I really enjoyed this graphic novel! The biblical tie ins were interesting and at first kind of turned me off to the story but I grew to enjoy the plot as a whole. It wasn't really predictable, I was surprised by the twist at the end. The art was beautiful, and overall it was a great dystopian read.

Arca follows the relatively classic story of a spaceship which has left earth with the last remaining humans as earth has become uninhabitable. The social structure within the Arca is complex. The rich people who build the ships are citizens who are served by the settlers and protected by the helpers. Settlers are all children under 18 who are promised the reward of becoming citizens once they come of age. But not all is as it seems... or is it?

There are many aspects I enjoyed about this comic,most prominently the art style and colouring. I normally don't enjoy reading graphic novels on my phone, but the panel layout and clear illustrations made it easy and enjoyable.

As for the story, it was pretty formulaeic. If you have read any scifi stories with an arc containing the last of the human race, you probably won't be surprised by this one. (view spoiler) Saying that, I like these types of stories and will keep on reading them.

I’m thrilled that I was able to receive this advanced copy. I was so invested in each page. I enjoyed the entire story and the ending was so shocking!!! This never lost my interest. A thrilling, dystopian graphic novel.

My goodness.

This was. Something.
I really enjoyed this! Mysteries galore! Suspense! Plot twists! Brilliant!
In terms of the readability, I found the basic story east to follow: our protagonist, Effie, is nothing more than a slave to the powerful citizens of the Arca. She owes her life to the people who allow her to work for them......or does she? But whilst the basic plot was easy to follow, the subtleties definitely were not. After finishing, I was filled with questions it seems I will never get the answers to, though I will probably enjoy puzzling through them later.

In the end, a thought-provoking read I definitely want to come back to after its official release!

Overall Rating:★★★½
Arca was altogether an enjoyable read however the story itself was nothing new or groundbreaking. The universe built-in Arca is fascinating, and the characters are varied and exist independently, but they aren't fleshed out enough for the reader to be fully invested in their lives. The themes are interesting and well expressed but aren't new for the readers of Science Fiction. The illustration style is a modern take on old sci-fi comics. Overall a solid graphic novel.

Arca tackles themes familiar to SF/F lovers across mediums (books, film/tv) with an intriguing cast of characters. I enjoyed Jensen's illustrations and look forward to what they do next.

Thanks to Net Galley, IDW, and Mr. Jensen for the ARC of this book. Wow. The art by Jesse Lonergan is spectacular and I always appreciate a writer who knows how to get out of the way and let some visuals tell the story. Jensen clearly had a story to tell. This is a love letter to a lot of things that came first, but the twist at the end is very good. The big "secret" isn't that surprising to the reader, but it is to our heroine, and that makes us root for her. We know she is smart enough to get there. I have so much more to say about this book and I will absolutely cover it on my podcast when this is released this summer.

It's a story that every science fiction fan knows, but it is told beautifully. While I knew what to expect from the overaching plot, the characters and nuanced themes managed to move me. The art is absolutely striking. I was impressed with how well balanced this graphic novel was- I get easily overwhelmed when there is too much going on on one page, and here action scenes felt dynamic and tense, but more conversation-heavy scenes were still interesting. Absolute treasure.

Dystopian graphic novel where a group of billionaires created an arc to live in after the fall of Earth. In order to maintain their lavish lifestyles they created a hive community where children serve them every day until they turn 18. The children are told that they will be able graduate to live and no longer serve.

This graphic novel follows Effie, who is almost ready to graduate. She has access to the leaders in her chores and a clever mind which leads her to start questioning what is going on in Arca.

The story is highly engaging with detailed artwork which creates an easy flowing reading experience with the dialogue. I rarely remembered that I was reading as it felt like a screen playing in my head.

The pacing of the story was perfection, a slower start to settle me in, an exciting lead in to the mystery where I became completely invested and then a fast exhilarating climax leading towards the clear finale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel!

Van Jensen's "Arca" is a quick but engaging science fiction graphic novel that follows Effie, a teenage servant of the Citizens of a generational ship. Only something isn't right and Effie knows it, but can't pin down what it is. As she digs deeper and unravels the mystery, the Citizen class actively gets in her way.

An interesting take on a well-tread genre, most definitely worth picking up when it comes out. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A fast and engaging read, perfect for sci-fi and dystopia fans. Arca follows the story of Effie, a Settler tasked to cater to the Citizens' every whim. Settlers are children below the age of 18 who are trained to serve in different sectors of the Arca - like sanitation, farming, and general service - before graduating to be a Citizen like everyone else. Except it doesn't seem that way to Effie. I love how strong-minded she is in uncovering the ugly truth behind the Arca and why aren't they reaching Eden, a promised planet. It's really interesting to see the 'perfect and stable' Arca start to crack and crumble as the story goes. The ending seemed very rushed and the plot was predictable most of the time, but ,,, mystery at a space station! It was a bit jarring for the book to go from full-colour to black and white, but I assume that it's gonna be full-colour in the future (it was also quite hard to tell the characters apart because of that). So many questions about that ending though, but I enjoyed it :)

arc provided by NetGalley and IDW Publishing in exchange for an honest review

HOLY COW I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS!

