I really enjoyed the diversity and the story itself, but had a hard time with the art style due to that it was not for me. But a really fun, enjoyable and fast-paced graphic novel that will grip you from the first page and have you hooked all til the end!

This was a bit weird and confusing, I didn't like it at all. Even the art was somewhat raw and not my thing at all.

A 3.5 stars.
I'm a fan of the art style where digital art is made to seem as traditional art. I love this gouache/watercolor style of digital art. The artwork is excellent.
I did not give this a 5 stars because there could've been better world-building, the politics/traditions of Pan could've been explored more. There was no character development. The first 25% of the book was clumsy and then you're smacked right into the Hunger Games-like dodge ball contest. The fact that irked me the most was, Juba didn't even explain the rules of the game before the first cycle. Like really? Not even during the journey to the Ceres? and from there it's just the trope of protagonists (namely Aster and Wallis) who never did the thing in their entire life but they're extremely good at it. I mean, the last 60% was a blur because it was so predictable. We could've had Aster's backstory of being un-pan, Juba's backstory of what made him leave Pan and what happened after leaving.
I did like the story's wrap-up. Like how it was all a myth on which the kid made a presentation. But it could've been taken further instead of a standalone.
26-1-2021 edit: So the artwork is all traditional! This led to the lower quality on zoom but I like that it’s traditionally done! :)

Total time spent: 1 hr.

~ This is my first ARC I received from NetGalley for an honest review.

The story starts with our two main characters, Wallis from Pan and Aster an Un-Pan. We come to realize that something happened with the world and that they live in a dystopian/post-war and that the people of Pan are poor and live with difficulties.

Suddenly one day they are approached by people from Fortuna and challenged to a ball game (it's really dodge ball but make it cooler) with promises of a better life.
However the Ceres people that are trying to overthrow the Fortuna people explain the situation to the Pan and ask them for their help so that all can live peacefully.

I really liked the tournament parts of the comic and Aster as a main character.

The ending of the book was really good and I really enjoyed it!

Aster of Pan left me with a sense of accomplishment.

At first, I wasn't so sure about it, since the beginning was slow and packed with information. We see characters we still don't know, and it can be confusing, but it's necessary for the plot.

Aster is an un-Pan, that means she wasn't born in Pan. That is a big deal there, since they believe she doesn't have rights, like the right to get some rice to eat once a week, like everybody else.

While fighting to survive she is positive and happy, and her best friend, Willis, is by her side at all times.

Then Fortuna appears. The people from Pan thought they were in the only community with people, but there are other civilizations, like Ceres, the agricultural land, or Fortuna, who have technology like no other place.

There is when they give the people from Pan a choice:

Accept giving away 25% of their food rations, in exchange for protection against pirates,

Or fight against them on a very specific game.

Ball tag, where you throw balls to the opponent and if they get hit and the ball touches the floor, they are eliminated.

That is when the people from Pan need Aster, to help them win.

But if the Pan rises, Fortuna is going down, and that is something they are not going to accept.

The novel is packed with action, the games are epic and the relationships between the characters are amazing.

There are some twists that came to me unexpectedly, and there were moments when I got genuinely happy.

The art is amazing, anatomical yet funny when it needs to be, and there are many diverse characters.

I specially enjoyed the character designs, the fact that we don't know why she wears a fox tail, the pirates, the Pan. The world and the building on the last fight are superb.

By the end of it, I felt it couldn't have been more perfect

*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art is gorgeous. The colour palette has soft, pastel colours, which contrasts nicely with the bold black lineart. I really like the watercolour/gouache effect. The environments are pretty detailed, which helps a lot with the worldbuilding of the futuristic world. Ohh, and the character designs are stunning!

Story-wise, I do have some problems. It was too fast-paced, so it could have benefitted from more character development and more worldbuilding. I wasn't expecting that 50% of the book would be sports/dodge-ball (which also didn't make sense), and I didn't like the extreme focus on the competition. That said, Aster is a lovely protagonist! I really liked her character.

Overall, I would recommend it for the art, not for the story.

Dystopian Dodge Ball. That’s the summary. In 2068, the post-apocalyptic society of pan operates much like a primitive democratic, capitalist society. When the rich society of Fortuna invades their shores, the only options are to give in (and sacrifice 25% of their harvest), or challenge them to a tournament of Celestial Mechanics. The rag-tag team from Pan, including its pirates at one point, must best this professional team if they are to retain their freedom.

This series was a lot of fun, and I’d really like more. Aster isn’t always likeable, but she’s loyal to the death to those she cares about, and when she’s thrust into the spotlight of a game she’s never played before, she’s determined to save her people.

The art was solid, not the rich detail of some space operas, but I think it goes well the the dystopian theme. Wars are barbaric, but so is this game. I liked the political elements, the alliances, and the society of Pan. It reminded me a lot of our own systems and how marginalized communities are treated less than and often have to operate outside of the law just to survive.

This one is out on February 2, so if you’re looking for some cool dystopia to add to your comic TBR, cheeck it out.

I went back and forth between giving this 2 stars and giving it 3.

This story took a different turn than I expected it to. The majority of it ended up being basically a dystopian version of dodgeball. Parts of it had a hunger games feel.

I found myself wanting the story to be a little more in depth. Which might be good because I’m more likely to read more in this series in the future. I need answers.

I really like the world building, and I loved the artwork. Aster is instantly lovable, although annoyingly naive at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This is the 2nd graphic novel I've read by Merwan, and I really like this dystopian, open to interpretation vibe he has going on! I must admit that I didn't enjoy this as much as I did Pistouvi, but I still enjoyed it! It gave me strong The Hunger Games vibes, with the hella rich nation taking over other nations by forcing them into agreements they aren't involved in making, or that they don't really understand, in addition to the games played (that are also televised and commented). Loved how it's basically just playing cannonball to try to win their freedom and to fight the corrupt nation.

