It was… a little underwhelming? The art felt very fitting and the story was personal to both author and artist (via their note). I don’t have a sleeping disorder, so I can’t comment on that, but I can say that it felt like a personal story, even without that note providing additional context.

That said, I was a little lost on the plot. I can get some barebones, but it felt throughout the story that I was always missing out on something, and I really couldn’t pinpoint what. At the end, I was just plain confused. Maybe a reread will do this some justice, but as of now, those are my thoughts!

summary: good art, nice personal ties, confusing plot

Thank you to NetGalley and ONI Press for the chance to read this volume.

This horror sci-fi graphic novel draws on the writer and illustrators own experiences of insomnia and sleep disturbances to give us an eerie and terrifying look at living long term in space. The way we begin to doubt our main character as more information about his past comes to light mirrors the way he begins to question both the computer and his own reality.

I really loved the art style - there was something deeply personal about seeing the pencil strokes here.

Nothing drew me in here. Nothing seemed unique. The art style was interesting with the black and white aesthetic; but the overall story was one we have seen before. Sleep deprivation, are they mad, are they sane?

I enjoyed this, even if it left me a little confused... The book follows a man in space who no longer has contact with Earth. As time passes, his sleep is impacted and he begins to question a lot of the things around him, taking inspiration from his past and present. I loved the drawing style and how easy it was to read in terms of the text style and drawing. From what I understand, the book is very personal to the author and the artist, so I feel that to write and illustrate a book on such a personal topic is a true feat.

However, I found the plot hard to follow. To start with it was easy, but then when it changes later on in the book I got a bit lost. Like I said previously, it seems that the book was very personal to the author and the artist in terms of shared experiences, but I admit that the book lost me when the timeline changed. Rather than the character questioning everything, it felt more like I was the one questioning, because I didn't understand what was happening...

Overall, I enjoyed it for the style and the illustration, but I feel that the actual plot could have used some more work.

Solid space horror that leaves to many questions and like, no answers. I don't mind a lack of answers but give us something? The story jumps forward at one point and it feels like there was a chunk that was cut out... the art was interesting but I would've liked color because it doesn't feel like the black and white was really utilized in any special/meaningful way to make the lack of a color have a point. Again, not that it needs to but all of these pieces put together gives the book an unfinished feeling, and I couldn't shake the dissatisfaction at the end.

Hurd-McKenney also gets a little bit into childhood abuse and the lasting trauma, repressed memory, psychological issues, etc but it feels all surface level. Just as the story starts to go deeper into any of these topics, is when it suddenly ends.

If there's going to be more, I think this is worth the read, otherwise there is better out there. I'm sad at the wasted vibes because the idea and visuals are so cool.

The artwork is well drawn! I don't like that the ending of the comic was so vague. I'd like to have known for sure what was happening but I understand that vagueness is part of the mystery.

Decently creepy story about a guy who is alone in space learning he may not be so alone, with hints of religious trauma and SA survivor-dom. However, this feels very brief and like a lot is left hanging without any sort of pressing "OR IS IT?" that would haunt me after the story. I'm not even sure what the creature WANTS (to eat people? to just kill them? to disappear them somewhere?) so I'm struggling to even be afraid of a specific fate. It's all very nebulous.

Overall, it's a pretty basic horror story and if you've read something like "someone alone is stalked by a mysterious entity" then this will likely seem pretty cookie cutter to you. Nothing really elevates the premise to set it apart, save maybe for the way the computer is somehow manipulated by the creature to have its databanks altered for better gaslighting.