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.

Sentient pack a punch. Amazing artwork and a great harrowing story featuring an AI. I love how the sketch and design process was included in the book. This is especially valuable for any comic or graphic novel artist. The story kind of ended on a cliffhanger and I'm curious to see if there will be a continuation of it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this! I love myself a good short form character-driven scifi, and this is a good example: a ferally protective motherhen spaceship AI parenting, well, a feral pack of kids it inherits after a bloody mutiny. The art and the story complemented each other well, so a tight, compact narration was well supporter by the atmosphere.

The last quarter of this edition is sketches and drafts of the panel, for those artistically inclined or already coming to this edition with a preexisting love for the story. I hadn’t heard about it before, but enjoyed myself from page one honestly.

Thanks to #Netgalley for an advanced copy of #Sentient.

A dark SF graphic novel about a survivalist spaceship escaping the broken earth... but things never go as planned because people can never seem to get along. If you like the TV series Raised By Wolves I would definitely recommend reading this, for something in the same vein, and completely different too.
The story is well constructed, the pace is right on, I loved seeing the ideas behind the comic in the generous section at the end with pieces of the storyboard, the script and the comments from writer to illustrator. I always enjoy those behind the scenes!
The illustrations are also very good, very realistic, a little classic, and very clear. Sometimes action comics can get confusing, the action is too fast, or the "angle shots" jump around too much, but this one is perfectly seamless so it's very pleasant to read.
A great SF story and I hope you get to see more in the same world. It works very well as a one-shot, but it really leaves a whole world and characters to explore and grow.