would also seem that the creative team conducted minimal research into space flight and orbital habitations in favor of portraying a space station run as a reality TV show with tawdry sex scenes broadcast to the drooling masses and rampant hacking breaches driving all of the relevant action. Needles to say this is neither realistic or interesting.

Although there would seem to be some merits to this story they are sparse and unlikely to be appreciated by anyone who can distinguish between a nose cone and an exhaust nozzle.

The Karman Line by Dennis Hopeless is a graphic novel depicting a space crew forced to make difficult decisions in the face of overwhelming odds.

However, this one missed the mark for me. It was predictable at most turns, and felt entirely too rushed. The characters were flat, needing much more time to flesh them out in a way that leads the reader to care. Unfortunately, this wasn't the right format for that, I don't think.

The artwork was good, though. Nothing outstanding, but standard and fitting.

Being that I love anything sci-fi and to be honest, reality tv, I had big hopes for this graphic novel. The idea of reality tv at a space station sounds almost plausible in our current world so there wasn’t anything too far fetched about the premise.

Unfortunately, like any good reality show you need the audience to love/hate the participants and that’s where the book failed for me. Even the lustful moments you get from reality tv didn’t hit here simply because the book literally already began with two astronauts having sex. Nothing wrong with it, but just like foreplay, the reader should have been craving the sex scene by being teased with WHY those two characters were in the position they were in.

As for the art, it’s decent for any indy published title and didn’t detract nor attract me to the book. This was a graphic novel where the story really had to hit because it only had a finite amount of pages to do so. Perhaps this would have been a better mini-series than in its current form. Would better art have helped? Not in this case.

This review will be provided on my Amazon review account once the graphic novel is available to purchase and Amazon allows it to be reviewed.

I thank the publisher for an advance copy in order for me to provide honest and truthful feedback.

"The Karman Line" is a gripping and intense graphic novel that takes place on a space station where a spaceship for colonizing Mars is getting readied. The crew of the show is composed of a diverse group of individuals, and while some of them seem to be focused on the mission, others are trying to put up a reality show. However, things quickly take a dark turn when they receive a message to abort the mission and return home immediately. Soon, they find themselves fighting for survival on a damaged shuttle with a crew member dead and cameras recording their every move.

The storyline is compelling, short, and fast-paced. The tension is palpable as the crew members struggle to uncover the truth behind the message and the death of their fellow crew member. The concept of a reality show in space adds an interesting layer to the story, highlighting the voyeuristic and exploitative nature of reality TV.

The artwork is good, servicing the story, and with some impressive splash pages. It effectively captures the claustrophobic and isolated environment of the space station. The characters are distinct and well-designed, each with their own motivations and secrets.

I found the ending somewhat predictable. An entertaining read.

Note: I was granted access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Predictable and way too fast paced. The characters don't have enough time to develop and it rushes headlong toward the ending. I like Piotr Kowalski's illustrations though.

The Kármán line is the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space and is often defined as 100 kilometers above Earth’s mean sea level. Given the international makeup of the crew of this story it is clever to title the book in such a way as this is the point
Mad Cave Studios does not release a lot of graphic novel-only stories. This is the first that I’ve seen since I’ve been reading their books. Their young adult Maverick imprint does this, but so far I have not seen any from the Mad Cave main line. My first thoughts when finishing this graphic novel were just “wow, wow, wow.” It will take you on such an incredible journey packed with drama, action, sex, and a survival story like no other. I could not stop reading this.
Dennis Hopeless does an excellent job of creating and building suspense throughout the story to keep the reader engaged in the plot. The story is so well-paced and Hopeless brings in new points of drama and action at the right time in calmer moments of the plot which builds up the impact of what is happening. Drama is needed to drive the plot, just as a reality TV show uses drama to create the content of its episodes. Hopeless utilizes this connection flawlessly throughout the story.
I am loving every bit of Piotr Kowalski’s art in the graphic novel, from character designs to spaceship and space station designs, Piotr makes this sci-fi story feel so well based in reality. He spares no expense for small details and does a great job of interpreting lighting, even when our characters are outside in the depths of space.
Brad Simpson’s colors set the mood throughout the comic and it always feels so subtly done that it leaves you really falling into the story. The combination of Kowalski and Simpson leaves us with art that is so beautiful and captivating that you will be coming back to read this story again and again.
I have really enjoyed what Chas! Pangburn does throughout the story with the sound effects and emphasis on certain word balloons. Also, the smart use of balloons that look more electronic and staticky for radio communications solidifies the presentation of the story. Speaking of presentation, having David Reyes on the book design brings everything together in a solid presentation. The design of the pages before and after the story really immerses you into the world of this reality-television space story.
Rating: 9.5/10

When A group of astronauts are sent into space on a mission to Mars turns into a nightmare.
The planet earth is dying slowly, a group of astronauts have been sent into space, Mars to find if it is viable to sustain life form.

