Actual rating: 3,5 ⭐
This is a great edition to pick up. In addition to a concise sci-fi adventure, there's a detailed look into the great work that's been put into creating this story from rough sketches to pencil and inks, and how it all merges with the script. Now, about the story: I'm a bit disappointed. Despite not having a lot of experience with sci-fi/A.I. related stories, I enjoy the subject and its portrayal in this work confused me. Both A.I. depicted here leaned too much on human mannerisms, so their connections to their respective crews and motivations felt convenient and threw me off for most of the time.
I wished I could've seen more of Val's interactions with both the adult crew and the children, so that I could understend better how she was programmed to act and interact. The children were well written and the conflict was explored efficiently, considering the shortness of this work. All things considered, I wish the separatist movement had been better dissected, as well as both A.I's operating logic. It's an interesting story and I'd definitely recommed it as a starting point for beginner sci-fi readers, such as myself.

Previously released in 6 separate issues, Vault comics is now re-releasing the limited Sentient series in a beautiful bound hardcover edition.

Right from the opening pages this story juxtaposes the differences in the crew and their children. One being a little more laid back and friendly, and the contrasting speechless and strict.

We are also introduced to the ship’s AI ‘VAL’ who keeps the U.S.S. Montgomery in running order.

It’s pretty soon after the adults have place their kids into the ‘day care’ (where they practice their lessons and engage in creative play) that we see the adults around the bridge discussing the next steps as they approach a ‘dead zone’ where any transmissible communications will be cut-off.

What happens next really engaged me into the story. It’s something about the drastic shift in dynamic and the anticipation to witness how this AI interact with these children. They’re placed into such a horrendous situation with only the logic of an advanced computer to guide them.

It’s a great story and very well executed. There are shocks and surprises, suspense and evil. Sentient has all the makings of an expansive, unique, and engrossing Sci-Fi story in visually pleasing execution.

I loved this! I found the book through a recommendation after reading all of Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer books, and was lucky enough to get a review copy through #NetGalley

The AI of a colony ship en route to a new planet finds itself in charge of a group of kids who get attached to it as it becomes their surrogate mother. A heart-warming story, kids being kids, adults being jerks, and big emotions.

I like the rustic art style, it works well with the worn, lived-in look of a space ship on a long mission, and the character's expressions are doing a lot of work in the emotional storytelling.

A beautifully drawn and plotted graphic novel that managed to inter splice strong thematic elements and keep up great entertainment value.

Sentient
(Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta, TKO Studios, 2020)

Thank you to NetGallery for providing me with a copy of this graphic novel.

This sci-fi graphic novel asks us to imagine what it is like to raised by an AI while we a drift in the void of space. The emotional gut punch of the openning chapters sets the stage for what feels like it might be a raw and potentially uncomfortable read.

Unfortunately what follows is what I would consider to be a fairly standard sci-fi story. While it is certainly an enjoyable story, and one that had me hooked, it felt a little lackluster following on from the opening chapter.

The story itself is mostly well paced, but several themes are touched upon throughout the story and in the end feel rushed in their resolution or just not expanded upon.

It has to be said that artwork in this book is fantastic, the ship feels dirty and lived in, reminiscent of the Nostromo. The voilence is visceral without being gratuitous, and everything feels well framed.

What we are left with in the end is a solid sci-fi comicbook that asks some interesting questions but doesn't really get an opportunity to resolve them or explore them fully. It was an enjoyable read, but I'm not certain it is story I will revisit that often.

So once upon a time there was a ship, and that ship had an AI, and there were people on that ship, and one of those people did something pretty stupid, and then some kids were left on the ship, and then other stuff happened.

Sentient is a well-written and nicely illustrated bit of science fiction. It doesn't break a lot of new ground, but it does tell a very solid story.

I felt like Sentient came close to saying something interesting several times, but it never quite came together. It is a good story well told though.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel*

Sentient is a graphic novel about a bunch of kids surviving in outer space with the help of an A.I. called Val. The entire reading experience gave me huge deja-vus, but I can't tell you where from. Nicely drawn, story compelling, but I would've liked to know more: why kill all the adults? What was wrong with the other people on the other ship? Why do they hate AIs? So many open questions...

