A damaged planet and a dream of something better. The Oximenko family like many others on a dying earth, live a feral life, surviving through robbery and theft. In an overcrowded and dying world people have to use their wits and weapons to survive and this family knows how to do that in spades.

But like many others on earth they want something else and they dream of a new life on the planet Eden. Eden is the place everyone wishes to go to. A chance at a new life on a planet that is abundant and flourishing which can only be travelled to if you win the lottery.

When their neighbours win the lottery to Eden, this wild and feral family decide to ambush and rob them. This time, they are not robbing for food or possessions, they are robbing them for a new life and a chance for something better.

The Oximenko family are going to Eden by hook or by crook. (Mostly by crook)

But is Eden all it is made out to be?

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Gabe, Morgan, and Kall are seeking to escape from a dystopian Paris, so they hijack a local family that won a seat on the spaceship Constellation for a trip to Eden where they can start fresh on a new planet. But they get woken early from cryosleep to find that all is not what it seems. Now they family needs to make some major decisions that affect them, the ship, and Earth itself. Will they be up to the task? Read Eden and find out!

Thanks Netgalley and Humanoids Press for the chance to read this title.

You're correct – something's not right. The family of father, mother and teenaged daughter are too media-savvy and saying the right things about the fluke victory they've had in the worldwide lottery for a trip to the exo-planet Eden, and the chance to get away from all the crud on Earth. What's not right here is that the family is a criminal pack, telling themselves they break and enter and steal because they need to, not because they want to, but doing it all the same. Actually, what's not right here is the very nature of their 'trip' – a space elevator, cryosleep, and more. Dumped by the system because the system can tell they're not who they said, they witness the destruction of the rest of the ten million passengers. And then their survival starts to get even less likely…

Actually, does it? Why do they survive the unsurvivable and start to roam around a place with full Earth gravity and perfect human-friendly oxygen, and so on? Why is the genocide-level extermination of humanity not automated, and demand loud-speakers and alarms and so on of itself? Well, because the plot – and one joyfully promising aspect of it – would collapse without it being so. In the finish, this is the only flaw here – but they have rather made it a biggie. Apart from that, this is a sci-fi comic of decent-sized concepts, designed to show us how heavily man can sh*t on man and what the response is, both with and without any hope whatsoever. I'm not sure how well it would have worked as a film – allegedly the first plans for this – it seems small-scale, and of course a certain woken-early-from-cryosleep movie came out and probably killed it off. On the page the small-scale-ness, the way the wordiness can fill in for the action, doesn't matter nearly so much, and this nudges up to just about four stars in my thinking.

What a wonderful and interesting comic book/graphic novel. Im not usually one for sci-fi stories but this was rooted in an interesting family dynamic and had an interesting and very human story arch. I had a great time reading it - eventhough the ending felt a little meh to me.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cool concept that unfolded in an enjoyable way over the course of the comic. The art was solid and the storyline was good, although the warp-up at the end felt a bit too clean for me, like less time could have been spent on the build up and more of a slow development of the end.

I just couldn't really get into the story. I kind of felt like I got dropped into something without knowing what was going on at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I really didn't enjoy the plot or characters at all, which is disappointing as this is a relatively short read with an interesting art style. In theory, this is a super interesting story concept with lots of potential as it speaks to the era of greed we currently live in. However, I couldn't fins myself connecting at all with any aspect of this story.

Earth is dying. Overpopulation on earth is straining its resources. A Oximenko family is able to get the tickets to an unspoiled planet that is earth-like. They were the won tickets of a neighbor. How did the Oximenko family get them? When they are woken up from cyrosleep and find out about the truth of their journey. What is the truth?

Though this is a very brief description of the book, I didn’t want to include too much of the story. This is a sci-fi thriller novel of environmental collapse of earth. The author wrote several twists and turns in this novel. This graphic novel has excellent color illustrations. I enjoyed reading the book as it was interesting how the novel was going to end.

The Earth of the future is overcrowded and impoverished. Crime rates are up, in no small part due to families like the Oximenkos, who will do whatever it takes to survive. Dad Gabe, Mom Morgan and teenage daughter Kali are a tight and well-trained unit, with Gabe the softer-hearted idealist to Morgan's no-nonsense soldier. Their diverse skills serve them well when they're raiding the houses of the rich for food and other necessities, or eluding criminal gangs bigger than their own.