There's just one thing, they're everyday life in space is being streamed live for the people back home to watch.

But everything turns upside down when one of the astronauts is found dead. And they all begin to receive threatening video messages from home.

The Kármá Line explores the choices people make make faced with a difficult situations and circumstances.
I enjoyed the art style and the plot is fast paced keeping you captivated to the story.

The Kármán Line was an interesting read, but for me it just wasn’t long enough. To cover the ground that this story was trying to cover, it definitely needed to be longer. It felt like we were just reading snippets of a larger story. The book was fun and engaging but just felt like it was missing pieces. If Hopeless writes more Kármán Line stories I’d love to read them.

I thought this had a lot of potential, I just wish it wasn’t so short! The concept was there, and I did think the story was entertaining. I think with it being so short, the character development is what suffered—even just a smidge more would have made it more impactful. The art wasn’t my favorite style, but I did get used to it—and besides, I feel like that’s more of a personal preference anyway. The coloring was great, though. My only true complaint about the art was that a few of the characters so closely resembled each other that I kept having to go back and figure out who was who. Overall, the potential is definitely there with this one, but it ultimately didn’t do a lot for me.

the art of this book was so pretty, but it was short and i felt like it didn’t keep my interest :)
also i didn’t really get the format of the story, and it felt like everything was underdeveloped.

I found this one a little too unbelievable for me. The artwork was good and compelling, but I admit that something in the layout made me have to reread pages to be sure I got what was happening. There were a lot of twists and turns that didn't hold up and the main conceit seemed to be that everyone on planet earth are a**holes.

The first part of a sci-fi, space graphic novel🌌🌟. The idea was cool- livestreaming people in a space station so the views fund their mission to Mars. AND it was executed pretty well if you ask me! Looking forward to the next parts🌚🌚

Date finished: 8th February 2023
Publish date: 14th March 2023

3⭐

📱
Thank you to @Netgalley for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, I completely forgot I requested this one. The premise sounded pretty interesting, part reality TV show, part mystery, set on a space station. Don't get me wrong, it was an interesting read, however, it also wasn't really my thing.

90 pages is a really short space to have as much drama as this one does. It felt like there was always a lot going on, which made it kinda hard to keep up with the story. The characters also felt pretty rushed through.

Overall, it was okay. Although, not a book I'll be raving about and recommending to people.

This trippy, reality show, sci fi graphic novel was a really solid read. The art was really gorgeous though some of the faces felt a little off at times. I really enjoyed the story of these astronauts and how the serious work they had to do was being turned into entertainment for people. It was a really cool concept but I think if it had been extended into a full series, we could have got so much more from it. It really suffers from everything being over far too quickly

This was a really interesting book with a lot of really fun and compelling characters. I liked the pacing of the plot and thought that the book was an excellent read.

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for allowing me to read this sci-fi comic for my honest opinion. I’m not big on sci-fi, but I’m trying to get into it. I thought this was a cool concept. Sci-fi and prime time television with a hint of mystery and bullshitery. I loved it.

Synopsis
A team of astronauts aboard an international space station on a mission to eventually make it to Mars are also subjects of a reality show back on Earth. Think Big Brother but with astronauts in space. Cameras broadcasting 24/7. All hell breaks loose when each crew member is sent a message to abort the mission and return home ALONE

My thoughts:

First off, the cover is amazing. It’s really engaging and was my reason for requesting a copy for review. The illustrations are wonderful. The story is interesting. I like the idea. I do feel like it’s a little short so the end feels slightly rushed. I was expecting more of a creepy story instead of a political one but overall, I really enjoyed it.

The Kármán Line
by Dennis Hopeless
The dark pictures make it a haunting story of life, and death in space. The art work is very beautiful, and detailed. Its a dark story showing the risk of space to body and mind.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing the galley. This is too short a story, it needs at minimum another 40 to 50 pages. A good premise but one that didn't get time to breathe. Very well drawn, but good art can't save a mediocre story.