Thank you to NetGalley and Image for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was very quirky. Told from many different points of view and interweaving several stories this futuristic science fiction story was a little too chaotic for me. I was intrigued at first and the cover art really pulled me in but in the end I was dissatisfied. The art was definitely beautiful though and the story was woven well!

I know this will be really popular with some readers, and I wish I could be one of them.

I like the idea, and the art is beautifully coloured, but found the story a little slow or muddled at times, and had to backtrack often or just push forward not understanding what had just happened.

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Abuse of Power, Military/Government Abuse

Review:

First, I'd like to send my thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for giving me access to the eARC of Crave. What follows is my true and honest opinion.

Dandelion is a dystopian anthology were the sky is filled with airborne 'trailer' homes. The anthology follows a diverse cast of characters, who fall into a variety of minorities such as BIPOC, LGBTQ, Elderly, disabled etc. It also shows a clear depiction of classism, and how power corrupts. A strong theme throughout is that a good idea, when in the wrong hands, could prove harmful or even catastrophic. The entire meaning of something csn change based on who is in control.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started this, mostly choosing it based on enjoying previous things credited to the author. I did not expect to read such a hard hitting and serious book. I enjoyed it, the artwork is stunning, and I like that throughout each chapter there's different artstyles. I want to see this world developed further. Secrets have been half revealed leaving me feeling like a rabbit with a carrot on a stick dangles in front of and quite frankly I feel that it is cruel to not have a sequel one day.

Dandelion is an exploration of a critique about the culture and danger of capitalist globalisation and government policies that increasingly put profits over the people that they are supposed to serve, represent, and protect. Something which hits harder within modern day problems. The abuse of power by the government and military, and the fact that homelessness increased due to the displacement of workers due to post-labor automation, a very real problem and fear as technology increases, and then the Dandelions represent a bandage. Something that is shown to fix the problem, but in reality is just a way to get rid of anyone who doesn't fit into the status quo. Free housing and and never having a need to work? Who wouldn't sign up to that. It's an offer that seems to good to be true. And that theme follows through the stories.

4 Stars

In a dystopian world, floating homes called "Dandelions" have been invented for an escape into the sky. Toted as the next big thing but those who live in them are typically vagrants referred to as "Exiles" and it turns into another way for the 1% to stay on top.

What I liked: I loved the illustrations, they are beautiful and I could get stuck on a page looking at the details. I loved seeing the variety of perspectives while following an interview with the inventor. I loved the ending, it was such a sweet finish. I really enjoyed the exploration of isolation

Favorite quote: "Sometimes you just need to look at history with a different perspective"

What I Didn't love: While I liked the different perspectives the transition from one story to another was a bit jarring and hard to follow and left me a bit disconnected from the story. Additionally, some of the information re: the Dandelions did not make much sense to me, such as why the government who was happily sending this people into the sky forever were also affording to feed them for free? Both these issues were likely due to the shorter length (120 pgs)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am always seeking new graphic novels to add to my collection that are not the same regurgitated story line with eye-catching illustrations that enhance the reading experience and "Dandelion" did just that. I loved that this book is an anthology of stories melded together and how the graphics enhanced the stories. Highly recommend for science-fiction and dystopian lovers who wanted to be transported in the world of exiles. Would purchase for a library collection.

This graphic novel is a look at idea of a future earth where large amounts of people live in Dandelions or "motor homes in the sky". The novel tells the story of how the inventor had a dream of innovative and a step forward for humanity but how the rich and powerful of the world used it to make more money at the sacrifice and expense of marginalised communities or "exiles". This anthology told the stories of various people from criminals exiled to the sky and to families who chose to go up. I enjoyed how the stories had links together and how it all wrapped up neatly at the end. I loved the art style and feel it captured well the emotions of each story. I would definitely recommend to fans of science fiction and graphic novels. Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC.

This story is based in a fantasy world that covers some political things about the difference between the poor and rich. Someone designed a home where you could live in the air though if you bought one of these homes you were pretty much stuck in it for the rest of your life and never allowed to step on earth ever again. You were pretty much exiled to live in the sky telling you to die.

I found the concept of this story interesting. I did find the repeated use of the intro before a new story unnecessary and a bit irritating. The book is made up of several stories. Some were well laid out and interesting but a few felt choppy to me.

Essentially a short-story compilation in graphic format, all themed to the same idea: what if someone invented free-floating "homes" large enough that people could live out the rest of their lives there, never touching back down to earth again? And what if the government decided these should be used as housing for those people it wanted to essentially remove from society? (Similar to when convicts were given one-way ocean trips to Australia.)

The idea of the free-floating "dandelions" (houses) is a fascinating one, and unfortunately we don't actually learn much about them in this compilation. The stories focus more on the human reaction and experience around living (or not living) in the dandelions. A fair choice to make, looking at it from the human-experience perspective, but it left me with a lot of unanswered questions around the dandelions themselves that could have made for rich storytelling. Most of the stories are quite short (after all, they're one-shots, in the comic book sense of the word), which also means that we get a quick glimpse into the mind of a person or people related to the dandelion saga, but we never go too deep. The stories are split between one-shots about everyday dandelion inhabitants and one-shots that touch on the backstory of the mysterious inventor.

The art styles vary from story to story, as one would expect in a compilation, but they all play nicely together. All of the artists did a great job visualizing the dandelions themselves (although again, for a book titled "Dandelion" and ostensibly about these floating housing units, there is very little actual story or visual time spent showing/telling us about the dandelions).