When the Oximenkos learn that their neighbors have won a lottery granting them much coveted space passage to Eden, an off-world colony with few of Earth's problems, they immediately make a plan to take the Tremaines' places. Unfortunately, their larceny means that the system malfunctions while they're supposed to be in cryosleep aboard the Constellation, the transport ship that ferries millions of sleeping passengers from Earth to the much richer colony, a galaxy away. What the Oximenkos discover upon waking, tho, upends everything they've been led to believe.

This was a gripping sci-fi graphic novel that asks hard questions about survival and provides nuanced answers through the differing lenses of both Gabe and Morgan. Morgan is utterly practical almost to the point of being emotionless, whereas Gabe desperately wants a better world for their daughter. Bright, sensitive Kali synthesizes both viewpoints: as an allegory, it's not the most subtle, but it is highly effective.

The art is excellent at static representation of form -- and don't get me started on how much I love that Morgan is Asian and that Kali takes after her more than white Gabe -- but can get confusing when the action sequences start. It's definitely a book that merits a re-read once you're done with the first pass, especially if you're a fast reader like me who was so busy being carried along by the story that any confusion with the artwork seemed secondary at the time. A second pass definitely helps the pieces fit better, as some of the suspense the art intends to evoke just comes across as confusing unless you already know what's meant to happen next.

That aside, the only real criticism I have of this book is the gaping plothole in what the Oximenkos decide to do at the end. Philosophically, I love it. But I'm genuinely surprised that no one brought up the subject of there definitely not being enough <font color="#ffffff">food and water</font> for what they're planning to do. I rather wish that had been addressed, as it really doesn't make sense in an otherwise well-written book.

While this is a standalone graphic novel, I definitely wouldn't mind reading more of the Oximenkos & co's adventures. That's a lot more than I can say about most of the books I read!

Eden by Christopher Sebela & Marc Laming was published April 9 2024 by Humanoids Inc and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781643378725">Bookshop!</a>

I enjoyed the graphic novel. It has a nice art style, it's easy to follow and fits the tone of the comic.
I would have given it more, but like many other reviews here, the ending just wasn't enough (if it's a one-shot), and it was quite predictable. You could almost tell from the beginning what the twist might be. That being said, I would be happy to read more of it if more volumes are made - so four stars.

I really enjoyed this story! It might be slightly predictable in some aspects, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment, at least for me personally. I kind of reveled in the idea that nothing was as it seems and I loved watching how the characters chose to handle those situations. I would continue the series!

A family would do anything for a better life. But the flight to Eden ends in chaos. Moral decisions have to be made and the consequences endured. Does the end justify the means? A comprehensible story that may not be very surprising, but is thought-provoking.

A suspenseful scifi graphic novel about a family who are willing to do anything to escape their dying world. Earth is dying. Fortunately we have discovered a new inhabitable planet, Eden, and if you're lucky enough to be chosen in the lottery, you get to go. When the Oximenko family make it onto the shuttle, however, they discover that things aren't what they seem. Will they be able to make it to their safe haven?

I enjoyed the scifi plotline (though like many futuristic tales, it's a bit depressing at times). The suspense was there, as well as a nice bit of familial love and the importance of hope. A quick read with some interesting illustrations.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Earth is dying and the only bright spot is Eden an Earthlike planet discovered by Edencorp, who can transport you to a new life in exchange for everything you leave behind. Spots on the ships are won by lottery, and when someone in the Oximenko family's bulding wins the Eden lottery, their patriarch launches a plan to take their place. Once they make it onto the ship they discover that their journey is somthing different than they expected and Edencorp and the entire ship try to stop them from revealing the truth or otherwise making it off the ship. The art does a good job of conveying the action taking place around the Oximenko family as they fight for their lives on the dying earth and on the ship. I received a free Digital edition of this graphic novel from the publisher

I loved this story. It was interesting and there were a few unexpected turns. One thing that did annoy me was the dad, who is supposed to be savvy and street smart, kept believing that bad events were not purposely done by Eden people and that he could negotiate with them.

