Graphic Novel Review: Sentient by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta

Posted on April 1, 2021 at 9:44 am by Gene Ambaum

Sentient by Jeff Lemire (writer) and Gabriel Walta (art). TKO Studios, 2019. 9781732748590. Contains Sentient #1 – #6.

Onboard the USS Montgomery. Mission Day 742.

Earth has about ten years of habitability left. The crew and their families on the USS Montgomery are about to enter the black zone; communication with the Earth or its off-world colony won’t be possible for about a year. Soon after they do, all of the adults on board are dead. Val, the ship’s AI, has to teach the kids to do everything necessary to keep the ship working. At a refueling station, one goes against Val’s advice and investigates a faint SOS signal, which turns this into an even more harrowing story of the kids having to save their ship, themselves, and eventually even Val itself.

The cover really drew me in — the spaceship is colored with a subtle mix of purples and greens. Walta’s interior art looks like it was drawn on brown paper, in a way that makes the texture of the colors pop, and the lighter colors seem to glow.