4 stars

Not my cup of tea even though it was a book about losing loved ones, about trauma, about survival. Thank you nevertheless, for the wonderful artwork and the opportunity to review this ARC.

Jeff Lemire does it again. This six-issue series is as great as you'd expect from this author. The beginning is explosive, the plot is filled with tension and the ending is full of ambiguity which leaves the reader full of theories. Because the protagonists are children and an AI (who can only follow its code) there is a bit of a question as to who is the good or bad guys outside of the ship. I love this conundrum.

This deluxe edition includes the original sketches and the script from Jeff Lemire. I really enjoyed reading some of his written explanations for the illustrations and lettering. It was cool to see how the sausage was made.

CW: graphic death, corpses, parental death

This is a hard one to rate! For the most part I loved it - the concept was fantastic and I adored Val and her relationship with the children. The tension was high throughout and I was genuinely, constantly terrified for the crew. The problem is this appears to be a standalone (I would happily be proved wrong!), and a short one at that. This means all the world-building potential, with the separatists and the colonies for example, is never fully explored, despite the super interesting tension there. Furthermore, even if it is not a standalone, events at the end of the book bring an end to the story's most compelling aspect. That could be reversed though, possibly. (Sorry for being vague - have to be careful in big spoiler territory!)

So yes, a complicated one to rate and review. Sentient was hugely enjoyable as a first in a series, a 5* read in fact, though the thought of it as a standalone is disappointing. I'll give it 4*s overall to reflect that, though if sequels pop up in the future that are equally as good, I'll certainly bump it up.

*Thanks to TKO Studios for giving me the ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange of a honest review*

Sentient wasn't close to the best sci-fi comics i've read. The premise sounded cool but the execution left a lot to be desired. There's certain elements that wouldn't have happened if the script didn't suspend logic to allow them in the first place, and that's quite disappointing. The last chapters felt rushed, and the lack of intimate moments to show more development of the kid's life made it hard to care for them, also kids demonstrating genius hability to surpass bad adults is really not my thing, lol.

The art was ok. Not the most dynamic art-style and the coloring was dull. The generic sci-fi designs didn't help it stand out or be memorable tbh.

4/5: Really liked it

This was an interesting read. After all the cliche plots where the AI is the culprit with good intentions, this book came as a breeze of fresh air with AI being the saviour (after Isaac Asimov's stories of course). Few things felt odd like why were there so few people on such a big ship, specially if going to a new colony. After the recent news of 'claimed' sentient AI of Google, this story became more fun to read.

I really liked when Val copied the speaking style of children's parents or when fighting for the children. The plot of rogue separatists was also cool. I loved the ending when the children became the teacher for Val, with a fresh beginning.

Beautiful artwork. Specially loved the sketches and their development given at the end.

I got an e-copy of the deluxe edition from NetGalley for review.

I really enjoyed the concept for this graphic novel and the author and illustrator did a wonderful job storyboarding. The pacing was great and kept me engaged. I could see this being extended into a longer series so we could dive more into the characters. This is purely subjective, but I personally didn't love the the negative color scheme. I can appreciate the tone and setting that the white line work provides, but I personally found it a but distracting. Unfortunately for me that made my experience with the novel a little difficult, but overall I think it's a great piece.

3.5/5

The story takes place in a spaceship called THE U.S.S. MONTGOMERY. The onboard AI, VALARIE, is tasked with assisting the youngsters of the colony ship when a separatist attack kills every adult on the ship. Now Valerie has to transform into something more than what she was designed to be—a savior for these kids—as they are being sought after by hostile forces.

The artwork complements this horrific, twisted, action-packed science fiction story very well. However, the story is lacking some elements. Lack of character development and world-building, fast-paced storytelling, and the unbelievability of some scenes make the novel less enjoyable.

