Actual rating: 3.5
Soma follows a comic book artist, Maya. Maya is burnt out from work and wishes she was using her skills on something different. As she struggles to get her work done, she's also juggling other aspects of her life. Her best friend Juu is going on his first date with a girl he met on a dating app and he is nervous. Oh, and Maya's life starts to resemble the comics she works on when she finds an alien named Soma in her home. Soma communicates that his alien race is planning on attacking earth and it is up to Maya and Soma to stop it.

Soma is a funny sci-fi graphic novel about modern day burnout, relationships, and becoming the hero of your own story. The graphics in Soma are so bright and attention grabbing. I loved the meta aspect of the story being about an illustrator of alien stories who experiences an alien invasion. I enjoyed that as a reader, you got to see glimpses of Maya's work and what was happening in the stories she was working on.

This is a great modern sci-fi graphic novel that is fun and humorous while also being relatable in terms of reflecting burnout and relationships in the digital age

I love the art style and colouring of this but ultimately the story just didn't grab me. I'm quite picky with graphic novels in fairness and think this will probably suit most readers, it just wasn't for me.

I'm a little torn about Soma, and it took me a few days to untangle those mixed feelings and come up with this review.

On one hand, I absolutely loved the graphic style and all visual aspects of this book. I really wanted to love it. But then on the other hand, I had a hard time getting into the story itself, sadly.

We're introduced to Maya, a comic artist facing a writer's block. One day, a cute alien crashes into her window to announce their species are about to take over planet earth and the human race will be eradicated in the process. Ensue an alien invasion with intense action all over the place. I can't really pinpoint why I couldn't really get into it, but there we are. I gave it a three stars rating, which in my book is an "it's okay and entertaining enough to read, but I'll probably forget about it in the end". Sadly, the art style wasn't enough to convince me (but I'm certainly gonna check out the Cult of the Lamb comic when I can get my hands on it).

3.8/5
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 5

Maya is a comic book artist and she is not doing that great. She is on a verge of burnout and just wishes she could do her own thing. And then she meets Soma - an alien that wants to save the world from its own species. Here starts an adventure of badassery and sacrifice.

I really enjoyed the art. I fully did not connect with the characters but I did fall in love with Soma. The story itself was ok, it felt a bit disjointed in some places and it feels like the whole story should have been longer. It would work great as an animation tho.

A quick read considering it's 288 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and is unputdownable! This cute but action back story is perfect for anyone looking for their next favorite graphic novel! Despite this graphic novel being 270 pages it felt like such a quick read! probably because it was so fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

For some reason this reminded me of something that Steven Universe fans would like, but once they get out of college and start working jobs that have nothing to do with their degrees, and then realize they don't know what they are doing. Which sounds oddly specific but also, if that is you, then you'll probably enjoy this. A fun, weird, whacky read!

I fell in love with the cover and, luckily, the whole book keep its promises. It is beautiful and cute and sweet. Well, we have a comic artist who is struggling with her work because she does not enjoy what she is doing anymore, she is lacking inspiration and she needs to find something new and exciting. And since you have to pay attention to what you ask, someone decides to make her happy because she is suddenly in the middle of an alien invasion. Aliens are trying to destroy the Earth, and she is reluctantly involved in this because an alien crashes into her home, but since his armor and tech are damaged, he needs her help to stop the invasion. Not really sweet, right? But this is just the general plot, we have a secondary story line, with Maya’s BFF, and we follow him as he is trying to survive the beginning of the invasion, and his storyline was my favorite.
Mind me, I loved Maya and Soma (the small, cutest alien ever) but the other characters steal the scene, at least plot wise.

But the best part of this is the art. It is so beautiful! It is really a rewarding visual experience, and I loved it. I devoured it, and I fell in love with all these beautiful illustrations.
If you want to see something beautiful, eye-catching and with some nice characters well… go for this one! It is sooo worth it!

You ever find yourself reading something you can connect to? The one you don’t forget. I loved this adventure and zipped through it. Rarely do I reread but I know this one will be read many times.

i didn't read the synopsis beforehand, so it was probably my bad, but i didn't feel like the switch into the sci-fi world was earned because the character development didn't feel like it hit a good point before heading into the fanatical. i did like the art style though and how the artist switched into different styles to experiment with the space of what illustration can bring with a sci-fi, dystopian world.

The colors and illustration style for this were gorgeous. The attention to detail, expressions, and emotion really moves through the story well. I didn’t know what to expect and the story jumps all over the place but the chaos doesn’t take away from it at all. It’s just a fun chaotic romp with space invasion and artists. What’s not to love?

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Likes
The best was the ending and what happened after it. The whole explaining how the comic was done and some images here and there was really cool. One could really see how much effort was done to make the comic perfect!

There were many scenes that were funny, for example, the church scene where the man just stole the donation money, it was hilarious.

The art style is quite stunning and I appreciate that the speech bubbles have different colours, so one can distinguish between the characters (who is talking).
I love the art style of Carles Dalmau, I previously read Cult of the Lamb, which was illustrated by him as well and it was so beautiful!!