I wish it had a little more world building OR more happening to make me care about the characters. For example with the addition of Juba, where we have little knowledge or connection to him, and where he isn't involved in the story long enough for us to get that attachment. Maybe I just wish there were less characters? Idk, but I kept forgetting who some of the characters were, and tbh I didn't really care enough to check on them.

Overall, if you like weird and open dystopian graphic novels, I can really recommend this!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

At first I was skeptical of this book when i first opened it. I did not know if the art style was my style but after i started reading, I appreciated it more. This book follows the nation known as Pan. In Pan there is widespread poverty where food is hard to come by, and the residents go foraging for items to trade or sell for money. One day the nation of Fortuna come to Pan basically wanting to take rule over them. The citizens of Pan speak up and engage in a game called the Celestial Mechanics in order to fight for their freedom and escape the lingering future of being controlled by Fortuna. The tournament itself resembled dodgeball in a sense, where each member was considered out when the ball hit them and soon fell to the floor. I enjoyed reading about this tournament. I’ll admit though that it was hard to follow in a sense. While simplistic in the idea of the tournament, I felt as though there was little explanation about what was truly happening. I found myself having to figure out the rules of the game and understanding the quick transitions that took place. I wish that there was more description fo the tournament and that they would have lasted longer. Overall I enjoyed the story but felt that it was rushed. I would have liked maybe 30 more pages at the end after the tournament was completed to see what happened in the events that followed. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys futuristic stories and lovers of diverse art styles in graphic novels.

3/5 Stars

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3793405899?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Disappointing dystopian mayhem...

A fairly poor Hunger Games inspired story taking place in a scarcely credible dystopian future. 2068? Really? That’s less than 50 years in the future. As much as I do believe human society can change a lot in so little time (compare 1950s with today), the natural environment seems like it would have taken at least 100 years for the outskirts of Paris, France, to look anything like it is depicted in this graphic novel.

I felt no love for the characters and their relationship was bland at best. The plot seemed to be jumping from one place to the other without purpose and felt very rushed to get a lot of content in as few pages as possible. Going from post-apocalypse hunter-gathering-looting survival to some kind of modified arena-style dodge-ball competition just didn’t make sense to me and made me lose interest in anything the graphic novel had to offer.

Special thanks go to the netgalley team and the publishers for providing this ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Aster of Pan is a beautiful graphic novel set in a post-apocalyptic world. The art throughout the book is fantastic. I really loved how colorful and detailed the world looked. The premise of the story was interesting and unique. It follows a girl named Aster who was born outside the territory of Pan. When an armed delegation from another territory arrives and threatens Pan's resources, a game of Celestial Mechanics is the only way to prevent this. Overall, the story is fun and interesting. I will say that it was very fast-paced. The story could have benefitted with more time focusing on the development of the main characters. Despite this, Aster was a charming protagonist along with her friend Wallis. I would love to see more of Aster if there are any future volumes.

I enjoyed the detailed art style of this graphic novel. Although the dystopian world is so unique, I just wish it was expanded more. While I was reading, there were times when I was confused with the story line because of the pacing and how scenes were a bit disconnected with one another. Perhaps with a little more time fleshing out the story, the characters, and the history of the world, this would be a promising read.

Really liked the style and colour pallette used in this story. Wasn't too sure about the story itself until it began to wind up the tension in the final third.
I would definitely recommend this to interested friends.

This one just wasn't for me... while I liked the layout, I didn't particularly like the art style, which distracted me while trying to read the actual story.

I received this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m rating this 3.5/5 stars! The art style was stunning and the main reason why I enjoyed it. The storyline was also interesting and I liked the concept of high stakes dodge ball in a dystopian future. It was very creative and unique. I would definitely recommend this to people who enjoy dystopian futures with an added element of a game.

Fast moving post-apo Hunger-Games-Kind-Of comic book about a girl? a sport? a community? For 200 pages it moved too fast. On the one hand, it was never boring (almost every page something was going on) but on the other, too much was happening and explanations were in only one page or just a few panels (mostly you pieced it together yourself).

I'd like to know more about characters, what happened to the world and how is look like now, more info about a game (with blond Ivanka the commentator, lol). The art was fitting, I liked that. I hope there will be more volumes!

This is a graphic novel that basically focuses on a dystopian setting and a fictional competitive sport that mirrors dodgeball. I requested this on a whim because I was craving for a good graphic novel as a palate cleanser. However, I was genuinely disappointed that this turned out to be a book that goes against my tastes in graphic novels. I found the story clunky, the pacing weird, the world-building lacking for my tastes. I was especially bummed by the fact that—albeit interesting—the politics of the world, which could have been expanded and shed light upon, felt trite and unsatisfactory in scope. I think this could have benefited from a longer narrative because the author's dystopian world gripped me; unfortunately, it didn't immerse me. Long story short, this book just didn't work for me. I do think that it still has its merits, some redeeming qualities: It is, in a way, enjoyable and enthralling. It's just not for me.

Aster of Pan is a translated, futuristic graphic novel about a girl named Aster who tries to be accepted by the citizens of Pan and become one of their own. When the citizens of Pan are faced with a difficult choice, Aster will participate in the Celestial Mechanics, a series of dangerous ball games, to help the place she'd like to call home.

The art is great and the story is fan with a mix of love, friendship, family, war, and sports. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun post-apocalyptic sporty read. We have a woman protagonist whose nation doesn’t want to claim her because she wasn’t born there even though she’s grown up there. Engaging art.