Great SciFi, seriously. I actually read it over the second I finished it the first time, just to see how the ending would change my perspective! It's messed up and amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Arca we follow Effie as she investigates what’s really going on aboard the Ark that is carrying a whole society to Eden, the promised land for mankind. Effie is a teenage servant of the sole survivors of the earth, aka billionaires. She’s turning 18 soon and will become a settler of Eden. But the high command of the ship has secrets that need to stay hidden from the society.
Arca was overall an enjoyable read. The story itself was nothing new or groundbreaking. The plot was a bit predictable at some points. There were also a lot of side-characters and subplots that could have been more extensive in my opinion.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi and dystopic reads.

I could not fully take in this graphic novel because for some reason when i downloaded it the pages were cut off. I did however read what I was able to. I love the sci fi story. It had many levels of interest. I most loved the parts where she was sharing the love and information on reading books. I liked that it had a little diversity. I got sucked into the story and worried for the characters. I felt this story had some levels and I am hoping the finished product kept the color pages. The little girl was so cute.

While the twists were predictable, the story maintains enough charm and wonder to captivate readers into devouring the novel. The illustration style feels nostalgic, being weirdly reminiscent of 80s sci-fi comics and adding to the charm.

Thanks to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are many stories about leaving Earth because we have ruined our planet but this story has a spin that keeps in engaging. Effie is a wonderful character, believable and relatable even in a short time. The art style is able to convey so much, not just the characters, but the backgrounds, the hectic nature of their chores and lives. I almost wish this was a longer series, there is so much about it that could be explored.

This, rightfully, leans heavily into the idea of privilege, wealth, and how far those with power will go to make sure they stay on top. I really liked this comic and was immediately drawn to the idea of billionaires continuing to use and abuse those whose labor they are dependent on to live even in an environment as deadly as space. There were lots of nice references to classic literature and the bible, which are a littler overplayed at this point but I can appreciate their role in this story. What I will say is that I wish the revelations had been given more slowly and for the story as a whole to have been slowed down and more fleshed out. Everything just happens at the end and it leaves you feeling like "Oh, is that it?" It also bugged me that the protagonist goes from loyal settler to anarchist within a page, it was jarring; the other character could have been fleshed out more as well.

Arca is a story about a girl who lives and works on a spaceship, but everyone over a certain age is taken away and she suspects that there's something sinister going on.

This is such a fascinating sci-fi dystopian about breaking free from oppressive regimes, resilience and standing up for what's right. The art, plot, themes, everything is incredibly executed and I loved it to pieces

A dystopian, post-apocalyptic graphic novel about people being forced to live together on a generation ship in order to find a new planet to live on because the Earth is pretty much dead? Totally my kind of thing.

I liked this graphic novel! Like other reviewers have mentioned, some of the twists were predictable but it didn't detract too much from the story. I liked the character development that the MC, Effie, underwent, from obedient kid to feisty young adult who questions the billionaires in charge of the Arca. But some of her friends/side characters didn't really have much character development other than to advance the story.

I really like the art and the way that the panels are placed and the way that they tie and flow into each other. I just wish the arc I read had full color because most of the pages were black and white.

There were some plotlines (like what happens to the kids when they become citizens) that I would've loved if it had been explored more. The storyline itself is full of sci-fi tropes, but I think it worked out well enough in this case. I actually wish it was longer so some plotlines and characters could've been expanded on.

Thank you to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for this arc.

I really enjoyed everything about Arca. The art is incredible, a mix of detail and flow that really manages to capture the feeling of being in this constantly busy active space, while the comic panels shift and change according to the pace of the story and its events, and it manages to really bring the story to life. The colors are also gorgeous and vibrant, while also conjuring this nostalgic feeling of older comics and the way they rendered colors.

The story also is a very enjoyable one, telling the tale of an arc ship leaving a climate-ravaged Earth, and the way in which the people on board are attempting to make life work. The author really manages to render a believable structure for how the ship works, with hierarchy and classism also making its way on board, young laborers living in small pods and being at the beck and call of more-established Citizens who are the visionaries responsible for making the Arca and saving this small little community. The story revolves around one such laborer, Effie, who grows to resent the life she leads on the Arca and in the process finds out more about the Arca than she ever expected to.

Definitely worth your time, and you won't be able to put it down till you're done.