Dislikes
Why the heck did Juu eat the burger when he said he is vegetarian. I don't get it. The girl knew it too so he didn't need to pretend. Why did he eat it??
Also how did Maya manage to speak under water several times!?

Only thing I noticed about the art style, was that one specific facial expression was used a bit too much. I mean the one where the snot from the nose was coming out, to symbolise fear in characters. Instead of just using this all the time one could use other facial expressions that have the same effect. I also think that using wide eyes or an open mouth to show shock or fear is much better than snot.

Thank you Oni Press for the advanced reader copy of Soma by Fernando Llor and Carles Dalmau

Started the book: 12. October 2024
Finished the book: 12. October 2024
Wrote the review: 12. October 2024

This graphic novel is such a wonderful story about an artist who is struggling to come up with inspiration until suddenly an Alien appears in her apartment and from there on starts an adventure into chaos combined with unique friendships.
It is super action packed, filled with incredible art and a colour palette which just enhances the entirety! I seriously loved this.

I loved this!

The art work and the story were so adorable. I totally fell in love with Soma.

My only complaint is that I wish it was longer, I was gutted when it ended.

Huge thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with this arc

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

"I just wanted to draw comics."

Comic book artist Maya is in a rut: though she longs to tell meaningful, impactful stories, all she's contracted to illustrate are mindless superhero strips, in which a sexy and scantily clad heroine slays the monster - *after* getting some witty quips in, of course. And then there's her bestie, Juu, a nervous (but sweet) wreck of a human being whose interpersonal emergencies wreak havoc with her deadlines.

It's while working on her latest commission that Maya unwittingly becomes an IRL heroine, when an alien named Soma comes crashing through her window and recruits Maya to join his cause. Having destroyed their own planet, Soma's people want to colonize earth for its water.

Soma was a member of an early exploratory team, sent to study earth's ecosystem. When Soma's ship veered off course and he became stranded, a kind family took him in, healed his wounds, and helped him repair his ship. Taught that that humans are a cruel and savage species, Soma is now determined to stop the invasion. But it's difficult when you're just a tiny, tentacled, brain-sized being in a diving helmet. With Maya's help - and a stolen tripod - can Soma save earth from its alien invaders? And will Juu ever find love?

Let's start with the obvious: love, love, LOVE Soma! He's an adorable alien, on the level of E.T. (insert the Harry Vanderspeigle 'E.T. is a beautiful moron' jokes here), and I enjoyed pretty much everything about him, from his diving helmet to his ability to communicate with Maya somewhat telepathically. And, of course, there's his compassion: Soma is the heart and soul of this book. And it doesn't hurt that Maya and Juu are pretty great too.

While the story line is engaging and had me at the edge of my seat (and, let's be honest, on the verge of tears at times; but it's also fun and FUNNY!), it's really the artwork that steals the show here. The art in SOMA is adorable, evocative, colorful, and downright arresting. Sure, I had a little trouble following the action at times, but that's a pretty common complaint I have across action sequences in comic books.

The aliens are awesome, obviously, but I also loved some of the visual gags that Dalmau worked in, like Juu going from 0 to 10 of a slobbering mess in the face of a minor embarrassment.

Though I have to admit that I was a little confused when Juu referred to himself as a vegetarian while on a date with Pam, only to later joke that "dying in a burger joint as a vegan would be a travesty." Regardless, suggesting a burger joint out of sheer social awkwardness? *Snort laugh*.

3.5
I don't know what I expected from Soma, but I don't think it was that. I did enjoy the story, and I enjoyed the fast pace. However, the pace was so fast you never really get to know any of the characters. The story is here and gone in the blink of an eye. I think the reason I enjoyed it was mostly for the art style. The art is wonderfully done! The only minor issue I have, which is honestly just a personal thing, is the weird "running snot" being used as a comedic tone indicator. Just kind of gross. Also a bit confused as to why some people have black circles for eyes when others don't. It's a very odd style choice. The Cult of the Lamb and War of the Worlds nods were cute!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed the book, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. That said, the art style and intricate details are absolutely stunning, definitely the highlight!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

This was such a fun and fast-paced graphic novel!

I loved the artwork so much, and the colours were so bright and eye-catching. I really enjoyed the premise of this one and really loved these characters, especially Maya and Soma! I found myself so invested in this story that before I knew it, I was at the end and wishing for more!

This beauty is out 25TH February and is one I definitely think people should pick up and enjoy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. It moved fast and the story kept me intersection throughout. The art work was engaging and I enjoyed looking at all the details.

What a wonderful comic! If the story sounds even remotely interesting to you, you should pick this up and be prepared to get blown away by the wildly expressive characters, beautiful art, and the clear mastery of visual design on display here. Seriously, I could rant about the color usage for another paragraph, it is that impressive.

The illustrations are great and it was a fun read - it lacked depth but it had humour which was great.