I have mixed feelings about this book. The concept is fascinating. I feel it would have been more successful as a full-length graphic novel that took a few characters (perhaps one or two inhabitants, plus the inventor) and then spent the whole book digging into and expanding on those specific stories. Instead, this felt a little like a "what if?" collection akin to a "what if dinosaurs were vampires?" story collection where you get a lot of things roughly themed around the idea, but no central heart to hold it all together. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the originality of the overarching idea, and the opportunity always provided by this sort of compilation to showcase a variety of writers and artists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to my social media accounts closer to the book release date.

Really interesting concept/story! The art wasn’t always my taste but it was still really well executed!
The second half of the graphic novel was some of my favorite content.

I especially enjoyed the little vignettes between the stories. Definitely great for unique sci-fi/dystopian fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for the digital ARC!

i have nothing bad to say about this book! it is 100% my favorite book i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading! i cannot wait to own a physical copy when it releases!

This was such a fun idea, one graphic novel with multiple stories & illustrators centered around the same central story line! Brilliant! I loved how everything connected seamlessly, and read fluidly! All of the illustrations & storylines were so unique yet so connected at the same time! I loved the diverse cast of characters including some queer characters! I really enjoyed this book and I hope to see more in the future!

Hello Fellow Readers,

To be honest with you, I am having a hard time gathering my thoughts about Dandelion. The Premise is interesting and I've always been a fan of science fiction, especially in graphic novels, but something fell flat for me. I can't pinpoint where it may have been the flow of the stories that really tripped me up. I don't need them to be linear, and I like it when stories are told in parts as it leaves me turning the page to find out more.

The stories had me feeling disjointed as if they were randomly placed rather than done with purpose. I could have really enjoyed the message of Dandelion if it was done differently. Unfortunately, what that way is I couldn't tell you which, I think, is why I am feeling so conflicted. The art is stunning though and I really enjoyed the differences of each scene.

Overall, I think it's okay but fell a little flat with its message.

“In 2041, Jen Nakamuto invented a floating pod—the equivalent of a trailer home that lives in the skies forever. She called it ‘Dandelion’. Vagrants, immigrants without asylum, and workers displaced by post-labor automation were sent to live out their days in these Dandelions. They were known as Exiles.”
So begins the science fiction comic anthology “Dandelion”.
I wasn’t super impressed with the art in this one (some stories were incredible, others were kind of so-so). I was, however, impressed with the way a single concept could be interpreted and woven together in the anthology. The stories take an interesting concept and bears it out to it’s most likely (and sometimes worst) conclusions.
This is the way sci-fi is supposed to work, and I love seeing it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for giving me access to a digital copy of the book to review.

The artistic style in Dandelion reminded me strongly of The Sandman series: crisp lines and filled areas in jet black ink contrast strongly against the vibrant colors that resemble alcohol markers. There's scarcely a square inch of space that is left unfilled with color or black lines. Many people love the Sandman series for its artistic style; I'm unfortunately not one of them. I found the artistic style in Dandelion too unsettling for my personal enjoyment, and I couldn't get into the story because I was too distracted by the style.

One chapter in the middle jumps into a completely different style, which I would term "Procreate tutorial" in the more positive way possible. I enjoyed looking at those pages. The story on them, however, didn't grab me - it felt shallow and short. But that is likely influenced by the fact that I couldn't get myself to read through the previous pages and get the context.

"To build a paradise first, you need a hell..."

"Dandelion" is a graphic novel that showcases a world where people live in the skies. A dandelion is essentially a floating home with no way for the inhabitants to come down once they go up. As with every new development, there are pros and cons and also differences in the final product versus the original. But the person who created the dandelion only intended one thing. And per usual, the wealthy find a way to corrupt an innocent thing and turn what could have been great into something heinous. The poor and less fortunate are exploited by the government and treated as if they were nothing more than trash. There's heartbreak, violence, hope, and brief happiness sprinkled throughout each story.

I found this graphic novel very intriguing, especially how the story is told through vignettes surrounding those who live in dandelions. The art style is also both captivating and beautiful. I, however, didn't have any strong feelings towards most of the stories. My favorites were "The Bird," "The Pirate & The Fisherman," and "Grounded." I think I expected more of the stories to affect me rather than just the three, but overall, this was a fascinating and realistic look at what could be.

I want to start by saying that I have never read a graphic novel before, and I'm not that heavily into science fiction so I didn't necessarily have any expectations of this book. That being said, Dandelion shocked me. Each section of the novel was drawn by a different artist and each one was just as equally impressive! But it was the story itself that really got my attention. With the world we live in right now it's not uncommon to see theories and stories about how climate change will effect our lives in the immediate and distant future, however, this was the first time I've seen an idea like the dandelion. Going between Jen Nakamuto's vision and the "real-life" application of her invention is brilliant to see. I didn't know who Sabir Pirzada was before reading this novel, but I definitely do now.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed Dandelion, both the premise and the execution delivered. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed the way that the stories were tied together. The art and changing art styles were also great.

3.5 Stars - Dandelion is a compelling graphic novel comprised of stories and vignettes. The central concept is that Earth's exiles take to the sky, aboard individual sky homes called Dandelions, when Earth becomes unliveable for the average person. The stories are sometimes interconnected and threaded together by discussions of the now-missing founder of the Dandelion.

I've been looking forward to Dandelion for a long, long time. Speculative stories are my favorites, especially those that involve a ravaged near-future earth and a society that must deal with the consequences. While Dandelion had a unique premise, it didn't hold my interest as well as I'd hoped. I also didn't find the art in the graphic novel pages quite as breathtaking as the cover.

I do think Dandelion has an audience - and even an audience that will rate it five stars. For me, though, Dandelion wasn't fresh enough and didn't grip me right away.

It took me a little while to get into this one, some of the characters stuck more than others. Getting to revisit characters/plot lines made it more immersive, and the world building is pretty cool. An interesting combination of sci fi and current concerns/issues in society. Certain stories are really heightened by the art with beautiful colors, details, and scope.