This particular volume is a deluxe collector's edition that comes with bonus content. It includes a sketchbook, the script, cover pencils, page layouts, etc. It was lovely to follow how a graphic novel comes to life through these pages. If you are an artist yourself or an art enthusiast you'll thoroughly enjoy them.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and TKO Presents, TKO Studios for providing an ARC of this book for reviewers.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review from TKO Studios

Earth has been deemed unfit and humans have to find a way to survive in new colonies in space.
When U.S.S Montgomery takes off with different families to start off a new civilization, things don't exactly go as planned.

As always with events like these, one of the separatists (group of people who want to return to earth), finds a way aboard U.S.S Montgomery and tries to take over the ship.

After the Ship's A.I Valerie had to make difficult choices to protect the children aboard and unalive the separatist who attacked the adult crew. It's up to Val to become a sort of guide for these children and finish the mission.

I'm always a huge fan of scifi stories that follow Artificial intelligence becoming sentient. Shows like Westworld (Dolores) and even in the Green Lantern animated series (Ava).

Similarly, Val sorts of goes past her programmed codes to protect the children, when their ship is attacked months the after death of the adult crews.

I loved how realistic the characters were. With Lillian not accepting their fate and the way grief made her stubborn. With Issac, who blames himself for their misfortune. And how Lillian and Isaac learnt trust Val and even go as far as protecting the A.I.

The Beauty of Graphic Novels is you experience stories in different art styles, and this art style done by Gabriel Walta was unique and I really liked it. As well as the lettering done by Steve Wands.

If you're a cyberpunk fan and would like to read about A.I getting sentience to protect, I think you should check out This Graphic Novel.
Thank you TKO Studios for this arc.

(3.75/5) This quick read is gritty and fast-paced and somehow manages to fit a whole story within maybe a hundred/hundred fifty pages. The art is visually interesting, and the story conveys the trauma experienced by the main characters. I wish that there had been a bit more to capture the passage of time and the character growth. This would make for a good series, but also works as a standalone.

Sentient by Jeff Lemire with illustrations by Gabriel Walta is a graphic novel set in space. A colony ship has left an Earth that is in decline , headed for a new home on a distant planet. On board are families including children of all ages, a hope for a future brighter than what the Earth could provide, but when a shocking rogue attack kills all the adults on board, it falls to the ships A.I. Val to protect the children and get them safely to their intended destination. Along the way the children will face danger and do a lot of growing up.
This is a clever idea for a short graphic novel , the limited setting and dramatic set up has a lot of potential. Jeff Lemire has a real knack for writing about child characters that you really care about, most notably in Sweet Tooth. and here is no exception, with the character of Lil being a a particular standout. In a way it is a pity that this book (or limited series as it was originally published as single issue comics) is so short, I was really into the idea and the characters and would not have minded reading more of their story. I also liked the artwork, the slightly clunky and chunky looking ship designs and the muddy palette of beiges, browns and greens felt very representative of a world slowly falling apart and desperately looking for a new future. It was interesting to see some of the behind the scenes work included at the end of the book showing the various stages of the process from pencils to printed page.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

another Lemire mastercall. Jeff is a staple in the genre and this is yet another example of world-building, character-driven immense story that he excels in.

Jeff Lemire’s world and work is always worth a visit. Sentient is visual science fiction, enjoyable and well-told. The art style of Gabriel Walta fleshes out this world.

Thank you so much to the publisher TKO Presents and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this graphic novel to review.

I really enjoyed reading this deluxe edition of Sentient by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Hernández Walta. I couldn’t put this down and finished it in one sitting.

Sentient is a stand-alone dark space opera sci-fi adventure. This graphic novel was fast paced and beautifully illustrated - I loved how dark, atmospheric and detailed the artwork was. This style of artwork really suited the horror elements of the story.

Deep in space the spaceship U.S.S Montgomery is on its way from Earth to a new colony planet and about to enter a radiation belt that will block all communications. When the ship is attacked by rebel separatists, every adult member of the crew onboard is killed, leaving the ships AI Valarie to care for the children of the crew.

I was thrilled when my request on NetGalley was accepted. I first read Sentient earlier this year and absolutely loved it. It was wonderful to reread it and see all of the added process sketches and extra content in this new edition.