You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
Really really enjoyed this book. I was honestly just expecting a quick read since this is a graphic novel, but this is now one of my top reads of the year. I loved the characters so much, and found myself surprisingly attached to them. Mia's flashbacks and her current storyline came together so beautifully, and I grew to love her so much, and the love she has for others in this story, especially for Grace. Their relationship was written and drawn masterfully, and I felt the emotions between the two within myself as well. The rest of the characters were also developed so well, and I really loved the found family trope of the rag-tag space construction crew. I related to Elliot a lot, and I would love to read more about their story in the future. Despite how character focused this story was, I didn't feel that the plot was lacking in any way, and I couldn't stop reading, even when I was really tired. It was a beautiful arc, and I'm honestly sad I'll never be able to read this book again for the first time. The artwork and creativity were also incredibly stunning, and I hope to read more of Tillie Walden's graphic novels in the future.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Deeply emotional and heartfelt, a great queer romance with a sci-fi twinge. Huge fan of the topics it explores and the artwork is incredible. Only reason for the half point dock is because I had wished there was more in the third act conclusion, but that might be a personal taste thing more than anything.
Gorgeous art and lovely story ❤️ I love a found family trope
It took me a couple weeks to slowly, leisurely saunter through all 20 issues/chapters of this webcomic; not in a bad way, but rather that On A Sunbeam is so dreamy and contemplative and soft that it seems to fit with a slower style of reading rather than frantically consuming it all in one day. The colours are rich and gorgeous, all lush reds and purples in present-day and a lot of cooler blacks-and-blues during the flashback sequences at boarding school.
The setting is lovely, sci fi but by way of vibrant landscape and focusing more on the characters themselves rather than the space backdrop. Tillie Walden's 'about the comic' page describes it so well:
I'd say that the second half (approx. chapters 11-20) are better, because an actual driving plot kicks in and you start getting a sense of where this story is going, how all the pieces fit together, etc. For the first half, it's mostly just character study: our main character Mia's backstory at a boarding school in space, her growing friendship/then relationship with a girl named Grace; and then the present-day sequences where she's piecing herself together with a galactic reconstruction crew. Found family crew feelings also abound!!
I feel like I never would've heard of this comic if it hadn't been nominated for the Hugos, but I'm so glad that I read it. The art has some flaws -- I had some trouble telling the characters apart at times, or following the movement when things got really Actiony(tm) -- but I feel like that's something that'll improve with time and experience (Tillie Walden was only around 20 years old when she made this!). Excited to see what she'll do next.
All available for free online: http://www.onasunbeam.com/
The setting is lovely, sci fi but by way of vibrant landscape and focusing more on the characters themselves rather than the space backdrop. Tillie Walden's 'about the comic' page describes it so well:
I’ve seen a few snippets of all the big popular space movies, and they always bore me. Why are they so full of white hallways and white men?
The inception of On a Sunbeam came from my perpetual disappointment and boredom towards any story set in space. At the beginning, Sunbeam was just called ‘Space Book.’ I spent almost a year just thinking about it before I actually started drawing it. I went into it with no plan. My initial goal with Sunbeam was to create a version of outer space that I would want to live in. So of course that includes tons of queer people, no men (did you notice?), trees, old buildings, and endless constellations.
I'd say that the second half (approx. chapters 11-20) are better, because an actual driving plot kicks in and you start getting a sense of where this story is going, how all the pieces fit together, etc. For the first half, it's mostly just character study: our main character Mia's backstory at a boarding school in space, her growing friendship/then relationship with a girl named Grace; and then the present-day sequences where she's piecing herself together with a galactic reconstruction crew. Found family crew feelings also abound!!
I feel like I never would've heard of this comic if it hadn't been nominated for the Hugos, but I'm so glad that I read it. The art has some flaws -- I had some trouble telling the characters apart at times, or following the movement when things got really Actiony(tm) -- but I feel like that's something that'll improve with time and experience (Tillie Walden was only around 20 years old when she made this!). Excited to see what she'll do next.
All available for free online: http://www.onasunbeam.com/
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This is wonderfully drawn graphic novel with a strong core story. I just wish I was able to be engaged with it. Maybe this is simply just a story that isn't for me. However, it is still worth reading.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
hopeful
Really gorgeous art, really nice reveals in the world building. The world building itself was a bit sparse but an intriguing start.