Cover Image: On a Sunbeam

On a Sunbeam

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Member Reviews

Eisner Award winner Tillie Walden's On a Sunbeam collects all the installments of her webcomic. It's a science fiction adventure in a universe that embraces all relationships. Mia is a young woman on a reconstruction crew that travels through space, restoring buildings and structures. The narrative shifts between the present and Mia's past, where she fell in love at boarding school with a girl named Grace; a girl who was taken away by her family before Mia could say goodbye. Mia learns more about her crewmates and their own stories as they travel through space, ultimately creating a family of their own.

The cast is incredibly, wonderfully, diverse. There's Char, the co-captain; she's an African American woman who shares captain duties with her Caucasian wife, Alma: "Char may have the degrees, but Alma knows how to yell", according to one character, Jules. Jules should know: she's Alma's niece, taken in when her mother - Alma's sister - died. Jules seems to be the youngest member of the crew; she's most likely a teen, loves playing games, and is the happy optimist of the crew. Ell/Elliot is a Caucasian nonbinary person who prefers they/them/their pronouns - and the crew vociferously defends their right to those pronouns, as Ell is nonverbal. Grace, Mia's lost love, is African American.

As the narrative shifts between Mia's past and present, we see Mia and Grace's relationship develop, right up until Grace's departure from the school. The color palette shifts with the narrative: cooler colors like blues and purples dominate the flashbacks, while warmer colors creep during the present day. Mia is the central character, but every character in this novel has a story to tell. This is a book I had to move back and forth with during the first few chapters; not having read the webcomic, I wasn't altogether sure I was reading a connected story until I got the hang of the shifts, and of Mia's place in them. Stick with the story: it's an wonderful work of queer speculative fiction that deserves a spot on your shelves. On a Sunbeam is good for young adult/new adult readers.

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I did not know about this as a webcomic, but I picked up the ARC from Net Galley and I am sure glad I did. The art is really amazing. It is the big winner here. The world building is excellent in that the world just is. We do not figure out how they reproduce without men and we do not care. We do not really find out why everyone moved into space, or how they breathe or any of that perfunctory stuff. The main plot, an intergalactic love story between Mia and Grace, is honestly the least compelling story line. Elliot is a really interesting character. Jules is really great as well. Overall, I think the idea of risking the lives of the only people who love you for the chance to win back the girl you loved when you were 14, is a bit of a stretch, but, I am constantly distracted by the art and coloring, so I forgive it.

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I was charmed by Tillie Walden's Spinning, and while On a Sunbeam seems at first glance as though it would appeal to a vastly different audience (sci-fi vs memoir), this queer female fantasy should appeal to many of the same teens. I look forward to having it on our bookshelves - I loved every innovative page.

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I LOVED THIS BOOK.
I went in with no expectatons but i really enjoyed it. It started off a little slow but picked up halfway. Its basically about an all girls space crew and the adventure they go on. I love how unique the world is and the relationship between the girls. They are so accepting of each other and willing to do anything to support each other, I want more of this in books. The art is gorgeous as well , good plot and great characters although i wanted a little more depth for some of them.

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I wanted to wait a day to process this book, hoping it would make writing a review easier. It hasn't.

I loved this book. It was a sweeping sci-fi adventure focusing on the relationships between a space crew who specialize in restoring old buildings. The book jumps back and forth in time from Mia's (our main character) time at boarding school and her relationship with her girlfriend there, and her time later on the crew. We quickly learn that she may have ulterior motives for wanting to join the crew. The more they travel through space, the crew's bonds strengthen, and the more of her secrets Mia is willing to reveal, and eventually her true plan for being on the crew.

This book was devastating. Each character was very well-developed with their own secrets, trials and backstories. The art was stunning with a sort of muted, minimalist color scheme. I think my only complaint was that the text was kind of hard to read digitally, which could very likely been just the file I had.

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Again Tillie Walden does not disappoint. Brilliant illustrations and a compelling story combine to make for a great read.

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I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels--they are great for my reluctant readers, but I've never been that into them myself. But when I saw this was not only a sci-fi epic (one of my favorite generes) but was also f/f (a theme lacking in current YA)...SIGN ME UP.

And it is epic. It's beautiful and magical. And though we lose some of the background information and explanation of this strange world to the concise nature of the graphic novel, we do get gorgeous illustrations that bring the world to life. The plot is a little hard to follow at times--it's about space adventure...nope it's about finding your place in the world...nope it's a love story--and the time jumps, though differing in color, are going to be really hard for some of my younger readers to follow.

The characters really make this story special, though. Not only is this f/f...but ALL the characters, other than one non-binary prodigy, are young woman. Many of them gay. (My favorite character, Elliot, barely speaks at all.) I'm not really sure WHERE all the men are...or if there ARE men. And while I don't think any male characters are needed--this cast is excellent--it's another thing about this strange world that I would have liked explained (you know, because babies). I also like the spaceships that look like fish. (Spacefish? Fishships?)

Overall it's a sweeping, emotional story that will appeal to sci-fi fans and those who just like a good story about love, family, and finding your way.

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Beautiful and astonishing. I love the way the book unfolds, giving us the backstory gradually. The world created in the book is really stunning and the characters are so realistic. Great inclusive story without being overburdened by that focus.

