I received an arc copy of this graphic novel from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.
3.25 Stars

There be aliens! Or not? In this story four kids abducted by aliens deal with the consequences twenty years later. While this story leaned hard into well known tropes, it wasn't done horribly. The stories resolution felt abrupt and easy, which I think was done in part to highlight the emotional aspect of the story, which brings me to my next point. This is sci-fi light, which if you go into it knowing that, it will help the reader digest the story we are given, with more respect and focus on the characters rather than some over arching sci-fi plot we never get. Instead we are given the story of memory, family, friendship, and love.

The art style was rough and had a sketch type quality to it that I often don't like, but the color palettes were used so well it pulled me in and helped move the story forward in those areas the story seemed to fall short. I would have liked to know more about the alien species that messed with our characters memories, which might come in future volumes. It also would have been nice to see more character development apart form Kenny and Shae, there were four of them taken after all. Again this might be something we see developed more fully in future volumes.

In the end I would recommend this to anyone wanting to maybe dip a toe into the sci-fi world, hardcore sci-fi fans might find it lacking. But if you step back from that aspect of the story and focus on the relationships and the characters, it is an solid story in the making. I am curious to read the next volume because I think this has great potential to give us that sci-fi aspect I craved, but also delve deeper into what Kenny believes, his disappearance, and what it means for he and Shae going forward.

1.5/5

i had a hard time with this story. i wanted to get into it, especially because i really enjoyed the use of colors throughout the story. it felt too rushed and not deeply developed enough, with too many characters that i don't truly understand their backstories or motivations. maybe the scifi was too thick for me, i don't read a ton of it, but i had to read the explanations of what happened several times, and i still don't think i entirely understood it. i had a hard time getting really invested, and didn't find myself reaching for this to keep reading. it felt a little bit more of a chore to read than i wanted it to be. while for the most part i enjoyed the art, other times it was difficult to distinguish what the characters' expressions were. i think that this could've been a really great story, but it just needed a lot more room to breathe.

This was a very interesting read. Though the story was hard to follow visually in some places, I knew what was going on. I enjoyed the brief and colourful world-building that made the world of Stargazer so simple and yet so intriguing. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a brief excursion into science-fiction and aliens, whether that be for the first time or for the millionth.

The art of this graphic novel is awesome and fits the tone of the story - dark, moody, investigative. What happened to their friend? And in the past? Read on and find out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love how the dual timelines are told using different color palettes. I also love a good wacky alien abduction story and this fits the bill 100%! Amazing artwork paired with an intriguing storyline. I can’t wait to see how they take down the Sky Mind!

I found this one confusing and hard to work my way through. There were time jumps and part of it was taking place in memories, which didn't help and the color scheme and art style only added to the confusing quality. Also it felt like there were too many characters, and because there were so many, none of them were really fleshed out properly.

I felt like this novel was way too rushed, and wasn't explained to its full potential. I think this would have done better in multiple volumes so they storyline could be fleshed out more

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for the e-arc.

This was not for me. I tried to get into the story but ultimately did not end up finishing this one. I didn't much care for the art style or the story and where it was going.

The premise makes this sounds super, super promising but I just could not get into the plot, setting or the characters.

I've never seen a better depiction of trauma and how it relates to memory and personalities. Main character Shae has plenty of traumas and it's ultimately what serves as the driving force. She really wants to believe she's protecting her brother after an accident but Shae's also running from her trauma related to those events. With how confirmation bias, conspiracy theories, and trauma can be used to manipulate people it makes a compelling case on how truths can be manipulated.

This series even brings up something about how artists put out their best efforts when facing a crisis, think of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman facing terminal cancer as coming out on top. Unfortunately similar circumstances can lead to these best efforts being exploited. That's what the central villain tries to add to itself; most of its subordinates don't mind that much.

It's just a shame that's not really on display. I still don't understand what the whole thing with whales was all about. My real focus was on the personal stories.

It's an interesting mix of Spielberg-style scifi (merry band of kids meets aliens, fight back) but with a snarky sensibility that's closer to the X Files or Stranger Things. The color scheme with its magentas and other shades of pink-red is reminiscent of a lot of retro 80s films (The Colour out of Space, Mandy) that have come out in the last few years, and gives the story even more of a "retro only darker and with more snarky" vibe to the story. Lots of fun!

Aliens… Kids get abducted by aliens, and now 20 years later have to deal with the consequences of that. Though tropey, it is done very well. I was a bit confused at the start when we jumped around in time without any indications, but it only took a few pages for me to ‘get settled’ and really enjoy this story. Apart from a somewhat diverser set of main characters, it doesn’t do anything new. You have your conspiracy theorist podcast, implants, black-ops. So that might me something you might want to be aware of going into this.




I really liked the art-style. It may not be for everyone, but I though the colourscheming was great. My only issue with it is that it couldn’t quite handle the complexity at the end of the novel, making me quite confused at to what was happening.

Overall this was a very basic but very solid scifi comic that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love alien stories so much. This had pretty much everything - angsty characters, gorgeous art, and a compelling plot.

Shae, her brother Kenny, and two friends experience a traumatic event that changes Kenny for the rest of his life. Years later, Shae is ready to put Kenny in assisted living because he won't stop spouting conspiracy theories and will not take his medicine. Then, Kenny is injured and disappears, but he left a trail for Shae to follow. Shae and her two friends must reunite and confront what happened to them.

This book Aesthetically is on point from beginning to end. It works to bring you further into the story. I had chills opening this for the first time; reading "The stars have never been closer" really does feel like a threat and helps set the scene.
The art is gorgeous and haunting at the same time.

Story-wise I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking or anything. But it is a fun story that will keep you turning pages. The urgency of the situation definitely is evident as you are reading. While also allowing you to learn this information at the same pace as the characters.

I will say that lacking overall is character depth; I can't say I know anything about these women, or honestly their names besides Kenny's sister. They honestly kind of exist as placeholders for this plot to progress forward.

TLDR: Overall fun read, but don't expect anything new and don't read for the characters.

Tagging along with his sister and her girlfriends one night at the end of the nineties, when they find they're in possession of what they think is LSD, leaves Kenny recovering in a wheelchair and insisting the sky-people will come back to show us the end. Cut to the present day and he's still at it – still climbing tall edifices in a trance to see the aliens, and still being, well, correct in what he says about it all. And it might have something to do with the car crash that killed the sister's wife...

Well I guess this has the distinction of dumping the problems caused by an alien appropriation of a human onto some female characters, but that mattered little as a selling point for me. I surprised myself by not minding too much that all this was built of most derivative bricks (Lone Gunman conspiracist narrowcaster, black ops-style mysterious cabals, dodgily-named alien Areas etc). What became the biggest problem was that the intention, all Nolanesque ripping up of skies, alien captures, memory transposition, etc, was too far beyond the talents of the visuals team to get across clearly. Reduced palettes, characters that are hard to differentiate, and quite muddled action scenes made this a bit of a let-down. Not too bad an attempt, mind – so something nearer two and a half stars might reflect my thoughts more precisely.

A mysterious story about a girl, her brother, and her friends about a childhood experience that changes their lives. As they’ve grown up it still haunts them but when when her brother goes missing the group has to come together and piece together what happened all those years ago.

*Thanks Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*