This story was well-told and engaging throughout. I think it will definitely find its right audience and continue to inspire.

"Lonely Receiver" by Zac Thompson and Jen Hickman is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged graphic novel that explores the limits of human connection and the profound loneliness that can result from relying too heavily on technology. The story follows Catrin, a woman who is jilted by her fiancé and turns to an AI companion named Loverboy to fill the void in her life.
At first, Loverboy seems like the perfect solution to Catrin's loneliness. He is attentive, caring, and always available to listen to her problems. But as time goes on, Catrin begins to realize that her relationship with Loverboy is not what it seems. As she delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding Loverboy's true nature, Catrin must confront the uncomfortable truth that she has become overly reliant on technology to satisfy her emotional needs.
Thompson's writing is sharp and evocative, and he does an excellent job of capturing the nuances of Catrin's emotional journey. Hickman's artwork is freaking STUNNING, with vibrant colors and expressive character designs that bring the story to life. Together, they have created a world that is both familiar and unsettling, especially in the time where technology is advancing at a terrifying pace, drawing readers in with its eerie, sci-fi undertones and poignant exploration of what it means to be human in an age of hyper-connectivity.
Overall, "Lonely Receiver" is a captivating and thought-provoking graphic novel that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the pangs of loneliness in a world that is increasingly dominated by technology. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for the opportunity to read and review this gorgeous piece of work.

I had a hard time engaging with this graphic novel, I don’t really know why. The story was ok, if a little disturbing - which I’m sure is the intention -, and so is the art. I did love the art style, but that’s the only thing i actually loved about the comic.

The artwork in this graphic novel were really consistently beautiful. The story was engaging. I enjoyed it very much.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

This was interesting. I still can't really decide if I liked it or not. I enjoyed the artwork and the beginning of the story was pretty good but then it just went downhill from there.

When Catrin’s Artificial Intelligence life partner leaves her after ten years of bliss, she’s left hurt, angry, and confused. She can’t believe Rhion left her when she purchased and created her for her every need. The longer Catrin is left alone, the more she falls apart. She owns Rhion and she’ll do anything to get her back, even if that means destroying her life in the process.

I think this is an interesting concept, but the execution quickly went off the rails and never found its way back. There are some interesting things here, like where do AI life partners go when they leave? It turns out it’s extremely rare for them to leave, so it would’ve been interesting if we saw what Rhion was up to while Catrin was falling apart. Instead, the story quickly goes off the rails and we watch Catrin fall into profound loneliness and obsession, leading her to enter a new world of cybersex trying to feel something.

When I say she enters a new world of cybersex, what I’m saying is that there’s page after page devoted to these orgies. That’s not even including the other pages devoted to sex and general nudity. It was completely unnecessary and became increasingly uncomfortable by the page. We also get a weird AI shadow being who speaks in poetry that Catrin goes on to sleep with. Honestly, this book was strange, confusing, and very devoted to depicting cybersex rather than delivering a story. The only thing I came away with was questions about why there were pages upon pages devoted to sex and nudity rather than an actual storytelling.

Let me start by saying that the artwork is gorgeous. Beautifully illustrated, A+.

The story.... it's got its good parts. The author does a great job in capturing the difficulties in moving forward after an abusive relationship, picking up the pieces of your life and starting fresh. While I didn't really connect with the main character, I could appreciate her experiences and relate to her struggles.

That said, the story gets a little weird and confusing at times. I'm not sure if it was just too cerebral for me, or if this was a failing of the storytelling medium. Either way, it left me feeling a bit unsure about the overall text.

This wasn't necessarily a bad book, it just wasn't great.

A Very interesting graphic novel about the complexities of relationships and breaking up. It's chilling, and psychological, cerebral and eye opening. This graphic novel definitely leaves you wanting more. The artwork is gorgeous, it's futuristic, dark, and romantic, it reminds me of cyberpunk and that's a great thing. I did however find that the story wasn't completely clear, and it left me a bit confused. I felt that the author could have explained things a bit more clear.y, and some parts often read like poetry. I understand that the intention was for the prose to be flowery, but I don't think it fit in with this story and this method of storytelling. I wonder if this issue would be rectified by reading the future volumes? I certainly hope so because the strong points of this graphic novel are very strong.

The artwork and story of this were awesome, and really worked together hand in hand. I would recommend this as I eagerly await another!

Lonely receiver is a horror-sci-fi graphic novel based on a young woman called Catrin. She lives in an advanced technology world where the human can create a perfect companion with Artificial Intelligence based on their own needs.
Been so lonely without a mate, Catrin create Rhion, a lesbian lover. With her newly creation Catrin had a wonderful life but then the life went down when she found that Rhion is no more interested in her and also communicated with 300 other people.

one day Rhion disappeared without a trace and Catrin's life went upside down.

The art/Graphic in this manga is top-notch. Jen Hickman did a great job of creating these beautiful illustrations. The Storyline is very interesting but wishes it had a different ending.

Overall enjoyed the art very much!

Thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors, AfterShock Comics for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The main character creates an AI being (made of flesh) to be her romantic partner, but when the AI isn’t exactly what she needs or wants (like her last human partner), things get dramatic. Only when she loses her partner does she truly appreciate them, and she’ll deep dive into the seedy underworld of “the garden” in an attempt to find her.