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A gorgeously colored book with some great themes and even better characters. But ultimately this plot was all over the place, and that made it hard to read. So while I'm extremely happy with the representation in this novel, I would say that if you choose to pick it up, be patient with it. Don't go into it expecting action... even though it takes place on a spaceship. I think if I knew what I was getting into, I would have enjoyed it more.

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Tillie Walden's work is always an absolute pleasure to read. Walden is an exceptional talent in the comics industry that never fails to disappoint and On a Sunbeam is another wonderful addition to her works.

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This book will be perfect for high school students who love sci-fi or fantasy but are looking for a story that is relatable to everyday teenage life. Friends, family, relationships and more. It is in a graphic novel format, which will attract so many readers! I really like the coloring that Walden uses, keeping it to a minimum number of colors, for simplicity. You can really see the emotions that the characters have both with the illustrations and in the words. For a graphic novel, this book is really quite long, 500 pages in the ARC, but it does not feel like a long book. It is long enough for the characters to really develop, and for the reader to really get to know them. Definitely a must for any public or high school library.

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Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this book. This was a delightful sci-fi graphic novel! I thoroughly enjoyed the world Tillie Walden built and depicted in On a Sunbeam, and it was a very moving story about found family, second chances, and young love lost and found again. At first I have to admit I was not sure I liked Walden's art style, but it grew on me and I came to particularly love her drawings of the half-ruined buildings in space - gorgeous and stark - and the ships which were so fluidly drawn they almost moved on the page. Loved it!

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Tillie Walden has cemented herself as an incredibly emotive comic artist as is proven with the dazzling On a Sunbeam where a group of travellers catalogue and restore old ruins spread throughout the universe. Captivating and hopeful, On a Sunbeam is a fantastic novel of discovering what it means to be human and to love with simply stunning illustrations.

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Tillie Walden's work is phenomenal and On a Sunbeam blew me away. While the book itself doesn't fit in with our purchasing mandate, this is a story that I know I will be promoting myself within my circles. Tillie's artwork is intricate, sensitive, and realistic. Her writing easily moves between the vastness of space and the specificity of one's feelings. I can't wait for this to be released in the fall, and for her work to come in the future.

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On a Sunbeam is a fantastic graphic novel. The setting may be science fiction, but the plot is driven by the characters - in particular Mia - and I'd argue the book is more about relationships and found family bonds, and would interest anyone who likes those kinds of stories, than about space. (Although the space elements are quite interesting. I absolutely loved the space ship design.) Walden's use of color excellently highlights and heightens the emotional tone of each scene; her artwork is simple but not boring, and effective. I found myself admiring many panels for the emotional punches conveyed. Another excellent thing about this book is the diversity in this book; the main two relationships feature women loving women and not only is one of the main character's a non-binary person but also there's a discussion about respecting their pronouns that I was glad to see. Overall this is a great addition to any library's graphic novel section.

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I am in awe of this book. Seriously. I don't even know where to start with how good this was. I think if you picked out everything I love: space, found families, extraterrestrial cultures, badass ladies and rolled it into one magnificent graphic novel, I still couldn't have imagined how amazing ON A SUNBEAM was.

I will say this: it was a beast. Over 500 pages, it took me a few days to consume, even though I did at lightning speed. I snuck pages whenever I could because I was so wrapped up in the story and the characters.

I don't want to give too much away because I went into this one without really knowing too much and I think that made the experience better. Just know that I want five seasons and a movie with Mia, Grace, Elliot, Jules and the crew and I can guarantee you will too. I can't wait to one day meet Tillie Walden and gush over this in real life. It was such a joy to read. Go download it now and then pre-order it because you're going to need a physical copy to hug.

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This science fiction graphic novel is the collected chapters of the webcomic of the same name. The imaginative worlds are beautifully created in simple colors. After finishing school, Mia joins a crew that flies to remote places on other worlds, restoring buildings and structures. Her story unfolds in flashbacks that reveal her past at boarding school, where she fell in love. Her girlfriend was taken home too soon, and for years Mia has dreamt of finding her again. Mia's crew believes in loyalty to one another above all, and they are determined to help her. LGBTQ themes include strong F/F relationships and a nonbinary character.

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Wonderful graphic novel with stark, yet emotional imagery. A great novel for first-time readers to the graphic novel genre. Highly recommended!

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I found On a Sunbeam to be a visually stunning work with a compelling narrative. Liked how the artwork conveyed the emotions of the characters and complemented the dialogue.

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This book is incredibly trippy, to the point where I'm struggling to describe what it's about. It's science fiction where the science is never explained so functionally it's pretty much magic (mysterious ruins! spaceships shaped like fish! giant foxes made out of glowing clouds!) and the worldbuilding is very creative but it's not really fleshed out. On the other hand, if you're into the atmosphere rather than the nuts and bolts, it's extremely ~aesthetic~ and very pretty! The story is told in alternating present-day action and flashbacks that slowly reveal backstory, but without spoiling too much, the seemingly aimless and apathetic main character (Mia) has just joined a small spaceship full of misfits and is still pining for her mysterious lost love (Grace). As she bonds with her new crew (and, in flashbacks to her boarding school days, we find out how she fell in love with and lost Grace), she gets an opportunity to find out what happened to the one who got away. With the exception of Elliott, who is nonbinary, all characters are women; all relationships in the story are wlw and there appears to be no homophobia in-universe but Elliott does experience prejudice from characters who refuse to respect their pronouns. It's a very long for a graphic novel (500+ pages!!!) and it kind of rambles all over, but I enjoyed it? It ends in a satisfying place.

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