Earth is dying, but Eden is our second chance. Once a month, 50 million people are able to board one of the ships of the Eden mission, taking a 6-month journey to an unsullied planet. Now, it’s the Tremain family’s turn, and their neighbors, the Oximenkos, are happy to take that turn for them. 😉

Once the swap is discovered, the Eden Corporation is determined to take the Oximenko family out, swiftly, and silently. It’s capitalism vs. the family, in a very literal way.

The artists put a LOT of time into the setting. The characters are drawn just fine, but the interior of the ship is enormously complex. Pipes and wires and screens everywhere! And the scenes on Earth are similarly packed. I wouldn’t be surprised if the setting took more time than the characters.

I’m glad this all wraps up in one volume, with no real loose ends. It was interesting enough for a regular GN volume, but at much longer, the plot would have been too thin. The setting and stakes are vast, but the events are fairly simple, and allowed to conclude naturally. A good afternoon read.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

What would you do to improve the life and living conditions for your family? In Eden, we learn what life is like on a degraded and declining earth for Morgan, Gabe, and their daughter Kali. The opportunity for “a better life, a better earth” by going to Eden is entwined with the reality of their life in Paris, France, stealing from others to supplement what they have. By putting in for the lottery they have a chance at a restart "on a new world where anything is possible". Hearing that neighbors have won who are also a family of three Gabe decides they are making a change. This does get them off the Earth, but will generate additional complications and conflict that are unpacked through the rest of the story. Impersonating the Tremaine Family when Bannister Huark comes from Edencorp Lottery Services they give up all of their assets and belongings except for what they take with them to the intercontinental Shuttle and the Constellation spaceship that will take them to the new world.
The Oximenko’s not being the actual Tremaine Family there is a glitch when they are loaded into the cryotubes for the journey and Huark as a typical hurried and disinterested bureaucrat overrides this so they are loaded anyway. His character continues to develop through the complications that come when the Tremaine family impersonators are ejected earlier from their tubes and they witness the Stage 1 solution to addressing the overcrowding and pollution created by humans on the Earth that Edencorp is implementing. People are being jettisoned from the first of five towers on the ship onto the dark side of the moon. Bargaining and consequences continue leading to changes in the Eden bureaucracy and the direction that the Constellation will go.
The characters are developed so we see Kali growing up and being a help for her family, the love that the parents have for each other and their daughter as well as the tension between the visions of hope and reality they each have. The impersonality and greed of the Edencorp bureaucrats and board as well as their employees on the ship who knew what was happening and were willing to trade taking part in the solution for living a better life. Well written and illustrated story that will leave you with points to consider about what you would do to have a better life.

I liked the premise and the art.

The Earth is dying, and the only chance at a better life lies in a journey to Eden—a planet untouched by our destructive influence. Edencorp selects winners through a lottery, offering them the opportunity to leave Earth and embark on a voyage toward brighter horizons.

The Oximenko family is among those desperate to escape the dying planet. They're survivors, who scrape by through scavenging, street smarts, and hope. When a neighboring family wins the lottery for Eden, Gabe Oximenko devises a plan to switch places with them. Everything seems to be going according to plan until the Oximenkos are abruptly awakened from cryosleep and discover the shocking (not really) truth about their journey.

While the overall concept is good, and the artwork is nice, the writing leaves much to be desired. The plot, especially in its later stages, lacks coherence and is filled with numerous. It oversimplifies the conflict between evil corporations and individuals seeking a better life, making it clichéd and uninspired. The ending ranks among the most idiotic I've read in quite some time.

But enough negativity for one day. Signing off! :)

Eden is a science fiction graphic novel that follows one families desperate attempts to escape a dying earth.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I read it in one sitting, never losing interest. However, I found the story very predictable, often let down by the plot twists.

The drawing style and art throughout were beautiful, and the panels were so easy and enjoyable to read!

My main reason for such a low rating was the ending, which did not make any sense. It left me with so many questions. How were all these people going to survive? Why wasn't there an uproar? What's their source of food or fuel for the ship?
It was such an unrealistic ending that just lacked creativity, unfortunately.


I feel like this novel would greatly benefit from some fleshing out! Regardless of the issues I have with the ending, it was a really fun and visually enjoyable read! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a sequel!

Biggest thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc of Eden in exchange for an honest review!