I enjoyed reading this even when things got weird and a tad confusing. The art is on point, and though I couldn’t relate to the main character, I appreciated the direction of the story, her journey, and her personality. It’s out now if you’re looking for something way different to shake up your comic reading.

A treat for horror fans. It is set in future when AI has evolved to general intelligence level .
Horror/Breakup Story in Five Parts Catrin Vander, a lonely video producer, buys an Artificial Intelligence partner that's meant to bond for life. After ten years together, her holographic wife suddenly disconnects without a warning.

The breakup drives Catrin to the point of near insanity. She's alone for the first time in years and reeling from a loss she can't comprehend. Set in the new future, drenched in pastels and sunshine,

LONELY RECEIVER is a horror/breakup story in five parts. Written by Zac Thompson (UNDONE BY BLOOD, THE REPLACER, HER INFERNAL DESCENT, No One's Rose, X-Men) and illustrated in color by Jen Hickman (MOTH & WHISPER, Test).

We follow Catrin, a lonely soul, who buys an Artifical Intelligence life partner -- only to find herself more alone than ever. This sci-fi / horror read captures a toxic, abusive relationship -- in which, even after Catrin’s lover, Rhion, leaves, Catrin falls into a depression and a long journey of trying to Rhion / new partner. I think Thompson did a good job in capturing the lasting effects and hole that an abusive relationship can leave. While I enjoyed the art style, I found the nudity and certain scenes to be a bit much. The idea was also good but became convoluted in terms of its plot, world-building, characters, etc as the story went on -- a bit hard to grapple with and kind of weird to follow. Not my fav, but still interesting.

Lonely Receiver is about a society which is so connected to technology that they can even purchase AI soulmates. It is a Black-Mirror-style story about a woman named Catrin whose hologram-wife leaves her. Faced with the unimaginable reality that even a partner who was created with the sole purpose of loving her has abandoned her, Catrin unravels into a descent into madness and the depths of a secret online world "orgy" that further disconnects her from reality. This story was just not for me, surprisingly enough (because the "romantic" episodes of Black Mirror are among my favorites). I felt like the concept was good, but the execution was confusing, meandering, and Catrin was just really a nuisance - no wonder even her computer-programmed relationship fizzled out, honestly. The themes of dependence upon technology and our were intriguing and relatable, but also just felt repetitive because it was mostly extremely boring and not much happened, then there was the super bizarre ending which came without any explanation whatsoever.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

I could not get enough of this story, but it took me a long time to get through - that has nothing to say against the story, or the beautiful art styling. It just touched so many nerves I didn't think it would. I don't have many words to say about it, because I haven't quite been able to put them together in so many. But if you're interested in this book like I was, based solely on your gut - do it. You won't regret it.

Catrin thought that having the opportunity to create an AI life partner for herself would be perfect. Little did she know that this AI will have their own personal interests. So, when she discovers that her partner has a relationship with over three hundred other persons, Catrin is shocked.

Long story short they go through a dramatic break-up that shake Catrin's whole existence to the point where her whole life basically crumbles. Now that she has lost her what she thought would be her lifetime partner, Catrin has no idea about how to live her life without the AI she used to depend on for emotional support.

What I didn't like about the book:
This book was basically a terrible execution of a good idea.
Catrin's character was just to dependent on her partner and while this may be an example of people depending on technologies as if they can't live without them, it was a lot to handle.
The book felt like reading over 100 pages of someone crying over their past relationship and how they can't live anymore without presenting a good reason for why the relationship should have lasted.
Last but not least, a great chunk of this book, especially the last to chapters were basically Catrin being horny, which was honestly not comfortable to read.

This review copy was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this work and it ultimately fell short. What really pulled me in was the synopsis and art style... I love horror and have started reading more graphic novels.

I think the idea and premise behind this story is so unique and that's another reason why I'm disappointed with the end result. The format, of 5 sections, worked really well, even if the writing/development fell a little short. One of my strongest opinions is that this is futuristic, but it shouldn't be abstract. The idea of AI being as close to us as ever, and in "partner form" isn't as far fetched as where this story took the reader.

I will say, the earlier pieces of this graphic novel were the strongest. The way we learn about a couple, half AI, is intriguing. It's a shame the rest of the novel didn't follow.

It's alarming this is listed as YA when this is extremely adult. The art paired with the gore and graphic scenes make this unsuitable for the YA category.

This was a very interesting graphic novel that totally gave me Spike Jonze "Her" vibes. It's not an original concept at this point, but the illustrated representation of the story is unique and enjoyable overall.

I really have to admit, this really made me feel uncomfortable, but not in a revolting way. The Cronenberg influences are present throughout, there's a huge world where a future of biomechatronics are ever present. All of that looked surprising at first, maybe a little gross too. But then I had to see someone with some real self-loathing and some dependence on affection. Seeing that kind of toxicity makes the fleshy technology look less revolting. It's probably because I felt how people loved and feared for me at times, like I was empty and they needed to project their fears onto me for my own sake. I couldn't be them and I couldn't give up my sense of self.

Then I see more influences like Kafka and Clive Barker. Pain, pleasure, dependence, and the downward spiral towards some singularity. Thankfully it adds to a criticism of setting up some healthy boundaries to love oneself.